How to organise an event, play by play

Follow this list and you'll have a pretty cool and chill event

Are you wondering what to do: before, during, and after an event? Here's a checklist to help you run your event smoothly.

Check, check, double check.

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Hongjie Yang speaking at Mediamatic Biotoop Greenhouse - During the "Lab v.s. Studio" Biotalk of january 2016 Julia ter Maten

More than three weeks in advance

  • Finalise the program. 
  • Make sure you also find someone to host/moderate the event if there are multiple speakers.
  • A fee for speakers is available, usually this is 150 euro's, but it depends on the event and the available budget. Make sure you green light the fee with the event manager. The event manager has to green light the event budget with the directors.

Three weeks in advance

  • Create an event page on the website with all the info, text and pictures. 
    • This event page should include:
      • A short summary of the evening
      • An introduction of the speakers
      • Nice imagery (with proper credits)
      • Please update all the metadata (organiser, author, actor etc.)
      • Practical information (where, what time, price etc.) 
      • Ticket link (both in introduction as at the practical information part of the eventpage.
  • Put the event in stager and create tickets. For more info about stager click here
  • Send an email to the communication manager with al the info of your event. Include in this email if you want to invite certain press etc. to the event. 

Two weeks in advance

  • The event goes online. Add the event to the mediamatic blog to show it in our homepage.
  • The communication manager had time to create a communication strategy for the event that will start now.
  • Send an email to the speakers with info about the program. This info should include:
    • Time the program starts
    • Time you expect the speaker to be there
    • Ask if the speaker wants to invite guests (discuss with the project manager how many guests the speakers can invite.) Put the guests on the guestlist in stager. You can do that by going to the 'guest' tab in stager. Navigate to the right event and add names. [TIP!: Set a deadline for when the speakers can last give up guests two days before the event]
    • Inform the speaker wether there will be food. (When an event happens in the evening, it is nice to serve food so the speakers don't have to rush in from their kitchen)
    • Ask the speaker about their production needs (beamer? microfoon? little table? big table? does the speaker want the public to taste something etc.?)
    • Set deadline for sending presentation and imagery if they choose to use that. Please actively discourage the use of text in their presentation. Preferably they send the presentation in keynote: this works well with mac.
    • The event manager is responsible for providing the speakers with some help with their presentation. Usually there are people in the team that can help with this. The presentation guidance session can be done online or at Mediamatic about a week before the actual event. 
  • Make sure there is a photographer available for the event.
  • If the event is in the evening, please provide food for the staff and the speakers. Talk to the barmanagers to see what the possibilities are. If the kitchen is too busy, you can find restaurants that have cheap and vegan options. Please check with the project manager if there is any budget for this. 
  • Schedule people to help with the event. Depending on the event you will need:
    • Eventmanager
    • Production help for pre and post production (usually two people depending on the event)
    • Someone who is responsible for AV an light
    • Communication person who can make stories for instagram.
    • Ticket service

EXTRA: If a speaker comes from far away, it might be possible to stay in one of the rooms upstairs. Discuss this with the office manager. 

EXTRA: If you want to serve bites or drinks (for example for an opening) discuss with the barmanager on how to do this. There are two options: either you work with tokens that can be redeemed at the bar, or you set up an open bar in the space itself. 

One week in advance

  • Send another email to the speakers with a little update and reminder
    • Remind them of the guest list if they have not given up any guests yet
    • Remind them of the presentation deadline. 
    • Give them info on how to get to Mediamatic.
  • Create the production schedule. Make sure you know what materials you need, what set-up you want and who is going to do what.
  • If you need to buy additional materials for the event, make a budget for all the expected costs. The event manager is responsible for the budget, so discuss it with the event manager first! The event manager has to make sure the budget is green lighted by the directors. You can either ask the directors to pay for the materials, or you can pay for it yourself and fill in a declaration form. You can get this declaration form from the office manager.

 

The day of the event

  • Create the joint presentation in Keynote on the Presentation Laptop                                                                                                        
  • Check on Stager and Facebook how many people are expected
  • Prepare the space:
    • Cleanup space and remove all trash and unrelated things lying around
    • Setup chairs
    • Setup lecture table
    • Setup Ticketservice table
    • Are all the cables out of the way/ no one will trip on them?
    • Are you using heaters and are the gas tanks in the heaters full enough?

EXTRA: If you chose to serve drinks or bites, do a last check with the bar on how this is organised.

  • Prepare the Audiovisual installation:
    • Is the table for the speaker ready?
    • Is the charger for the laptop there?
    • Is the cable for the beamer there?
    • Is the aux-cable for the sound there?
    • Is everything plugged in?
    • Is the beamer on? Is it working?
    • Are the microphones ready and working? Check batteries!
    • Is the aux-2 cable there? Is there a device to play background music?
  • Sound, light, beamer (and scent) check with Presentation Laptop
  • Prepare tokens
    • give tokens to working staff (2 per person)
    • prepare envelopes with 4 tokens and 1 food voucher per speaker
  •  Setup Ticketservice:
    • Get sum-up
    • Get Program Ipad + Charger
    • (Everything is in the ticketing red box)
  • Presentation and sound check with the speakers
  • Turn the heaters on (if it’s cold)
  • DOORS OPEN
  • Start program
  • Ticketservice cleanup: Bring everything back upstairs in the ticketing red box
  • Once the event is over, clean the space:
    • Turn microphones, beamer and sound off (Master)
    • Put all the chairs back 
    • Switch off the heaters
    • Switch off the lights
    • Take the ticket service table back to the black barn
    • Clean up space

 

After the event:

 

  • Upload the pictures that were made on the event page.
  • Make sure that the event page is not written in future tense: it is now a documentation page.
  • Send a thank you email to the speakers and link the now documentation page to show them the photo's that were made.You can also ask them to send an invoice to administratie@mediamatic.nl, make sure that you and program@mediamatic.nl are CC'd. The speakers are responsible for their own VAT/(BTW) administration. They can include the VAT/(BTW) percentage on top of the agreed upon fee.
  • Create the end-budget. What did you spend in the end? If drinks & food were served that program pays for, you will receive a receipt in your mail from the ETEN team. Add the speakers fee, possible bought materials to the budget and send it to the directors and save it onto the Manager Drive. 
  • Thank the staff that helped you for their hard work!

 

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Presenting in the Sluisdeurenloods - The Sluisdeurenloods is over 100 years old and serves as Mediamatic's project space. This beautiful wooden construction is also for rent for presentations and reception.s Julia ter Maten