• Technology gremlins
Check your laptop and projector at least 45 minutes before you start. Have a backup laptop and ensure the power is switched on and all cables are taped down. This may not seem very important but it is a health and safety requirement - you do not want potential contacts tripping over wires. Also, it is useful to have a copy of your presentations on a flash drive as last resort.
• People think presenters are boring
Encourage passion and ensure each presenter has practiced their session at least once before the real thing.
• No hand outs
This is a cardinal sin. People should walk out of your seminar with your business card and key messages in your head and their hands. Detail the key messages of the day on one side of A4 and then list the contact details of each presenter on the flip side. This makes a powerful handout.
• No refreshments
Never underestimate the importance of making sure people have something to drink and even to eat. Some excellent seminars with great content have been ruined because of slip ups with refreshments or no refreshments at all.
Early morning sessions have to start with at least tea and coffee - it is expected. If sessions last over lunch, again some sort of refreshments and food will be expected.
Ensure whatever you have does not run out by including this is on your seminar checklist. Liaise with the venue on numbers, dietary requirements and timings and it should run smoothly.
A simple but effective plan is to ensure someone has direct responsibility for ensuring the breaks run to time and that refreshments are available.
John Joe McGinley is founder of Glassagh Consulting and author of 'The Power of Strategic Alliances'.
