It's been a long journey - 102 Days to go...

I? don't? know? about? you? but? sometimes? I? get? my? best? ideas? while? I'm? in? the? shower. ?The? essence? of? the? idea? to? document the journey came? through? to? me? today.? However,? the? spark? of? the? idea? emerged? last? week ?in? a? moment? of? frustration.

I'll? come? back to the frustrations and setbacks Event Organisers face in another post. Before? I? do, ?please allow me to? introduce? this series ?where I'm? going? to document my journey.? ?Hopefully? you? will? be? coming? with? me? as? a? reader? and? maybe? become a recipient of the knowledge transfer experience I am planning.

The countdown has begun.? So, we’ll see, eh?

I’m following my intuition which is moving me to take inspired action to start this series; ‘ The 100 Day Sprint: behind the scenes with an event organiser’.

Why will this matter? ?At this stage I am not sure.? Maybe I need to write this blog for my own focus and accountability. I am also hoping to educate you especially if you have never organised an event before.?

When does the organising start??

For the attendee I guess you start to get organised after you receive an invitation from the Host/Hostess to look at the details of the event.? This could be the marketing material you’ve seen (online or in print).? Or the direct invitation (word of mouth) to view further information in your own time.

When you decide to attend an event.? Depending on your personal circumstances you start getting organised so that you can attend the occasion.? When you arrive (face to face) or login (virtually), hopefully you have an appreciation that events don’t just? magically? happen.?

Your first impressions count when you’re reviewing the marketing material, digital information, post booking confirmation and event updates.? Then let’s not forget the accessibility at the venue.? How you feel about the parking facilities or access to public transport will make a difference to your experience whilst attending live functions.? So, if you’re planning an event, this is part of your assessment to choosing the right venue.? There is so much more for me to add here, but I’ll share more about ‘logistics’ in another post for this series.

Start with the end in mind

Let’s look at things from the perspective of the event organiser.? If you’re organising your own event, then as an organiser you will need to have a vision about the type of event you would like to host.? What type of audience are you seeking to attract? What is the problem you would like the event to solve? Depending on the size of the event the clarity around your vision will come as the plans start to come together.

I host different types of bi -weekly and monthly events face to face and also online.? Now I am organising, what is planned to become an annual event. ?Just for a brief background, I've been working on the annual summit for some time.? In fact, the original date was scheduled for last September.

So it’s ironic that I’ve decided to start documenting my journey today. After dropping my son off at nursery I decided to take five minutes to record my thoughts before I set off to a business networking event.

Ways to promote events

My motivation for attending the 'Connections, Collaborations & Kids' networking meetup was to connect with new women.? I also anticipated it would be a great way to promote the Family Business Growth Summit I am hosting in May.? I had lots of printed flyers to hand! ?Social media is a great way to promote events, but there is something very powerful about physically asking someone to look at your flyer.

I'll tell you more about my experience at the Creative Mums Club in another post. For now this event was a fantastic use of my time. I made some great connections, some of which may become part of the business growth summit!

Time Hacking Tools

Like many, I have a busy schedule, so I am always seeking out ways to effectively use my time.? So, I often capture my thoughts in voice notes.? This gets ideas out of my head quickly, so I have room for more thoughts. I suppose using voice notes has been one method I've consistently implemented in the planning of the event.

Whenever ideas come through to me (which is a lot!).? I've wanted to capture them straight away.? ?I also have an allocated space in my notepad. The written ideas sometimes sit in my notebook for a while.? When the timing is right, I come back to them.

Like I said, it's ironic that I’ve recorded the outline of part one in this series before attending a networking event to promote the summit. So, this article is an introduction to invite you to come on this ‘behind the scenes’ journey with me.

You see I’ve been travelling on this event planning road for a while now.? At times it has been very lonely.? Like a late-night motorway journey where you’re either driving alone.? Or the passengers are all asleep and you just want to get them home safely.

After everything that happened in my life over the last fifteen years that have led me to this point.? I want to capture the last hundred days in the lead up to the event.? I am not yet sure on the presentation style. You may find this series is a mixture of me doing a voice recording. ?Or it may be in writing or recorded via a video. ?It really depends on how much time I've got. Also, what type of mood I'm in.

So, thank you for tuning in, this is just the introduction to everything, and I look forward to taking you on the hundred-day sprint as we approach the finish line.

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The Seeds of Unlimited Success is a Family Business Growth Summit aimed at solopreneurs, couples, partners and members within a family run business.

The summit takes place on Saturday 18th May 2024 at Eastwood Hall, Mansfield Rd, Nottingham, NG16 3SS.

Early bird tickets are available until March 20th 2024 – follow the link here for more information.

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