For the past few months I’ve been attending regularly a meetup group. As part of it, I’ve organized some events. This enhanced my previous experience as people manager where I also had the chance to organize large groups. In fact, working with large teams is something I enjoy doing and doesn’t scare me away. The article below talks about lessons learned while organizing groups (usually 20+ people), but it’s applicable starting from 8 people onwards.
It’s not an exhaustive list, but it’s hands-on experience. I’m talking about free events where people attend based on their own free will, unlike corporate events where employees are pushed by their management to attend. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Don’t try to make everyone happy
You can’t. Instead, make it a consultative democracy, like China likes to present its politics. That means “(we pretend) we’d like to hear your opinion, but the decision is already taken”. It’s nice to aim for a perfect experience and gather the info you need beforehand. It’s just simply impossible to satisfy all possible requests and expectations. If you want the experience to run smooth, you need to make decisions that are fit for the majority.
A couple of years ago, a colleague running an NGO asked for my help to organize and prepare schedule for a large group of people (40 to 50). I did that and things were fitting perfect, all things considered. Then, my colleague stepped in and said the worst thing possible: “let’s see what everyone thinks”. It blew up everything I did, so I stepped back from the whole thing.
“We decide on the spot” is a recipe for disaster
I guess you’re not surprised that poor planning is a disaster when organizing groups. You can decide on the spot between options A and B, as long as someone did put some thought into them. You can decide on the spot, to adapt. I always recommend adapting and not falling for the initial commitment trap. Deciding on the spot, when you have absolutely no plan is a disaster.
Some people always complain no matter what you do
I’ve recently returned from a mountain trip where a lady was even complaining that “we’re walking on grass”. She was complaining about everything, even that the vegetable soup has too many veggies in it. It’s just what some people do. They are easy to spot, so you can ignore them afterwards. Discard immature people or those that can’t control their behaviour. Professional complainers can disrupt everyone’s mood.
When in organized groups, adults behave like children
I once went on a guided tour, on the seashore. Once we arrived, the guide indicated to everyone the rally point and the return time. One hour before getting there we passed through a summer storm and you could see the black clouds heading towards the seashore. That said, given the weather conditions, me and a handful of people went for a good meal and some beers waiting for the storm to pass. The rest of the group, a vast majority, decided to stay by the guide and move wherever he was moving. When the storm did start (which was a no-brainer) they got soaking wet and gathered under umbrellas. They had to leave back without stopping for a proper meal. Then their hate turned against us, those that made their own decisions and had a pleasant afternoon – well, to the best extent possible. This is also a perfect example of how people starting with the same conditions achieve completely different results. Organizing groups doesn’t make you a parent for other adults, however they will constantly ask you what to do next.
Free event means you can’t rely on anything
Payment makes people responsible for their decisions and confirms commitment. When an event is free, you can’t rely on attendance, number of participants, show up time, anything. People cancel even 1h before, or even during the event (which is completely pointless). Even for paid events, there are always no-shows. If it’s a regular event, you get to derive some metrics, like 75% of those that sign up, attend. Also, if it’s free, expect your event to be promoted by others. That means you may not be able to accommodate the incoming participants. Limiting the number of seats works to your advantage when organizing groups. Besides, scarcity always pays off (“limited offer”, “limited seats”, “only 4 items left”, etc).
Make sure your participants are fit for the event
I went on many tours, in different countries, but also with groups organized by me. A lot of the times, I’ve seen people going into caves without a proper headlamp or heading for the mountains without proper boots. The trouble with this sort of people is that when they get hurt (and they do get hurt in the end), they slowdown everyone else and affect the whole group’s schedule. Fit for the event can mean proper gear, proper electronic equipment, training, physical condition. Organizing groups for certain activities that pose a risk requires to prevent some people from attending or deny their right if not properly equipped.
Too many options disorient people
You may think that having a lot of choices is a good thing, as they should make everyone happy. However studies have shown that they don’t. When people can choose between A and B they decide faster and don’t overthink. Of course, they will complain that there weren’t enough choices. Even if you make the options well-known in advance and people do decide to sign up, they will still complain about the options. Many people don’t own their decisions throughout their lifetime and that’s not going to change during a single event. Plus, I’m sure everyone’s familiar with the “I’ll have whatever you want honey” decision-makers.
Learn your lessons and never ignore previous experience
Every event has its specific things. For example, via a meetup group for which I‘ve organized some events, I discovered that for that specific group, attendance is about 70% of the people that sign-up. If another event takes place the day before, the percent can drop to 50%. Out of these people, only half show up at the announced start time, the rest show up about one hour later. When you need to book tables for such an event, this is extremely valuable information. In time you develop, of course, regular attendees. Bad weather can drop any attendance to half or less. This is why you gather KPIs in general and why business intelligence diminishes financial loss.
People may (try to) hijack your event by transforming it based on their wants and needs
This happened to me quite recently. What started as my initiative got hijacked by someone who started sharing the event to different groups, then pushing people to go for other options and different routes. I found it so interesting that I just wanted to observe how it all evolves. The key, just like in elections was the number of followers you get and the amount of noise you make. It was a very valuable lesson for me.
Unexpected things happen
Always. You will have to adapt on the spot. Being prepared aka mitigating the risk does help and can save the day. For example: if you depend on a transportation schedule you do need to check it in advance and try to book it if possible. Calling ahead to gather info or announce your presence is always beneficial. Large groups are always welcome because they mean good money, but they are also a difficulty to handle. Try to announce in advance that the group is coming. It may not be the only large group that day.
Conclusion
If I were to organize a group now for a particular purpose, with the assumption that I am not starting the group, here’s what I would advise. If possible, hand-pick the participants or use recommendations. Make the participants commit to their attendance by buying in advance the tickets they need or the accommodation required. I would stick to the pre-established itinerary and adapt only if the situation requires it. Not for the sake of change. However, when organizing groups your best asset is previous experience. So just go for it!
If you have enjoyed reading this or know someone who needs to hear all this, please go ahead and share it with your friends. Thank you!
