Resources Needed For Planning Successful Meetings

Resources needed for successful meetings are: 

Staffing

• Registration desk

• All staff should be up front to greet attendees and build or manage relationships

• Lead facilitators and breakout group facilitators

• Handlers for cordless microphones

• Recorders for flip charts or graphic recorders

• Note-takers

• A/V assistance, videographers

• Technical staff to give presentations

• Set up and break down of furniture and equipment

• Interpreters, if necessary

Materials

• Venue reservation with appropriate space and furniture

• Registration desk, forms, nametags

• Refreshments appropriate to time, effort and audience

• Data projectors, laptops, screens

• Flipcharts, tape, and markers

• Sound system with cordless microphones

• Presentations, posters, fact sheets, agendas

• Video

• Props for working in groups (pens, paper, pins, etc.)

• Evaluation forms, comment forms

• Child care

Planning Time

• Effective meetings take months to plan and implement

• Begin advertising at least one month in advance

Implementation Time

• Meetings generally last from one to four hours

• Arrive at least two hours ahead to ensure all set up is complete prior to early arrivals

Group Size

• Meetings can be designed to meet virtually any size audience

• For larger meetings, consider some portion of the meeting which allows for smaller group dialogue

Cost

• Simple public meetings can be done with minimal cost

• The major cost driver is staff time

• Additional significant costs can include venue rental, advertising, and neutral facilitation support