Event Programming

Start with the purpose, not the slots

A program without a purpose becomes a list of whatever speakers were available. Write one sentence that says what an attendee should be able to do, know or feel after the event, and test every item against it.

Then name your audiences. A conference may serve first-time attendees, experts, sponsors and speakers at once. Each group needs a path through the program, even if it is only a suggested one.

• Name the outcome

  For example: 'Attendees leave with three ideas they can use next quarter and two new contacts.'

• Name the audiences

  Newcomers, practitioners, buyers, sellers. A program that serves everyone equally usually serves nobody well.

• Name the constraints

  Rooms, hours, speaker availability, budget and, for hybrid events, what the online audience will watch.

Choose the format for each job

Each format does something different. Use the one that suits the job, and do not run five hours of the same one.

Balance the day

A good day alternates energy. Put the demanding sessions when people are fresh, build in breaks that are long enough to talk, and leave a margin so one overrun does not ruin the afternoon.

1. 1

   Open with a reason to be there

   A short welcome and a keynote that states the theme, not housekeeping.

2. 2

   Alternate listening and doing

   Follow a long talk with a discussion, workshop or break. Attention drops when people sit still.

3. 3

   Protect the breaks

   Breaks are where much of the networking happens. Make them long enough for coffee and a conversation.

4. 4

   Do not stack the best sessions together

   If two popular sessions run at once, people choose and lose one. Spread them out, or repeat the best.

5. 5

   End on something

   A closing session with a clear next step beats a slow fade, and it is the part people remember.

Build tracks and let people choose

Tracks group sessions by theme or audience so attendees can follow a thread. Keep the number of parallel sessions low enough that nobody feels they are missing everything.

Eventdex's registration pages describe session selection and support for multi-day and multi-track events, and its mobile app page describes a program agenda you can change on the go and a personalized agenda guests build from their preferences. They do not describe room capacity limits or automatic conflict checks, so plan those yourself.

• Name the tracks for the audience

  'For first-time buyers' says more than 'Track 2'.

• Limit parallel choices

  Fewer simultaneous sessions mean fuller rooms and less regret.

• Show a suggested path

  Offer a sample route for each audience, and let people build their own.

  Agenda builder guide

• Let attendees choose at registration

  Session selection at sign-up gives you a headcount per session before the day.

  Event registration software

A program design worksheet

Copy this before you fill the timetable, and answer each line in a sentence.

Event: [name, date, venue]

PURPOSE
After this event an attendee will: [one sentence]

AUDIENCES AND WHAT EACH NEEDS
1. [audience]: [need]
2. [audience]: [need]
3. [audience]: [need]

CONSTRAINTS
Rooms and capacity: [ ]
Hours: [ ]
Speaker availability: [ ]
Online audience (hybrid): [ ]

FORMATS WE WILL USE
Keynote [ ]  Breakouts [ ]  Panels [ ]  Workshops [ ]
Roundtables [ ]  Networking [ ]  Demos [ ]  Social [ ]

TRACKS
Track 1: [name], for [audience]
Track 2: [name], for [audience]

BREAKS AND BUFFERS
Break length: [ ] minutes   Buffer per session: [ ] minutes

THE ONE SESSION PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT:
[ ]

HOW WE WILL KNOW IT WORKED:
[ ]

Adjust the program on the day

Programs change: a speaker is delayed, a room fills, a session overruns. Decide beforehand who may change the program and how attendees find out.

A digital agenda lets you update the schedule without reprinting it. Eventdex's mobile app page says you can make changes on the go so guests have the latest schedule in their hands.

• One owner

  A single person approves changes, so attendees do not get two versions.

• One place to look

  Tell people the app or screen is the truth, and keep printed material minimal.

  Event mobile app

• Watch the rooms

  Session attendance shows which rooms are full and which are empty. Eventdex's check-in pages describe live session attendance.

  Attendee check-in app

• Keep a run of show

  The detailed minute-by-minute version for your team sits behind the public program.

  Run of show guide