B2589 Events Rough Guide St5

A guide to running successful events

A well planned and executed event can greatly enhance the profile and reputation of your organisation, connecting you to the people that matter. Kirsty Mack, Events Manager, University of Birmingham.

Challenge what you know.

www.events.bham.ac.uk

Contents Introduction Know your audience What your audience and internal hosts need to know in advance – a checklist Choosing the right date Planning your budget Booking high-profile speakers Hosting high-profile speakers before, during and after the event Choosing the venue Parking and transport Signage Setting up Marketing your event Support services for your event Appendix I – Know your audience Appendix II – Basic budget Appendix III – Detailed budget

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Events Rough Guide

Introduction Planning an event can be a daunting task, particularly if you’re doing it for the first time. This guide has been put together specifically for University staff so that you can avoid the usual pitfalls and execute a successful event. It also contains information for the University service providers that you are likely to need. Why hold an event? The most important thing to consider before you even start planning your event is why you are doing it. Don’t hold an event just because it’s always been held or because you think you should. Consider the following:  What do you/your Department/School want to achieve by holding an event?  Who is your desired audience?  What ‘end result’ are you trying to achieve?

Research similar successful events and, where possible, speak to the organisers; find out what did and didn’t work.

In essence, you need to set your objectives.

You should always design your event around your objectives. If it is a celebration it needs to feel celebratory. You may wish to include a toast, speeches, ribbon-cutting, champagne reception etc. If your primary objective is networking, you need to make sure you have allowed adequate time and provided an environment which will encourage your audience to mingle.

What are your objectives? Objectives must be set before you start planning an event. They will determine if you hold an event at all and, if so, the format it will take. They will also allow you to determine whether or not your event was a success after it has taken place. If the main purpose of your event is to communicate a message you must first decide who it is you need to communicate with. Your event must be attractive to your audience in order to encourage their attendance. Outline what will attract your audience, for example, keynote speakers, black-tie dinner, networking opportunities etc.

Objectives (examples) Raising profile Publicity Communicating key messages Celebration/occasion ie, new building launch/anniversary Educating/training Entertainment VIP hospitality Recruitment Networking/relationship building Fundraising

If you want to raise your profile, the question is, with who? Is it with a particular audience or are you trying to generate publicity more widely? A specialist audience is likely to have very different expectations of an event compared to the general public.

Determining your audience is key. This element alone will shape the format, size, timing and even the date of your event. This is discussed further in the following section, ‘Know Your Audience’.

Yes No

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Events Rough Guide

Know your audience Knowing your audience is as crucial as knowing your objectives. In reality, the two go very much hand in hand.

Specifying your audience will determine:  What kind of venue the event should be held at  What time of day, and day of the week, would be most suitable  Type of refreshments  Length of event  What format the event should take  Whether a ‘keynote’ speaker is appropriate and, if so, who that should be and what they should be asked to speak about In June 2006, a one day conference and dinner was held to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the University’s Physics and Technology of Nuclear Reactors MSc. The timely positioning of this conference, entitled ‘Past and Future

of Nuclear Power’, alongside the debates surrounding the Government’s Energy Review, as well as strong keynote speakers, ensured that the event attracted significant attention from the nuclear community. This event met its initial objectives. The conference drew attention to the work and research taking place at the University both internally and within the nuclear community. The keynote speakers helped to ensure that the event was attractive to the desired audience. The evening dinner in the University’s Great Hall provided the celebratory aspect, recognising the success of the course over the previous 50 years. The launch of the new Medical School Student Facilities Building took place in October 2006.

A symposium, with 3 high-profile, keynote speakers, discussing ‘Medical Education and the Role of Tomorrow’s Doctors’, brought in the desired number of delegates from the medical field, the key target audience. Again, this event was planned in line with the objectives and with the audience in mind. These are just 2 examples of events that have been designed to pull in a specific audience and have succeeded. For those of you who are planning events for an audience that you are not necessarily a member of yourself, Appendix I lists some questions that you should think about when designing an event for a specific group. Even if you are used to planning events for your peers, this is still a worthwhile exercise.

Events Rough Guide

What your audience and internal hosts need to know in advance – a checklist The more information you can give your guests prior to their arrival at your event the better. A well-informed audience will arrive calmly, without confusion, and will ultimately go away with a much better impression of you and your organisation.

Once your delegates/guests have registered their attendance you should send them confirmation details at least one week before the event. This checklist is an absolute must when sending out these details:  Date  Time (including end time)  Venue (with directions and a map showing the specific venue ie, building name and room number)  Parking (Free, Pay and Display etc.)  Public transport details  Contact details of the organisers  Cost (if they haven’t already paid)  Dress code (if the event is a dinner/evening reception)

It can also be useful for your guests to know who else will be attending the event.  If it is a conference, producing a delegate list to give out at the event is sufficient  If it is a dinner, producing a table plan booklet for each guest to look at during the drinks reception is a good idea. It allows people to see who they’re sitting with before they get to the table as well as avoiding the usual ‘cram’ around the notice board displaying the plan  It is particularly important for your internal guests/hosts to know who will be attending. Ideally they should be informed of who the guests are and why they have been invited. At a dinner, you should certainly do this as your external guests will then be well hosted, putting them at ease, and leaving them with a good impression of the event and the University

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Events Rough Guide

Choosing the right date

Choosing the right date for your event is crucial. The following points will ensure that you do this:  Wherever possible don’t choose a date around your own diary  Think about the best time of year for your audience (bear in mind things like school holidays, exam periods, end of the financial year etc.)  Research what other events are going on both at the University and around the country/world at the same time – there is





no point competing for the same audience as another organisation/company If you do discover that another event is being planned, aimed at the same audience, think about the possibility of collaborating – would it benefit you as well as the other company/ organisation to hold a joint event? If you are booking a speaker, or speakers, contact them or their diary secretaries to find out when they are available. Your speaker should nearly always be your priority when confirming a date. High-profile speakers will



have very busy diaries and you should aim to confirm a date with them at least 6 months in advance of the event. This point is discussed further in the section, ‘Booking and hosting high-profile speakers’ (page 8) Never rush an event for the sake of holding it by or on a certain date. It is far better to give yourself adequate planning time. This will mean that your audience is more likely to be available and that the event is properly planned

Events Rough Guide

Planning your budget

As with any project, the budget for an event should be set in advance. Often you will be given a budget to work to, other times you will be asked to produce a budget for approval. Either way it is important to make sure that it is as accurate as possible. Don’t forget to add VAT when using external suppliers. Internal University suppliers will not charge VAT. Appendices II and III will give you some guidance in this area.

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Booking high-profile speakers If you want a high-profile keynote speaker at your event, start planning early. Most people in key positions plan their diaries at least six months in advance.

Booking This is how to go about it:  Before you begin approaching your speakers (6 months in advance) think about whether you want University senior management such as the Vice-Chancellor at your event. You are advised to check your proposed dates (usually a 2–3 week time slot) with his office to determine availability  Phone the speaker’s PA/diary secretary in advance and speak to them about the event you are planning. Let them know the 2–3 week slot you have in mind and ask if there are any dates that would be impossible for your intended speaker  If you are looking for a panel of speakers, do this for all of them and then look at the date on which the majority are available





Call the PAs back and ask them if they are able to provisionally mark the most appropriate date in the diary Send a formal invitation letter to the speaker(s) via the Vice-Chancellor’s office (or other host, ie, Head of College) with details of the event including the topic around which you are asking them to speak, and for how long. If you send the letter to the VC’s PA she will issue it for you, usually within 48 hours. Include with this letter a short brief of the event and details of the speaker for the VC’s information. Also include in the letter that you have spoken to the office of the speaker and have provisionally held the date (the University Events Team would be more than happy to send you example letters)







The invited speaker(s) will then write back to the VC accepting or declining his invitation – a copy of this letter will automatically be forwarded to you. If you still have not heard back after one month, call the VC’s office to double check that a letter has not been received and then call the speaker’s office to chase Always have speakers in reserve so that a second letter can go out quickly if the initial invitation is declined. Remember that if you are dealing with only one speaker you may wish to look at an alternative date, one that is more suitable for your ‘second’ speaker Once a speaker has been confirmed you need to fill out a Freedom of Speech Form which can be downloaded from www.has.bham.ac.uk/documents This will ensure that the appropriate people on campus are informed of this visit ie, security

Events Rough Guide

Hosting high-profile speakers – before, during and after the event It is crucial that your speaker(s) are well looked after before, during, and after the event.

Before  Develop a good relationship with their PA. The PA will be able to provide you with all of the information you need prior to their visit  Ask for an official biography and photo that you can use in any pre-event publicity/ marketing and in the literature on the day  Make sure that they know about the format of the event, any other speakers, who the audience will be and how many, well in advance of the event  You need to know how they are travelling to the event. Will they have their own driver, be driving themselves or travelling by train/ plane? If they are travelling by car make sure that parking has been reserved. If they are arriving at the station/airport organise a University car to collect them and drop them at the venue  If they are driving onto campus you will need to inform security of their expected arrival time so that they don’t encounter problems getting onto campus  Will they be using PowerPoint or require any other technical support? If so, ask if you can have a copy of their presentation in advance so that you can ensure that the ‘stage is set’ and that there are no technical problems prior to their arrival  Do they have any dietary requirements that you need to be aware of?  Who will be introducing your speaker? If the Vice-Chancellor (or similar) has been asked to speak, write the speech and send it to his PA at least 2 weeks in advance of the event. You will also need to send the VC a full brief (regardless of whether he is speaking) of the event – background, aims and objectives, who the audience is and how many, full format/times of the event, biography and photo of the speaker, speaker arrival/departure time and travel arrangements – the more information the better

During  Organise somebody to meet the speaker on arrival. This should either be a senior member of the University management such as the Vice-Chancellor, or a senior member of academic staff such as Head of College. The organiser of the event should also be present at this stage in case of any questions/problems  You are advised at this point to show the speaker where they will be speaking, to ensure that they are comfortable with the set-up. Technical support should be on hand for a sound check and to make sure that the PowerPoint etc is running smoothly. Make sure that water is available for your speaker on the lectern/table  Have a ‘green room’ organised with refreshments available so that the speaker can gather their thoughts before delivering the presentation  Make sure that the speaker is hosted throughout the event including during lunch/dinner After  At the end of the event, or at the designated departure time of the speaker, escort the speaker to their vehicle, ensuring that they have all of their belongings with them. Keep an eye on the time – don’t rely on the speaker to leave on time for their train/next appointment – you may need to gently remind them that their car is outside  If they are leaving in a University car ensure that it is waiting outside before you escort them out  The following day, email the PA to thank them for their assistance, you never know when you might need their help again  The VC/Head of College may also wish to write to the speaker and thank them again for their participation in the event – you should remind them of this  You may also wish to send the speaker any photos and press articles related to the event

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Events Rough Guide

Choosing the venue Choosing the correct venue is another important aspect to consider in the initial stages of planning an event.

Some events determine the location, such as building launches, and in these cases this will also determine your capacity. However, the majority of events do not determine the venue and therefore, by taking note of the following points, you should be able to decide on the best venue/location for your event. Location  Think about where your audience are travelling from and how they’re likely to travel  Is there parking available?  Is it realistic to expect people to travel to your event or should you be taking the event to them?  Wherever possible use a University venue. We have a fabulous campus and we should show it at every opportunity Impression  What kind of impression do you want to give your audience?  What kind of venue are they used to going to and therefore likely to expect from this event?  How can you exceed their expectations?

Capacity  Think realistically about the number of people your event is going to attract and book your venue accordingly  If you start planning your event in good time it should be possible to provisionally book 2 venues until you have a clearer idea of numbers Be creative Don’t automatically go for the obvious – be creative  How can you ‘dress’ a slightly dull venue to make it more appealing?  Ushers dressed as 19th century Greeks and a Gladiator on the door is not what you’d expect from your average University event but the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity certainly pulled it off at their launch in March 2003!  If you’re avoiding certain venues ask yourself why and if the problems can be overcome 

An event held at a university in America used a tired old sports hall for a 1950s reunion as this was the venue the alumni of that decade remembered most fondly and associated their time at university with. Some simple ‘dressing’ with bunting, flags and flowers, as well as a good clean, was all it took to transform the feel of the room and transport people back to the 50s. Another issue they encountered with this event was the lack of parking at the venue. The organisers turned this into a positive by ‘beginning’ the event at another car park and transporting the guests in 1950s classic cars. This is perhaps a slightly extreme example, and certainly has a cost attached, but it shows what can be done with a little imagination.

Events Rough Guide

Parking and transport

Is there parking at your chosen venue? Yes  Make sure people know about it  Include a map or clear directions with all the correspondence  Make sure you tell guests if there’s a charge attached ie, pay and display  Make sure that the capacity is sufficient for the number of cars you are expecting No  How are your audience going to get to you?  Should you be providing a shuttle bus from the nearest car park?  Is there a train station/bus stop that you can encourage people to use?  Make sure you have arrangements in place for disabled visitors

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Events Rough Guide

Signage Putting up extra signage is crucial for almost any venue that you choose. You are likely to know your way around but you must not assume that this is the case for your guests.







 

A few days before your event walk the route that your audience will use (remember that there’s likely to be more than one route depending on which transport option they use) As you walk the route, make a note of where signage is lacking and which way the arrows need to be pointing (remember that you can rarely have too much signage) When doing this also make a note of what you’re attaching each sign to. Do you need to find temporary posts to use on the day? What will you need to use to attach the signage – Blu Tac? String? Also carry this procedure out for disabled access routes, which are often different Print all of your signage at least the day before your event, remembering that external signage may need to be laminated – always print a few extra in case you have missed something on your initial walk



 

On the day of your event (or the evening before) put up all the signage and walk the route following only the signage you have put up – you will soon see if you have missed something Make sure that the toilets/lifts/stairs within the venue are clearly signed If guests are using a lift during the event, put a sign up in the lift telling them which floor they require

These may seem like very trivial points but if your guests can’t find the venue they will arrive late and hassled – this is not the way to start an event and certainly not the impression you want people to take away with them at the end of the day.

Events Rough Guide

Setting up It is important that the room(s) are set up in the most user-friendly way. Some spaces like lecture theatres prescribe the layout, but this is not always the case.

Consider the following when looking at options:  Cloakroom/coat racks – these are generally best situated near the entrance but make sure you don’t create a bottleneck by placing them immediately inside the door  People generally ‘slow down’ when they enter a building so try to make sure that this space is as ‘open’ and welcoming as it can be  Don’t place your registration desk immediately inside the door as this can create a queue outside, but make sure that it’s clearly visible and accessible from the entrance  Always have somebody ‘on the door’ of the building, even if the actual room or venue is some distance away – this creates a nice welcome for visitors and assures them that they are in the right place  Make sure that there are no sight-lines being blocked within the room by AV equipment –









sit in each area of the audience to ensure that there is nothing that will restrict your audience’s enjoyment of the event Count the chairs! You would be amazed how many people don’t realise that there aren’t enough chairs for guests until it’s too late. Wherever possible, allow an extra 10% capacity, to ensure the room does not feel overcrowded or cramped If you have VIP guests make sure that there is named reserved seating available for them, preferably on the front row Don’t cram buffet catering into a small space, guests should ideally be able to move freely around the tables. Use the buffet tables to entice people into the room by placing them away from the door but where they are visible as people enter. This way you again avoid creating a bottleneck at the entrance. Don’t block fire exits at any time

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Marketing your event Each event will be marketed differently depending on your target audience, your budget and how many people you are trying to attract.





The most effective type of marketing is direct email to a named receiver. Building a database of the kind of people you are targeting can be time-consuming but you are likely to get a good return for your time spent. This information is also freely available on the web and therefore ideal for low budget events. Start building your databases early and make sure the contact information is complete – this will save a lot of time filling in the gaps later on. Starting from scratch, a database of 800 CEOs can take up to 100 man hours to build If you are directly ‘inviting’ people to your event you may wish to do this on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor if it is high profile, and especially if he himself will be attending. The invitation letter should always be sent from the host of the event. Send the invitation letter to the VC’s PA, along with an invitation list, for approval. Once it has been approved





you can send your letters out ‘from’ the VC. Remember to include your contact details for guests to contact you for further information. What is special about your event that will attract people to it? If you have a high-profile keynote speaker, or speakers, make sure that this information is in the first line that people read – it needs to jump off the page. This is the ‘hook’ for your audience If you are holding a ‘public’ event which is not targeted at a specific audience then direct mail isn’t always the best option. Having said that, if you have databases that you have built in the past you can always let them know about the event if you think it would be of interest. Use publications that are read by a wide cross-section of society such as the Metro newspaper – this paper is read by over 55,000 people every day and its advertising rates are relatively inexpensive



Inform the University Events Team of your event so that it can be added to the events webpage, student/staff portals and potentially be included in Buzz

Always invite more people than you think you’ll need for conferences/lectures – good quality publicity material sent in good time to a well-researched and appropriate database can expect a take up rate of approximately 10%. Dinners tend to have a slightly higher take up rate, generally in the region of 25 – 40% but this depends on time of year, amount of notice given, cost, venue, keynote speakers, etc. If you would like further advice on this please contact the University Events Team.

Events Rough Guide

Support services for your event University Events Team For advice and support in the planning of your event please contact the Events Team. Ideally, please try and contact us before you start planning your event so that we can help you get on the right track from the outset. Kirsty Mack Events Manager 0121 414 7254 [email protected] Eleanor Leftwich Events Administrator 0121 414 2950 [email protected] Vice-Chancellor’s Office For the Vice-Chancellor’s availability, and to request his presence at an event, contact his PA on 0121 414 4536 or at [email protected] Technical support There will almost certainly be at least one speech/speaker at your event and you need to ensure that they can be heard and seen clearly by all of your audience members. To ensure that this happens, enlist the support of LRAT (Learning and Resources Accommodation Team), who will be able to provide you with the equipment and staff on the day. Make sure that you do this in good time, at least 1 month before the event. www.lrat.bham.ac.uk *There are also external companies that can be used if requirements are out of hours or very specific. The University Events Team can discuss this with you.

Catering Most events will require some form of catering, be that tea and coffee, a buffet lunch or a sit down dinner. University catering services (part of Hospitality and Accommodation Services) can provide all of this: Fresh Thinking team (for all on-site catering ie, at the venue and all Great Hall functions) contact Regina Brooks or Anna Griffiths on extension 46250 or email [email protected] Staff House team (for all sit down meals in Staff House) contact Jenny Walker on extension 46252 or email [email protected] Birmingham Conferences and Events If you are looking to organise events such as a dinner in the Great Hall, a residential conference or day meeting at the University, you can speak

to the team at Birmingham Conferences and Events who will be happy to help you make the arrangements. You can also book bed and breakfast accommodation through them for visitors who need to stay over. The team also promotes the University as a venue to external clients. You can contact Birmingham Conferences and Events on 0121 415 8400. Room bookings Central Room Bookings are responsible for booking the majority of the rooms on campus. They can be contacted on 0121 414 6884/ 8058 or at [email protected] You can also visit the website at www.as.bham.ac.uk/work/teach/timetable Furniture hire If you would like to create a stylish, but more informal atmosphere at your events, round tables are available to hire from the Conference Office. There are: 80 round tables at desk height, 10 round cafe-style high tables and 7 rectangular tilt-top tables on castors. All with light oak tops and silver metallic legs. For further information please contact the Conference Office on 0121 415 8400 Central Printing For VC/Chancellor letterhead, poster blanks, copying and other stationery supplies contact Central Printing on 0121 414 6684 Design and Publications For design and printing of invitation cards, brochures, leaflets etc. contact Design and Publications on 0121 414 7178. You should book work with them at the earliest opportunity, ideally 2–3 months before delivery is required. Photography The University does not have an events photographer but the Events Team have photographers that are used regularly. For further information on this contact the Events Team on 0121 414 2950 Security You are advised to inform security of any event that you are holding for several reasons:  If people are parking on campus security need to be aware of an increased volume of traffic  If you have a high-profile speaker attending extra security may be required  If a venue needs to be open out of hours a security officer will need to be present Contact Clive Reid, Deputy Director of Security on 0121 414 5625 or at [email protected]

Cleaning Services You may need to book extra cleaning to ensure that the venue is presentable, particularly if you are holding an event at the end of the day in a venue that has been used for teaching. Contact Frances Warriner on 0121 414 5638 or [email protected] or Cleaning Services enquiries (Frances’ secretary) on 0121 414 5633 Portering Services If you require equipment moving/furniture rearranging, University Portering Services can organise this for you. Contact Jean Moran on 0121 414 5639 or at [email protected] Transport Services If you require transport for your event, Transport Services can organise this for you. Contact Jean Moran on 0121 414 5639 or at [email protected] Insurance Standard University insurance is usually adequate to cover events such as lectures, conference and dinners that take place in University venues and that use University equipment and catering. If you are planning anything more than this, particularly involving any third parties ie, bouncy castle/marquee companies, you are advised to contact the Insurance Office. When employing the services of third parties you must always ask that they have their own Public Liability Insurance to cover anything that they are bringing onto campus and arrange for a copy of the insurance document to go to Gill Kelsall in the Insurance Office at [email protected]. The Insurance Office can be contacted on 0121 414 6628 Risk assessment It may be necessary to carry out a risk assessment for an event, particularly if guests are visiting labs, areas where machinery is kept etc. Risk assessment information can be found on the Health and Safety web page at www.hsu.bham.ac.uk Fire safety It is important that you contact the University’s Fire Officer to check on maximum numbers allowed for your chosen venue if you are unsure about capacity. You should also inform the FO if you are bringing in extra or different furniture that will change the space available. Contact John Minton on 0121 414 5256 or [email protected]

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Events Rough Guide

Appendix I – Know your audience What will your audience be expecting?

Have similar events been held recently? If so, with what success?

Do you know what your audience would like to know/discuss? If not, who can you speak to about this?

What is the age range likely to be?

Will your invitees want to bring partners/guests? (This is more likely at a dinner rather than a conference but should be considered for most events, particularly if people are travelling from overseas)

Where will they be travelling from? (Consider this when setting start/end times)

Will they require accommodation?

Events Rough Guide

Appendix II – Basic budget Event Provision Room/venue hire Refreshments (coffee/lunch/dinner) Technical support Equipment hire Headed paper (written invitations etc.) Envelopes Labels Badges and holders Postage Signage Event giveaways Design and print costs – programmes/brochures/flyers Marketing/publicity (advert costs etc) VIP speaker costs (travel/accommodation) Expenses Transport Porters (furniture/room set-up etc) Security Flowers Musicians Other entertainment/miscellaneous expenditure Contingency (generally at 10%)

Budget (ex/inc VAT)

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Events Rough Guide

Appendix III – Detailed budget ie, Conferences Event Provision Conference expenditure Day delegate rate Cloakroom hire Hire of venue(s) Hire of exhibition space Furniture hire Buses from hotels to venue Technical support/AV team Conference materials, eg, bags Headed paper (written invitations, etc.) Envelopes Labels Badges and holders Postage Signage Marketing and Publicity Design and print costs – programmes/flyers etc. VIP speaker costs (travel/accommodation) Expenses Transport Porters (furniture/room set-up etc.) Security

Number required

Cost per item

VAT

Total

Events Rough Guide

Event Provision Conference dinner Hire of venue Bar set up/late licence Drinks reception Dinner per head Table wine per head Table water per head Buses to and from dinner Flowers Entertainment Giveaways Other evening receptions Room/venue hire Canapes Drinks Conference income Delegate fees Early Standard Late/On site Student Early Student Standard Student Late/On site Exhibitor space (per stand) Sponsorship

Number required

Cost per item

VAT

Total

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