The Meeting Spectrum: An Advanced Guide for Meeting Professionals

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Program Development

Program development is piecing together the content, agenda, and selected

formats into a design compatible with the meeting objectives. The degree

of involvement in planning and implementing the program, particularly the

business agenda, distinguishes the meeting manager from the facilitator. In

some organizations the meeting executive is instrumental in determining

content, but generally speaking, program subject matter is the responsibil-

ity of management or the program committee. Whatever the role, the PCO

provides professional counsel as an expert communicator, since, as previ-

ously stated, a meeting is essentially a medium for communication.

For those events, such as seminars and association conferences, wherein

a fee is charged, organizers have come to understand that content is the

vital ingredient. Attendees are seeking return on their investment of time

and money and that means they want more than one-way communication.

The time-honored paradigm of a speaker dispensing knowledge to a recep-

tive but static audience is giving way to innovative, interactive learning

methods and such radical models as participant-controlled content and

agenda. In this changing environment the event organizer plays a vital

role.

The PCO orchestrates the program, much as the conductor would a

musical score, beginning with an attention-getting overture, proceeding

with links and bridges, appropriate crescendos for emphasis, and moments

of quiet and rest to ensure proper pacing. A cursory knowledge of stage

direction and an understanding of the skills of the playwright and musical

arranger are as valuable to program design as are the most esoteric disci-

plines of group dynamics, adult learning theory and behavioral science.

Only with the proper application of all these skills will the meeting pro-

gram achieve that critical pacing and smooth continuity which ensures a

receptive, involved audience and effective communication of the essential

message.

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ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM DESIGN

Clearly defined goals are essential to program design. Articulated by man-

agement, the meeting goals and objectives serve as master criteria against

which all elements are judged before acceptance of the program. Too often

program committees “shoehorn in” a speaker or an audiovisual presentation

based on personal taste rather than relevance. Meeting professionals’ roles

become that of devil’s advocates. They must eschew favoritism and personal

preference, stick by their convictions and advise the program designers to

evaluate all elements in terms of objectives. It takes considerable courage,

though, to explain to the chairman of the board why his annual message is

too long and does not scan.

Time Frame

Adequate planning time is a must for a program which is to reflect polish

and professionalism, particularly when complex elements such as electronic

media and video are involved. As programs become more sophisticated,

more lead time is needed. A typical timetable for program development is

illustrated farther on.

Validation

Before the first speaker is named or the first topic selected, the following fac-

tors must be validated:

z What are the program goals?

z Who will attend?

z What will they gain from this program?

z How much planning time is needed?

z How much program time is allocated?

To validate goals they must be measured according to the participants’

needs as well as those of the sponsors, e.g.:

– To increase personal income by aggressively expanding prospect list

and acquainting prospects with our new products.

– To increase sales by introducing sales force to new marketing sup-

port programs and sales tools.

Audience validation varies with the type of meeting and is directly

related to organizational goals. Thus the question of who will attend will

require a far different approach for an incentive meeting than, perhaps, a

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