How not to run a networking event #1

From time to time I attend networking events that are badly run and disorganised. I use these bad experiences as learning points. I can then share these learning points with others in my network to help them with organising events. They also inform own networking events. Naming no names of course. I don’t believe in naming and shaming.

I recently attended an event which was both not as advertised and also badly run. The event was a 7.00 registration for 7.30 start. In my world this usually means that you turn up, sign in and have half an hour during which people can mingle, get a drink, get a seat etc.

This was not the case.

We spent half an hour jammed in a corridor like sardines. This was rather hot and unpleasant. I made awkward conversations with a few of the people around me. However, we were very much in each other’s personal space. The space in the corridor shrank as more people turned up and we were yelled at to shuffle up but had nowhere to go. Making it more and more uncomfortable.

When we finally were able to go into the room where the talk was taking place it was 7.30. This meant that the talk didn’t start at 7.30 as everyone was trying to get into the room, get a drink (to recover from the hot corridor) and find a seat. There was also not enough seats. So either they didn’t have enough seats for sign-ups or the allowed more people to sign up than they had room from. I expect from the general running of the event it was the latter). More time was wasted as they tried to find more seats. Then as more people lined up around the room against the wall. There must have been 50 people more than the room was originally set up to hold.

Another half an hour in total was wasted before we actually got going. I was also later disappointed to find that it wasn’t even worth it. The result was of course that I was not impressed with the company running the event (they lost me as a potential customer) and I was not impressed by the venue (which put me off attending another event at the same venue and using the venue for one of my own events).

So remember…

• prepare in advance what you can and allow time for set-up.
• get your timings right (people are giving up their valuable time)
• have an area for people to mingle before the event (or allow them into the venue). This helps the flow of arrivals, can ensure that a prompt start can be made, allows people to mingle and network if they want to and keeps annoying people before you even get started to a minimum.
• get your numbers right. Don’t oversubscribe for an event. A full house (and a good event) is worth more than an oversubscribed disorganised event where everyone is uncomfortable and grumpy. If you have more than anticipated and you know this in advance – consider getting a bigger venue or running a second event.