Anyone who knows me, knows that I love checklists. They’re helpful in organizing thoughts, to dos, and what needs to be done now vs. in the future. It feeds my type A, planner personality. And, when it comes to planning something like a gathering, there are so many details, logistics, and to dos to keep track of. Here’s my attempt to provide you with a checklist of things to think about related to any gathering, really focused on ones that are 1+ days long.
Logistics
- Budget what is your budget? Have you accounted for everything and added a bit more “just in case”?
- Travel: will folks be booking their own Travel or will someone be booking for them? Don’t forget to set a “book by” due date so that you’re not spending extra money on things like last minute flights.
- Accommodations: hotel block? Airbnb? Remote or in the middle of a city?
- Meeting location: While it’s tempting to have the meeting location at whatever hotel you are staying at, I frequently recommend to try to do it closeby but in a different location. This helps with a change of scenery and minimizing food and beverage minimums. The exception to this is if you have someone who needs a lactation room during a gathering. In this scenario, it may be easier to be in the primary hotel so that the individual(s) have easy access to their room and a comfortable place to pump.
- Food: will food come to the location? Provided by the meeting location? A certain amount provided for meals on their own? Delivery to the meeting location for lunches? Don’t forget to account for a variety of dietary restrictions and needs. Don’t forget about snacks and water!!
- Accessibility: What kinds of accessible needs to individuals need? This could be anything from a particular kind of chair, to knowing about breaks needed, to wheelchair accessibility. This is helpful to know not just for the travel, accommodations, and meeting space, but also for any groups meals or outings you may be planning.
Suggestions for logistics:
- Have people send you or post into a central form their flight information or where they’re staying. This helps for coordinating rides to and from the airport.
- Have people fill out a form in advance detailing dietary restrictions or any other accommodations or needs they have.
Content
Logistics are important, and, as you can see, involve lots of details and things to think about. As a result, the content tends to be put off or not thought through as critically. While there are less questions there, each one goes much deeper and really have the ability to create transformational experiences for attendees that make all those logistics worth it.
- Mandatory or not? Providing Clarity for folks on which and whether activities are optional or mandatory is critical in setting expectations
- Goals - Gathering goals and outcomes/deliverables that are agreed upon by all stakeholders
- Agenda, including breaks, breakouts, and a logical flow that creates the right storyline, vibe, and focus for your gathering. This also might include determining different people who will plan and/or lead each session
- Ideally each person will have a detailed outline or semi-detailed outline for their session, the individual session goals, and design and facilitation of it.
- Outside speakers or facilitators needed
- Materials/setup/information needed for all sessions
- Check-ins on whether content is ready/planned (no one wants a session planned on the flight over to the gathering)
- Team or sub-group gathering within the larger gathering?
- Reservations at any restaurants or locations the group will be visiting
Extras
- Covid policy
- Sick policy
- Emergency policy (yes, I am a worst case scenario thinker)
- Communication (internal and external) with related timelines
- Supplies
- Swag
- Think about the folks that your participants are leaving in order to participate in this gathering. Is there any way you can provide a thank you or any support to them to make this time easier for the person who’s away and the people who aren’t
- Any religious related accommodations that need to be made?
Just-in-cases
- Small, in between get-to-know-you activities
- Easy ways for people to start conversations with one another
- Snacks
What did I miss? What would you add?
If you're eager to discover what an exceptional offsite, retreat, or gathering facilitation could look like for your group, Book a free consultation call with me today. With a range of pricing options and levels of involvement, I'm here to help you create magical moments and get to GREAT. Whether you're seeking a complete overhaul of a traditional format or looking to infuse your event with fresh, impactful elements, I can help guide you through this journey.
