The last thing you expected as in-house counsel was to find you've become a meeting planner too. But it seems you've taken a leadership role that now requires you to wear a new hat. Never fear — ACC's education department is here with step by step tips to make your event planning a little easier.

1. Establish Theme
   
   1. Solicit program ideas from chapter members to ensure theme meets their needs and will be of interest to them
   2. Who is the audience?
      
      1. Are you addressing generalists or specialists?
      2. How well versed is the audience on the subject matter? Advanced, intermediate, novice?
   3. Why are you holding the program?
      
      1. What is the mission?
         
         1. To gain new members
         2. Warn corporate leaders of troubling new legal developments
         3. Offer practical compliance tips
         4. Provide a networking opportunity
2. Develop Program
   
   1. What session format best accomplishes the program mission?
      
      1. Lecture
      2. Panel discussion
      3. Break-out groups
      4. Workshop
      5. Role-play
      6. Discussion of hypotheticals
   2. What other activities/events should take place during the program?
3. Create a Budget
   
   1. Be sure to include cost of promotion, audio/visual equipment, food & beverage, meeting space rental fees, signage, registration materials, faculty expenses
      
      1. Use estimates provided by potential hotels for average food & beverage expenses, space rental, and audio/visual costs
   2. Forecast income on the conservative side and reflect the worst case scenario in expenditures
4. Find Appropriate Venue
   
   1. Utilize convention & visitors bureaus and the internet to identify all possible venues
   2. Provide potential venues with meeting specifications, which should include schedule of events, food & beverage requirements, audience size and room setup for each event, preferred pattern/dates (See APPENDIX A)
   3. Conduct a site inspection
      
      1. Is the site easily accessible? Is parking/transportation convenient?
      2. Are meeting rooms appropriate for events/audience?
      3. Is space sufficient for a registration area, materials display table, coffee break setup, etc?
   4. Sign a contract
      
      1. Negotiate for everything you can
      2. Ask for meeting room rental waiver
      3. If utilizing sleeping rooms, ask for upgrades at the group rate or complimentary rooms for staff
      4. See sample contract provided as a guide for clauses such as non-construction, attrition, cancellation and arbitration
5. Secure Faculty
   
   1. Who are the appropriate faculty members for this program? Are there recognized leaders on the subject matter who should be specifically targeted?
      
      1. In-house counsel
      2. Non-legal managers
      3. Outside counsel
      4. Consultants
      5. Government officials
      6. Academics
      7. Members of the judiciary
   2. Evaluate potential speakers
      
      1. Ask the speaker the following questions:
         
         1. What are your credentials and background? (Do they meet my needs?)
         2. Have you addressed similar audiences?
         3. Will you provide written materials in support of your presentation? (If the program is CLE-approved, faculty must submit written materials to support their presentation)
   3. Prep speakers
      
      1. Provide your speaker(s) with as much information as possible
         
         1. Audience size and demographics
         2. Topic and length of presentation
         3. Session format
         4. Name and topics of those sharing the platform
         5. Deadlines for materials, etc.
6. Promote Event
   
   1. What to promote
      
      1. Big name speakers
      2. Discounted registration fees
      3. CLE accreditation
      4. Delivery Methods
         
         1. Mail
         2. Broadcast Fax
         3. Email
7. Meeting Logistics
   
   1. Food & Beverage
      
      1. Order appropriate food for the event
         
         1. Finger foods for reception
         2. No heavy rich meals — tend to make people too tired to participate in program
         3. Chocolate is always a winner
      2. Always have vegetarian option available upon request
      3. Decide between buffet vs. seated functions
         
         1. Generally little difference in price
         2. Which setup is most conducive to event? (i.e. If you have a speaker at an event, you should serve a seated meal to avoid people moving about during the presentation.)
      4. Provide your food orders along with room setups/assignments to your hotel contact. They will produce banquet event orders(BEOs) from your information
   2. Registration
      
      1. Encourage pre-registration in promotional materials (by setting a registration deadline) in order to accurately project number of participants in advance
      2. Be sure hotel has sufficient space for a registration area
      3. Be prepared to accept registrations and make registration changes onsite
      4. Have materials to be distributed ready before registration begins
   3. Supplies
      
      1. Create a "show kit"
      2. Fill it with office supplies
         
         1. tape
         2. pens(all colors), markers, pencils, highlighters
         3. stapler, staples, staple remover
         4. paper clips, binder clips
         5. velcro
         6. scissors
         7. post-it notes, memo pads, paper
      3. Replenish your kit after every meeting so you are always prepared
   4. Audio/Visual equipment
      
      1. Request presenters provide you with their A/V needs well in advance of the meeting
      2. Negotiate on price for larger items (i.e. LCD projector) if you will use more than 2 of them.
      3. Order A/V through the hotel at least one week before the event
8. Onsite
   
   1. Request a pre-con meeting
      
      1. Meet with your hotel contact and other members of the hotel staff to review your food orders, A/V requirements, room sets, and special requests. Make changes to your orders and provide guarantees for your food functions at this time
   2. Keep a copy of your BEOs with you at all times to ensure the hotel does things as planned
   3. Plan for the best, expect the worst and things usually work out somewhere in the middle