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Dear Meeting Planners,
I hope these tips are helpful
as you plan your next event. And if you have some ideas to share, please
let me know.
Secrets of a Successful Woman’s
Event
(adapted from an article by Marita Littauer and Linda Evans Shepherd)
Select a Theme:
Do your women have a favorite topic of conversation? God’s will, building friendships, stress? Query your group for ideas, pick the best and make it fresh. If you pick “God’s Comfort,” try decorating with quilts or teddy bears. Have soothing bath salts for favors. I recently did a Joy for the Journey retreat, and the gals took tree branches, tied on fabric, and filled them with fun goodies, like a hobo’s knapsack. The tables were decorated in travel theme. Be creative! If you need ideas, let me know. I’m full of them!
Choose a Speaker:
A good speaker makes the event memorable. The ladies forget the bad weather or the troubles at home. A seasoned speaker can bring experience and a life-changing message, plus she can offer support as you plan your event. After all, she’s out there sampling retreats, teas and conference. A speakers’ bureau can help in your search. Try: www.classervices.com and check out http://www.homestead.com/prosites-cwomen/mapindex.html for listings of speakers around the country, and their websites. You can contact them directly.
Before you sign on the dotted line, ask for references and call them! Listen to her cassette, watch her video. Go through her topics. Do they meet your theme? If she says she’ll adapt the message to your group, see if she has the style you’re looking for and ask her how she would adapt to your theme. Brainstorm with her.
What about fees?
“You get what you pay for” is usually true. The better a speaker is at her craft, the more books she’s authored from major publishing houses, the more in demand she becomes. She doesn’t just pull her fee out of a hat. It’s based on her experience and what she offers.
Keep in mind that she may prepare for days to minister to your women at your retreat. She is there for your women as a resource, counselor, encourager, as well as teaching and sharing from her heart as God leads. If her fee is beyond your budget, consider a fund-raiser. Discuss your budget with the speaker and ask her to pray about a reduced fee for your group.
Keep in mind, your speaker is your “spiritual food.” Her fee should be as important as the meal and facility allowance which are soon forgotten. Perhaps you can adjust your menu a bit to make your budget work. If she's the right speaker for your event, God will make the way for her to join you.
So you’ve made up your mind!
Work out the details. Follow up with a letter of confirmation that spells everything out. Determine if you will be paying her transportation.
Get her press kit and photos ahead of time for your brochures and publicity.
Ask someone in your group to assist at her book table, so she can minister
to the women.
Details for the speaker:
Tell her the size of your group. Help her to understand the needs of the women, the issues that are important to them so she can personalize her presentation. Let her know how the event planning is progressing as it gets closer.
Before the event:
Assign a shepherd for your speaker, to welcome her, check to make sure she finds her room, where she should set out her book table, be an “escort.” If she has a question/problem, who to ask. Also, make sure the speaker has water at the podium.
Introductions:
Get a short bio from the speaker that will excite the audience about hearing her. Where she’s from, who she is, what she does, some interesting unknown fact about her that will whet their appetite for what is to come.
It’s all over!
Lives have been changed! Women are going home encouraged, inspired, re-charged. Let your speaker know how much she contributed. Send her a thank you note, and better yet, get her a letter of reference from your church stationary.
More tips for meeting planners:
- More Tips For Your Event
- Special Events With A Special Purpose
- "Right to the Heart of Women." Sign up for a monthly newsletter for those in women's ministry. Packed full of helpful articles and dynamite program ideas.
- Jan's Favorite Mixer Games