Building Event & Education Schedules that Work for Everyone
Hosting and attending events are an incredible investment and therefore there is an expectation of both an organization’s and an attendee’s return on investment (ROI). For both groups, this can look like the desire to pack as much content as possible into an agenda to ensure that every possible topic is covered, every relevant contact hour is earned, and every networking connection is made.
However, for both groups, the desire for an action and content packed agenda can backfire, because, in the end, all of its attendees are human.
Humans can only begin to learn and perform at their best when their basic physiological needs are met. For event organizers, this means ensuring that attendees are well-fed, given ample opportunity for breaks, and encouraged to participate in the way that works best for them. Building an event agenda that focuses on the primary purpose of the event and provides the physical and mental space for participants to be at their best can better position organizers to achieve their goals for the event.
For physical spaces:
Choosing venues with easy access to indoor or outdoor green spaces allowing for a break from the four cream-colored walls of a meeting room can help attendees refresh between event segments. If possible, providing separate spaces for meals and event sessions or meetings can provide novelty and help attendees to remain focused during educational sessions, while stuck in the same meeting room all day. Incorporating a lunch break at a local restaurant or food hall can break up the monotony of a multi-day event being served from the same catering team and give attendees the opportunity to explore the neighborhood and local cuisine.
For food and beverage:
Offering meals and snacks at regular intervals with healthy and dietary restriction-friendly options available is critical. While folks are traveling outside of their usual schedules and systems, having predictable meals helps them to settle in to the event and engage their brain in discussion and learning, rather than worrying about when they’ll get to eat next. Offering a bright citrus option, as opposed to (or alongside!) your mid-afternoon break cookies and brownies snack can help reengage tired brains that are ready for naptime.
For educational events:
Allowing presenters to customize their content into different session lengths can allow learners to choose bite-size opportunities to give them a 15-minute teaser into a new area of interest or a 90-minute deep dive into their passions. This also allows presenters to engage in the way that works best for their material, potentially widening your pool of speakers and content areas.
Human brains can only process so much information at once, so vary the pace of your content with different style sessions and provide adequate breaks for processing the information attendees are learning. This is critical for attendees to be able to retain their insights and ah-ha! moments and actually turn it into action and process improvement once they leave the idea incubator of your event.
The timing of your content matters.
Hosting sessions that require a high-level of interactivity and dialogue are best positioned in the morning, when folks have had time to wake up with their morning caffeinated beverage of choice, but before they’re full from lunch. Sessions with dynamic speakers who are skilled at conveying information to a crowd can help perk up the early afternoon sessions which are often thought to be a snooze-fest.
As you consider networking events:
Do you have opportunities that go beyond the usual cocktail hour? Are there opportunities to connect over physical activity (fun-run, yoga, walking challenges) or activities that encourage participants to connect over shared experiences or interests (industry segments, speed-dating, topic-based sessions)? Are there activities that will appeal to both the introverts and the extroverts amongst your group?
Accessibility:
One final area of consideration as you build your agenda should be to think about how you can support individuals who learn or process information differently. Accessibility advocates often talk about how improving the accessibility of a place or event improves that place or event for everyone. Ramps in airports not only allow wheelchair-users to access a sidewalk, but also allow able-bodied travelers to easily roll their suitcases. Similarly, as we strive to build more accessible and inclusive events, providing materials in accessible formats, signage with both written words and visual maps, and adequate breaks and quiet spaces for processing information are small steps can improve the event experience for everyone.
While much of what has been discussed thus far applies to educational events, the same logic applies to fundraisers and evening affairs. Your agenda needs to balance dining and social time alongside meaningful segments about the impactful work of the organization. While many organizations feel the need to provide their attendees with a litany of examples of the great work they are doing, prioritizing the most impactful stories, alongside fun, fundraising, and entertainment is critical to a memorable experience that has attendees wanting to learn more and engage beyond one single event.
To put this into practice yourself, list the three organizational goals for the event and your attendees top three reasons for attending. (If you’re not already asking this question in your post event survey, add it now!) If there is overlap between the two lists, prioritize those items with agenda space first. Then consider how you can support attendees physiological needs given the suggestions above as you fill in the rest of your program.
What goal is most important to your organization’s next event?
What’s one idea that you can take back and improve your attendees experience at your next program?
