So you’ve decided to bring your team together for a big, in-person meeting. You’ve blocked the time on everyone’s calendar and each member of your team is pumped to roll up their sleeves and get to work. Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve gathered your team in one place, or maybe the last time you did so it didn’t go as well as you’d hoped. Either way, you’re determined to make the most out of THIS collaboration.
But working together in person has changed. Expectations have changed, our values have changed, and our priorities are racing to keep pace with a landscape that is constantly evolving. Planning in-person collaboration has never been easy, but it feels uniquely, particularly tricky today. What are some approaches and factors to consider as you plan your next in-person event or meeting?
New ways of thinking, new priorities
When we bring our teams together, we still want to get things done. We want to make sure we’re all aligned, strategically; we want to develop our leaders and help them grow; we want to ensure that our organization is focused and heading in the right direction. These traditional objectives haven’t changed, and for good reason.
But new priorities have revealed themselves over the past few years. And if you’re looking to maximize the investment of time, energy, and capital needed to bring your team together to get things done in person, you can get a head start by considering these emergent priorities for your next big meeting.
Sustainability
There is an increased awareness of the impact of global climate change in nearly every facet of our personal and professional lives. And a new generation of leadership has driven sustainability concerns to top-of-mind in most organizations.
There are many ways to prioritize sustainability in your event planning. From minimizing the carbon footprint of your travel to being thoughtful about the meals you provide: countless decisions available to you have sustainable alternatives for your consideration IF you’re looking for them. Your participants will notice.
Affordability
For the past few years, many of our clients have been tasked to “doing more with less.” Budgets are tight (aren’t they always?) and any expenditures that can’t be directly attributed to driving value are under increased scrutiny. And while the value of in-person collaboration has never been higher, it isn’t always easy to demonstrate the “direct” effect it has on the bottom line.
So leaders organizing in-person events have to get creative. What internal resources and people can we draw on? What about internal infrastructure for venue planning? If we hire a speaker, how can we use their material to extend the engagement for training purposes? By thinking creatively, and holistically, you’d be surprised at how much bang you can get for your buck.
Productivity, Productivity, Productivity
We always want our meetings to be productive. But when you are feeling the pinch of concerns about affordability—and when you’re trying to find sustainable efficiencies in your planning—you’ll notice quickly that you don’t have a moment to waste. Time is the most valuable resource in your organization, and this is especially true for your leaders.
Productivity doesn’t have to exist only within the four walls of your event. Through the smart use of pre-and-post work, the employment of the right digital tools, and “bundling” events for calendar efficiency, you can squeeze every ounce out of your meeting to get more done than
What have you noticed?
We’d love to hear what’s on your mind as you plan in-person meetings and events for your team. Are there priorities on your radar that simply weren’t considered a few years ago? How have you been thinking about the sustainability, affordability, and productivity of your collaborations? Let’s grab some time to talk about it.