Mid-Week Tip: Keep Your Meetings Fresh

Annual or monthly meetings that are held between board members, employees or with clients and investors can become boring and tedious if you are making no efforts to keep them interesting. Planning and executing meetings strictly within a board room can foster stiff and formal events. It can also lead to disinterested meeting members who will be struggling to stay awake.

Always keep in mind that planning live events, even those as seemingly easy as meetings, is not something to leave to the interns. If your meeting is boring, the content won’t resonate with the attendees and you’re simply wasting time and money.

To bring a new life to your planned meetings, you need to give them a fresh new twist. How about getting out of the board room for your next formal meeting and planning it an informal location, where you can have fun while you discuss your business dealings? Or try planning a business event that is business formal yet will be a change from the boring conference room where you have held all of your past meetings?

No matter what you decide to choose and how you plan your next meeting, base your final verdict on fresh and innovative thinking. Set yourself apart from the trends by using the following tips to plan a successful and innovative business meeting:

Plan Meetings with an Agenda

Every meeting needs an appropriate agenda. If you do not have something specific to discuss, do not gather your employees into a conference room for an update and repetition of the previously discussed topics.

For meetings that are scheduled in advance, such as, meetings with clients and investors; plan them in such a manner that they have a specific goal and aim that you wish to achieve with every meeting. Be sure to have a moderator who will keep the talkers on task and keep the meeting moving through the agenda.

Delegate Important Tasks

To keep people interested in your meetings, share your responsibilities with others and delegate tasks associated with the planning of the event. Your employees will be more interested and eager for the event if they have played a part in organizing it.

Provide Edibles at Your Meeting or Conference

Use food as an incentive as well as a creator of good business relations. Your employees will be more motivated to attend the meeting and pay attention if they are provided with edibles as incentives. On the other hand, you can develop better relations with your clients and business associates, as sharing a meal together can often break barriers and provide for a harmonious and comfortable environment where everyone can enjoy a tasty meal together.

Even if you choose not to provide a full meal, some sort of snack and beverage should always be made available. The last thing you want is for hungry, uncomfortable people to be in attendance, only to be thinking of the quickest way they can get out the door to grab a sandwich.

Use Visual Aids

Rather than just a simple oral presentation, use visual aids and slide shows to engage your audience. You can even use audio and videos to provide a clearer concept of the topic you are discussing. Keeping a variety in presentation formats is one way of bringing a change to traditional meeting patterns that are being followed by every company at every conference.

Similarly, rather than just using simple texts, use graphs, charts and diagrams to show business trends, profits or other statistics. These visual representations are easier to relate to and understand. They are also a means of engaging the attention of your employees or business clients.

Creative Meeting & Conference Venues

As mentioned above, board room meetings have lost their charm. Try innovative and creative venues for your upcoming meetings. Plan the event yourself at a fancy restaurant or outdoors at the local golf course to give it a fresh approach. Whether you are meeting with your employees or your business associates, everyone needs time out of doors to relax and enjoy themselves as they deliberate and discuss important business matters in an informal and comfortable setting.

If you think planning outside the office is too much work, hire event designers to help. These professionals cater to their clients and plan successful business meetings at the most unique locations so you can rest assured that your meeting plans are in good hands.

Image: Royston Cartoons