Creative Streak

Personal Innovation Lifestyle

Sometimes modern technology gives us phrases which at the same time ring true but sound hilariously pretentious. Exhibit A: Personal Innovation Lifestyle.

It’s easy to give PIL a glossy iStylized definition, but here's one in plain English: a desire to learn new things, about yourself and/or the world around you. (Haha, do you know how hard it was to write a definition and not use the words “evolve”, "personal brand", “transcend”, and “higher power”? Add those words in somehow and you'll get a more exact meaning of PIL)

Before the digital world revolutionized everything, learning something new (like a language) or something more in depth (like gardening) was “a hobby” – which in itself was something you did when you weren’t at work, taking care of the kids, and had some time and a bit of leftover cash.  Now, thanks to Mark Zuckerburg’s desire to learn Chinese, or Gwyneth Paltrow’s display of jumping from acting to singing to cookbook writing, we now have PIL.

Planning Successful Workshops, Part 4

This is the last post in a four-part series of my conversation and brainstorm with Kate Whitehair and Tamsin Stanley, two veteran event organisers at Zing, on how to plan, prepare and manage events. Links at the bottom will re-direct you to the previous posts.

Stage Four: Conclusion and Follow-Up

Prepare a suitable and immediate evaluation form to assess the event. Make sure it’s quantitative and qualitative, as well as candid and confidential. If possible, check back with participants within 2-3 months to see how the event’s purpose and messages have influenced performance.

Debrief internally within three weeks. Gather key people to a thorough review of all aspects of the event, with a specific goal of learning how to improve future events.

Planning Successful Workshops, Part 3

This is the third in a four-part series of my conversation and brainstorm with Kate Whitehair and Tamsin Stanley, two veteran event organisers at Zing, on how to plan, prepare and manage events.

Stage Three: On-Site, Particularly for Multiple Day Events

Assign (or hire) a person to be wholly accountable for the event. All information should flow through this ‘event manager,’ and this person alone chooses how to delegate. Allow this person to make the best decision without interference. For 99% of decisions, their authority should trump the majority of others.

Establish a central area. Tell people to go to the this area (the rego desk, for instance) if they have problems or want answers. Staff the area with internal team members so they feel like they’re part of the event success.

Planning Successful Workshops, Part 2

This is the second in a four-part series of my conversation and brainstorm with Kate Whitehair and Tamsin Stanley, two veteran event organisers at Zing, on how to plan, prepare and manage events.

Stage Two: Implementation

Create a theme that both stimulates and provokes. Themes can range from specific and aggressive to subtle and subconscious. Whichever you choose, the theme should be complementary to or elaborate upon the event's objective and the values of the organisation They should be written in active voice.

Planning Successful Workshops, Conferences

(This is the first in a four-part series. Today’s post: Pre-Planning.)

There’s a skill to planning and scheduling a brainstorm, but what about when your meeting expands to a full-day workshop (including both strategic and creative modules)? Or, spreads out over several days, such as a sales conference, an in-house employee event, or an off-site meeting?

While many of the organising tasks are similar, additional elements – more people, a bigger or more broad agenda, perhaps even an outside venue – means there's also additional preparation and implementation steps. Last week, I sat down with two experienced event planners – Kate Whitehair and Tamsin Stanley at Zing – to brainstorm some helpful tips and considerations at each stage of the event planning process.

Stage One: Pre-Planning

1. Articulate clearly the purpose or objective of the event. Think about what you want the event to accomplish. Consider how the event might support or bring to life the organisation’s vision, mission or values into the event. Also, does this event fit into other initiatives, or is parallel or complementary? If so, how should they be linked together?