How to host a gathering
What you need to know to host a sucsessfull event
Preparing Venues
Locally
The local teams are responsible for everything venue related! But - remember the international team might have some good connections.
Tips: reach out to previous participants and teams to see if they have any connectionsVenue description
The venue is a key part of the Future Leaders brand experience. See guidelines on venue here Event venue/how-to-host-a-gathering/event-venue
To gather a large group of people for our Future Leaders program takes a lot of coordinating, planning and preparations. We’ve collected some key check points for you to go through when hosting a gathering in your city.
First things first, the necessary stuff
Begin with mapping out the resources available to you. What kind of budget do you have? How many participants are there? How is your crew and network looking? What times & dates will your gatherings take place? Who could be the keynote speakers? Who’s responsible for what?
Location, location, location
We want to set the right vibe, and we want our participants to feel safe, relaxed and focused. Do your research thoroughly and find some good alternatives for your gatherings. Are there any convenient spaces that you could arrange an ongoing deal with? An event space or coworkingspace, perhaps?
Requirements (if applicable in your city):
Good wifi connection
Proper air conditions
Stage with cinema layout and enough room for all participants to sit
Simple technical setup with mic, speakers, projector & screen
Enough separate rooms or areas for group exercises
Food and drink (preferably serving if possible)
Available at the times & dates of your gatherings
First we eat, then we do everything else
To function at their best, our participants need some good nutrition and proper brain food. Our program can be demanding and tiring, so don’t underestimate the importance of healthy food, snacks, water & lots of coffee. If you have the resources, order catering in advance – makes it a lot easier for you to focus on what really matters; facilitating the best possible experience for your participants.
Some check points:
Snack when arriving in the morning
Coffee, water & nuts throughout the day
A healthy, light lunch
Smoothie or something refilling in the afternoon
Remember to collect allergies & preferences!
Future Leaders event space guidelines
Keep it simple
Here’s an event checklist to use when scouting an event space:
An ability to project presentations
A “stage” for the host and live speakers
A location for food and beverage setup
Conveniently located bathrooms
If necessary; Exhibit space for sponsor materials, speakers, a bloggers’ lounge, etc.
Most important of all; enough space to have each group feel some kind of privacy. This should optimally be group rooms.
Venues based on event size
Select a cozy venue. You don't want your guests to feel like they're drowning in the space. It should be an intimate and comfortable gathering where they can easily connect with the people sitting next to them.
Know your scale and ambitions
Work with your team to figure out what you can afford for your event space. Can you get a space donated? Is your venue union-operated? This may impact your budget.
How to prep a space Future Leaders style 101
Attitude: In Future Leaders we are a team. Meaning; it does not matter if you are a pioneer, a care bear, a country manager or something else: everyone helps rig the space, fix the lunch, get coffee, clean, make sure people are having a good time, rig the space up and clean after use. Let’s create a kick as gathering!
Groups
All groups should have their own room/ a private space. This space should be rigged like this:
Table with chairs
Important; the chairs where the entire class gathered in front of the stage need to be another set of chairs as it will create chaos if we have to move them.
Plants on table; cactus etc
bowl of nuts; to keep the energy going. Should not be candy or anything else unhealthy.
Stage setup and projector
Two lines of rows with possibility to walk between.
All power points on the same presentation (!!!!) so that you don’t have to switch
Make sure to have a “remote control” for the presentations alowing the speakers to move etc
If necessary have a mic.
How should the space look like when people are arriving/ leaving or when there’s a break?
Powerpoint with slide show of previous gatherings on the screen
Music playing - check ”Gathering project template for playlist”
CLEAN
Always coffee and tea for participants and team
How to set up coffee and tea stand
Should be placed strategic; where do you want people to hang out. Make sure that the space is rigged so that people are as close as possible. A balance with people standing and sitting in a lounge is always nice. GOAL: No one should sit on the seats by the stage before starting; it kills mingling.
Coffee cups: NEVER paper, plastic, etc. All service should always be porcelain! Same goes for plates.
Lounge; breaks and arrival
So the lounge area is important as a networking place and therefore this is the space we want the participants to use each time there is no program.
It should be places for 60% to sit, but not the rest - we want a mix of people standing and sitting.
The lunch should be placed close but not in the lounge area. Same goes for coffee and tea stand: if there food and coffee is somewhere else we trick people into moving around.
How to welcome the participants
The vibe when participants arrive is EVERYTHING. We want it to be chill with a touch professional and personal. How to do it?
Lights are always on. No dimmed lights ever.
Music should be pretty loud. Like; a bit louder than you would think.
Two people should greet people in the door; first gathering this should be shaking hands, after a while we can move for hugs but not to much.
When the participants arrive they should be told what to do, ex; grab a cup of coffee, take a seat in the lounge, find some cool people, we’ll start in X minutes.
When leaving
Make sure that no one leave unhappy. If they are the pioneer is obligated to have a talk with them before they leave.
Music playing
Remember to remind them to show up 15 min before the next day.
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