Event Planning Secrets. A Conversation with Amy Zellmer
Have you ever been curious about presenting at a conference?
Wanted to know what event planners are looking for, want you to know, and what to steer clear of?
Amy Zellmer, conference coordinator and owner of Midwest Yoga + Life Magazine answers all this and more.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
*The best part of event planning is that you get to hang out with other people who have the same job that you do. This is one of my favorite things about conferences and festivals.
*Themes are useful, especially if you are trying to curate a specific kind of experience for people While having a theme is not required, it does help with decision-making.
*If you are the organizer visualize how the flow of the event is going to go, and then reverse engineer how to get there. You need to know your target audience, how they are going to move in the space, and what kinds of vendors you will have–if any, and where they will be set up..
*Want to present at a conference? Here are the best tips: make sure you completely fill out the forms, and bring a little bit of yourself to the application too–details are important. Organizers are looking for creative folks who are bringing something different than what they would normally see at a typical studio event.
*Put something personal in your bio, because that makes people feel like they know you a little bit better.
*Being a participant in the event that you are teaching in also makes a big difference. If you are introverted like I am, I totally understand if you are flinching right now–but conferences are the time to interact and connect. When you go home, have your heavy blankets and dark room ready–you will have fun chatting and participating all weekend long, I promise.
*And finally, Pitching for magazines are similar to pitching for conferences. Follow the instructions, have a catchy pitch, and meet your deadlines. The thing is this: if you are easy to work with there is a huge advantage for the event coordinators. You’ll get asked back, and that’s the goal.
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