By Lauren Asbell, CMP
Within the last month I have planned and executed a large annual conference, moved to a new city, started working from home and I’m currently planning four more annual conferences for 2015; the next one taking place in a week. Now this blog is not intended to sound like a pity-party, on the contrary, I learned a lot the last couple of weeks about the similarities between meeting planning and moving.
- Lists and binders will become your best friends.
At Partners, we have a standard meetings checklist that we use for all meetings; large or small and
customized for each client. WE also create meeting binders, which usually includes a main meetings binders, an attendee registration binder and a binder for the exhibitor/sponsors.
The last time I moved was six years ago and it was just across town. Moving to a new city was a major endeavor. There were so many things to do and it was hard to keep track of everything. So I created a checklist and binder to help keep everything organized. The checklist included everything from turning off electricity and cable to creating appointments with the internet provider and notes to purchase boxes. Creating the binder helped to keep everything organized and easy to access.
- Label your boxes and create a packing list.
Whether you are holding a meeting in-state or across the country, it is a best practice to label your meeting boxes and create a packing list. This will cut down on the amount of time you spend onsite trying to figure out what’s in each box. It also helps to make sure that each box was delivered.
The same goes for moving. If you have labeled all your boxes, it makes organizing and unpacking by each a room a cinch.
- Ask for and accept help.
We have a great team at Partners. Staff is always willing to help; whether it’s stuffing name
badges to packing the car. A quick email to staff asking for help, will usually result in more volunteers than you ever needed
I’ll admit it, I have a hard time asking for help, mainly because I am a Class A Control Freak. But, I will admit, packing and moving an entire house is not a one-person job. As hard as it was to ask for and accept help, I am grateful I did. If not, I would probably be stuck somewhere between Tallahassee and Bell, with all my possessions laying on the side of the road.
I’m grateful for my experiences as a meeting planner because they definitely prepared for moving to a new city several hours away, while still being as organized as possible.
Getting ready to move soon? Below are some links to tips on moving.
http://laurenconrad.com/blog/2015/03/moving-on-up-10-tips-to-make-moving-so-much-easier/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/brilliant-moving-tips#.qf3o83BpVx
