Managing events requires wearing many hats. You are required to be:
- A Software Expert to manage the registration system
- An Architect to plan out the room sets and flow of the event space
- A Graphic Designer to help create the session presentations, signage, printed materials and branding
- An Executive Chef who creates inspiring menus that satisfy large groups of meeting participants with different dietary requirements
- An Audio Visual Expert who designs staging and manages production of the “show”
- An Accountant who maintains the budget and adjusts accordingly throughout the pre-planning process
… as well as a writer, a bandleader, a therapy dog wrangler, a mixologist, a travel agent, and an exhibit manager.
Obviously, it is impossible for one human to be all of these. There are so many people involved with each event I manage. Without my teammates in the office, the wonderful customers, and the amazing friends of Billtrust who attend the event, enjoy the food, engage in the presentations, drink our signature cocktails (lots of them), pet the therapy dogs, and share pain points with each other in our exhibit area, I would be a failure.
My favorite aspect of managing events is they all have a beginning, a middle and a very gratifying end. You get to conceptualize the event at the start, and then hopefully march to a very rhythmic drumbeat in the middle. My favorite part is the “kickoff”, when we arrive at the venue and implement. This article is not about me, it is about the people who are there to provide their expertise and feedback throughout the pre-planning process and the event participants who attend, enjoy and hopefully learn something.
With much respect and gratitude I thank our customers, partners and friends of Billtrust who made financial and time investments in Billtrust CONNECT 2017 in Orlando, Florida. I’d also like to thank the Billtrust team members who work so hard to make the event special and help me realize the visions we painstakingly discuss in meetings all year round, you know who you are and thank you.
I hope you will join me as we take the journey again together as the planning for 2018 begins. See you next year – I’ll be there with new surprises.
Article by Jennifer More, CMP, Billtrust Event Manager. Follow Jen on Twitter at @JMore82