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Staff Tents Site Transport Equipment
Tents Rubbish Transport Loudspeaker
skips Hire van
Double-decker bus
Cash fl oat Exhibitors Food sales
Money Exhibits Food
Collecting bins Players Bank account Brass band
Unclassifi ed Requirements
Good weather Celebrity guest Team uniform
Ice-cream van (attract the kids, and mum and dad will come too)
83 to come onto the site, so we don’t have to worry about food and cooking? More consideration is needed.
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More interestingly we have the requirements of good weather, celebrity guest, team uniform and the ice-cream van left and not assigned to any classifi cation. Do we need more classifi cations?You must now discuss the requirements and classifi cations again and start fi lling in the gaps. For example under ‘staff ’, we need people on the gates, people in the car parks, people for fi rst aid, somebody to count the money etc.
Looking at the wider picture, we can also question what we have at the moment, should we have an ‘accommodation’ classifi cation, which will include tents, trailers, PortakabinsTM etc?
After further discussion, under the ‘site’ classifi cation, we need fences, car parks, signs, electricity, toilets, good road and rail access, wide gates, etc.
Perhaps we even need a new classifi cation of ‘pre-requisites’, which will include a celebrity guest and good weather?
Repeat and add things
You must rework this process now. Don’t expect to fi nish it in one day. Having the requirements for each classifi cation on a separate fl ip-chart sheet allows you to put the sheets away easily and safely, without losing or mixing up the Post-it® notes. (Don’t roll the sheets up if you don’t have to – it works a lot better if you store them fl at.)
Come back and repeat the process when you are fresh, and even invite a few new members to review and brainstorm with you. Remember your option to diversify, and the possible benefi ts of doing so. Check with specialists, until you think you have listed everything you will need.
Search the Internet, library or telephone books for ‘reindeer rentals’, if that is still outstanding, and keep looking until you get the answers to your questions. Discuss the requirements with the local authority, emergency services and the health and safety executive, heed their advice and make the additions to your requirements and classifi cations that they will almost certainly raise.
When you fi nally have a complete list of classifi cations and requirements, make some lists. These lists will form a basic building block for your event. They are impor- tant and will be more useful if they are created using a word processor so that you can cut, paste and amend them at later stages.
Remember, too, that some aspects are critical, while others are incidental. If you can get everything other than a site – there is no event. If you have everything but not enough exhibitors, who wants to come to a wonderful well-staffed site with no
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stalls or displays? If you have everything except an ice-cream van – does that really matter?
Confirmation of your event type
When you started reviewing your event requirements, you had an event type in mind and a one-page event outline. On completion of this process of defi ning requirements and classifi cations, you should have compiled a substantial list showing what you need to deliver your event. Though that proposed ‘Reindeer Rodeo’ might have attracted the crowds, your analysis and discussion showed you that you could not organise and deliver it. If you fi nd yourself in this position – go back and select a new event type and start the process again.
Checkpoint
Before fi nally confi rming the event type, make absolutely sure that you can meet all of the requirements to make it happen. I usually organise a checkpoint meeting and invite a new brainstorming team.
I initiate a short brainstorming session after showing them the proposed event type, event outline and event objective and wait for input – noting what they say and checking against my lists and plans to make sure I have already considered those points. If not I add them to my lists for further consideration.
When nothing new arises within a reasonable time, I present the team with the raw list of requirements from the earlier session. I allow another period of free discussion, noting any worthwhile suggestions and resolving any doubts or questions.
When the checkpoint group generates nothing new or signifi cant, I switch to the fi nal lists of classifi cations and requirements by issuing or presenting my fi nal lists and once again allow them to study and comment on them.
If again they come up with nothing new, I have more confi dence in the work so far and am glad that their sanity check has proved the value of the work so far. Remember, if during a checkpoint they raise nothing new, we have succeeded. Remember as well that if they do come up with something new, we have still succeeded! The whole idea is that they take a fresh look and confi rm or add to our detailed requirements and plans.
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Don’t book anything yet!
Remember that this is only an investigation at the moment. Don’t commit to anything.
Don’t spend any money yet, because at a later stage there may be major problems that prevent the event from taking place. If that happens and you have started ordering things and making bookings, you may fi nd yourself liable to pay cancellation fees. Wait until you are quite sure that it will be possible and/or profi table to run the event.