Good Events Vs. Great Events
I recently had the good fortune to watch a master event planner in action.
Rather than dissect her plan, looking for secrets, I watched passively, taking in her work as a beneficiary of her talent.
First, everything in the program was branded. Room keys, welcome banners at the hotel, itineraries, name badges, cookies, everything had the name of the event on it.
Next, the staff was clearly identified and seemed to be ever-present. Every question, even the ubiquitous, “where is the bathroom” was answered with a smile.
Third, they never, ever rushed us, even when it seemed as if we would be terribly late. We were encouraged to board the busses, join the buffet line and other necessary nudges, but we never felt pressured or stressed by the schedule.
Finally, the program itself was brilliantly crafted to help the first-timers feel welcome and comfortable and those who had “been there and done that” experience new and exciting ways of seeing the same place.
The lessons we, as property managers or retreat planners/leaders, can learn for retreat groups is to take a step back for each and every group and think about the purpose of the retreat, the types of people who will be joining, what activities can bring a fresh perspective to the event and how we can craft the schedule so people feel comfortable all the time.
The extra hour or two in planning with these considerations in mind will make a world of difference and take our retreats from good to great.
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By Jaynie Schultz
Jaynie Schultz created Garrett Creek Ranch with her mother more than 20 years ago. She served as the founding Director of Sales and Marketing and is involved in many non-profit organizations and leadership development programs. Jaynie is the co-founder of www.retreatcentral.com, a free online retreat directory that lists hundreds of retreat centers nationwide.
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Image courtesy of Suzi B at FreeDigitalPhotos.net