Four Simple Tips for Designing and Running Effective Events

It’s time to crash through the brick wall that’s blocking your event!

If you need to design or run meetings, workshops, seminars, site tours or field trips as part of your role, then read on…

No matter how keen and motivated you are, sometimes you’ll run into the ‘Event Brick Wall.’ Here are some sure signs that the dark shadow of the wall is looming over you…
•    It’s a challenge to get people to your events
•    You’re often wondering what activities will work and which ones will bomb
•    You’re unsure what results your event will really deliver and how you’ll measure this
•    You’re not sure where to start

Here’s four simple tips to help you run effective events

1. Be clear on the purpose of the event and make sure this guides your event design. This should also be clearly communicated to your target audience.
2. Use Adult Learning Principles to design the event activities. Remember we all have a mix of visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning preferences (V = 35% A= 25% K = 40%) so you’ll need to cater for this in your event design.
3. Have a framework for planning your event- this should identify your target audience and include a brainstorm of potential activities. These need to be congruent with your learning and organizational outcomes.
4. Identify how you’ll measure success – have simple and effective tools that you can get participants to willingly use to provide you with open feedback that you can also use to plan and promote future events

Get the full picture…

With these simple tips you can start to ‘swing the wrecking ball’ through the event brick wall! Admittedly, we’re just scratching the surface here. You could go away and do a heap of your own work to delve into this further…

…Or, you could spend just one day with me to learn how to design events that have your clients motivated, excited and raving about you!

That’s right, the Australasia Pacific Extension Network (APEN) is poised to roll out their 2014 Road Show. And the one-day workshop, ‘Designing Effective Events – Using Adult Learning Principles’ is there just for you!

And if you’re based in either Australia or New Zealand you’ll have a workshop right nearby.

Some details
This intensive one day workshop will give you an understanding of the key adult learning principles to enable you to design an event that best meets the needs of your target audience.

You’ll be able to:
•    Clearly define the purpose and outcomes for your event to ensure you get your design right
•    Make your message ‘stick’ through understanding the basic Adult Learning principles to successfully engage people
•    Get practical tips on facilitation of your events that are modelled throughout the workshop
•    Receive a critique to refine the design of your next event
•    Have some simple evaluative tools to measure the success of your events

Importantly this workshop will give you the tools, techniques and templates needed to design future events.

Your facilitator
I’ll be basing the program on adult learning theory, combined with my practical experience in designing and delivering over 700 ‘events’ over the last 14 years. These include:
•    Workshops and seminars
•    Training programs
•    National conferences
•    Field tours

What’s on offer
If you register as an APEN member, you’ll also receive a free one hour follow-up phone consultation (valued at $330.00) to assist you in further developing your event design skills.

You’ll also be given access to a specialised online, secure ‘Adult Learning’ forum. Here you’ll be able to pose questions, access resources and further embed your learning in the world of event design. Annual access is valued at $110.00, but of course this is being provided for free.

Cost is only $220.00 for APEN members or $290.00 for non members. This includes a full workshop booklet, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea. This is such outrageous value for money that it will likely become the next big election issue!

Check out the Designing Effective Events Workshop Outline

Act now!

Workshop places are limited to 25 people, so put procrastination on the backburner and register now (like today) for a workshop near you. This chance only comes up once a year, so do whatever you can to get to this session!

Workshops are being held at the following locations (TBC). Some workshops may be held in regional locations.

Email APEN to register your interest in attending a workshop.

Register for the Melbourne Workshop

Register for the Adelaide Workshop

Register for the Launceston Workshop