June Event Keys

Meetings and conferences are great times for networking, sharing, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. After a day or so of sitting around and listening to lectures, or even if you’re lucky enough to have done some interactive exercises, people are usually getting restless and anxious to get on the road toward home. Have you wondered what you can do to keep them to the very end of the event?

Here are a few ideas that might make it worth the wait:

Handing out certificates at the end of a meeting is pretty commonplace. As a coordinator, I usually go home with several from people that chose not to stick around and wait for that certificate. What if you gave them the certificate AND a $10 gas card AND/OR a “build your own sundae bar”?

What about a graduation ceremony with certificates? Have food… or an ice cream social or hors d’oeuvres or something to make the ceremony festive and fun. As each person receives their certificate, ask them to highlight one major “aha” they learned from the training experience.

Carry your theme through to the very end. If your theme is “The Road to Success” you might have cookies at the end in the shape of different vehicles; cars, trains, planes, boats, or little picnic baskets with snack items for “the road” or fun CD’s with something to listen to “on the road” home. With a little imagination you make the end just as exciting as the beginning. This is a great way to make your attendees leave with a feel good feeling and something they will remember when they think of this particular conference or meeting.

If you’d like some creative ideas for your next meeting or conference, give Denise Marquiss a call in the Events Planning Office at 766-3362.

Denise Marquiss
(307) 766-3362



	July Tips for Planning Your Events If your time is tight or you need help with ideas and organization, please call Denise Marquiss in the Events Planning Office at 307-766-3362. We’d love to help! If you can't see the images in this email go to http://outreach.uwyo.edu/conferences/eventkeys
	Meetings and conferences are great times for networking, sharing, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. After a day or so of sitting around and listening to lectures, or even if you’re lucky enough to have done some interactive exercises, people are usually getting restless and anxious to get on the road toward home. Have you wondered what you can do to keep them to the very end of the event? Here are a few ideas that might make it worth the wait: Handing out certificates at the end of a meeting is pretty commonplace. As a coordinator, I usually go home with several from people that chose not to stick around and wait for that certificate. What if you gave them the certificate AND a $10 gas card AND/OR a “build your own sundae bar”? What about a graduation ceremony with certificates? Have food… or an ice cream social or hors d’oeuvres or something to make the ceremony festive and fun. As each person receives their certificate, ask them to highlight one major “aha” they learned from the training experience. Carry your theme through to the very end. If your theme is “The Road to Success” you might have cookies at the end in the shape of different vehicles; cars, trains, planes, boats, or little picnic baskets with snack items for “the road” or fun CD’s with something to listen to “on the road” home. With a little imagination you make the end just as exciting as the beginning. This is a great way to make your attendees leave with a feel good feeling and something they will remember when they think of this particular conference or meeting. If you’d like some creative ideas for your next meeting or conference, give Denise Marquiss a call in the Events Planning Office at 766-3362. Denise Marquiss (307) 766-3362