Lessons Learned honoring First Lady Nancy Reagan – photo credit Reis Birdwhistell
I had the news on in the background while I was reading. My pups Kiwi and Keno were asleep on the sofa.
Then I heard a news report about First Lady Nancy Reagan’s links to Atlanta. Ms. Reagan was honored at a PRIDE (National Parents’ Resource Institute for Drug Education) conference.
I sat straight up and yelled “Wow, that was my event!”
The conference had programs for young people and adults. Highlights included workshops with internationally recognized drug abuse experts, community leaders and law enforcement officers. Celebrity participants included wives of world leaders and well-known actors committed to Nancy Reagan’s ‘Just Say No project.’
Included within the 2-day conference was a fundraising luncheon featuring Mrs. Reagan hosted by then Coca-Cola CEO Roberto Goizueta. How fortunate I was to learn how to manage the luncheon from Ms. Be Haas, a founding partner, Haas, Cox, Alexander.
I want to share event management lessons learned from honoring First Lady Nancy Reagan:
Event management is like a high wire act without a net!
- Start with robust brainstorming – Bring your board members, volunteers and new voices to the table.
- Set clear objectives – You’ll know what is important during the event and you’ll be prepared to gauge your effectiveness.
- Create a timeline – A comprehensive timeline will guide you from start to finish!
Promote, promote, promote. Although there are a lot more channels to use to create buzz, the fundamentals of matching your choices with your target audience preferences and goals still stands. Now you want to create a Digital Ripple to promote your event.
Brand Your event – Special event branding creates an experience and/or memory that participants will not forget. And, done properly, the event will carry the brand promise of an organization and add to the public knowledge of its mission, vision and values.
Don’t forget to evaluate your event – Evaluation is critical to your success.
Protocol is of utmost importance! – The lessons I learned working with First Lady Nancy Reagan and the wives of world leaders continue to position my success when managing special events.
Most importantly, I always learn as much as I can about an honoree or guest speaker, from their favorite foods to their favorite color.
I discovered Nancy Regean’s favorite color was red.
Can you see the red streaks in my hair?!
Do you have any event management tips you’d like to share?
As always would love to hear from you!
