One of my favorite functions as a project manager at Thundercloud Labs is creating high quality conference and meeting events for our clients. These projects allow me to get my face out of my computer monitor and reach out to established contacts and new people. Since conference planning is almost always a team effort, building rapport, establishing good working relationships, and leading the effort with confidence is essential to successful event planning and execution. Tip: When you find a smart, creative, and reliable contact person on the outside, realize they can be key to your project’s success. If you can build a loose team of these type of people, you can expect stellar results for your events.

As project leader for many of these events, I’ve learned the best way to steer the assembled team is by bringing the right tools to the table. Perhaps the most important tool in your arsenal is a customized and comprehensive conference planning checklist that addresses the specific needs of your client. This checklist is the perfect conversation starter with your client, conference site contacts, and other vendors. As the planner, you possess the grand vision for the event. Think of your comprehensive checklist as your vision’s outline. However, you will also need the venue coordinator to fill in the finer details regarding onsite logistics, unique options available, and potential risks to the event’s smooth execution.

You can find generic templates online, however, creating your own is best. Plot out the entire planning process. No detail is too large or small… from A/V requirements to coffee stirrers. Also, understand that the checklist is never, ever complete. Edits, additions, and deletions are not only allowed, they are very much necessary as client preferences change, insight is gained from your team of contacts, best practices are established, and lessons are learned from previous events.

It’s true that the little things sometime make a big impact. While planning a recent conference, my venue coordinator contact recommended posting a welcome sign at the entrance of the facility. Without giving it much thought, I agreed, and gave the go-ahead. When I arrived at the venue early in the morning a few weeks later, it was such a nice touch to see a big screen, flashing bright light, multi-media greeting. It was such a great first-impression for the two-day event and received quite a few positive comments from the arriving attendees. Without knowing this was even an option, I would never have thought to ask. This is, of course, just one example of dozens. Only through having a network of knowledgeable, caring, and invested contacts do all those small, yet memorable, finishing touches get done. Has “Welcome sign?” earned a spot on my custom checklist? You’d better believe it.

In my next post, I’ll share some of my real experiences in executing successful events and how to prepare for risks and overcome them when they do (inevitably) occur.