YouNoodle shares: How to host a successful in-person startup program
On-site events are the perfect opportunity to make up for the missing human connection from the previous years, as people are now eager to come out and meet in real life. What better way to achieve that than through an on-site event packed with valuable content, networking, and exciting people?
Designing, planning, and executing an on-site event has many moving parts and can seem like an overwhelming job for many. The good news, we went through it and want to share our key learnings from hosting these kinds of events with the hopes of helping you avoid the most common pitfalls as you set out to plan yours.
10 things to consider when hosting an on-site program
- Know your audience
Assume that you know nothing about your audience and use that as your driving force for getting it right. The first step is to understand where your audience is coming from, their culture, and their language in case you plan an international event. If that's the case, be prepared to tackle language barriers with the right resources. Next, understanding the industries of your participants and the current stage of their ventures will significantly impact how you plan the program's content. Lastly, understanding why people enrolled in your program and what they hope to gain from it is the final piece to understanding your audience.
2. Start early
Planning is everything. We are going to repeat that. Planning is everything. Do not let tight deadlines, time constraints, or outside forces try and trick you into believing you can whip up an on-site program in the blink of an eye. Good things take time, and so does planning the logistics and content of an on-site program. The program's success will be a reflection of your organization, so you will want to be prepared for every possible scenario. Likewise, you will want the participants to have an enjoyable experience and recommend you to others. As a rule of thumb, for a one-week on-site program, start planning it three months in advance.
3. Location, Location, Location
The realtors know it, and so should you. Deciding on the right location for your program could be the make or break of a successful event. There are several factors to consider when deciding on your location and venture. Firstly, you want a strong connection between the city and the program's overall goal. E.g., if you are hosting an event for Medtech startups, Boston, MA, would seem like an obvious choice. Secondly, you want your participants to be safe and feel safe in and around the area where you are hosting the program. Lastly, you want to ensure that the venue has the necessary facilities for you to execute a successful event.
4. Put yourself in your participant's shoes
Remember, you are not hosting an event for yourself. As you start to plan the content and the events of your program, put yourself in the shoes of your participants. What would they need and benefit from based on where they are currently with their ventures? E.g., the needs and concerns of startups and scaleups are very different. Hence why targeting your content to fit the audience is of utmost importance. Another critical factor is aligning your expectations with those of the participants. How do you do that? Ask them what they are expecting from your program, it is that simple. Since you asked, you should incorporate their needs to the extent possible.
5. Don't underestimate the value of physical presence
We know Zoom meetings have become almost second nature due to the pandemic. However, if you go the extra mile to plan an on-site program, fill it with real people. There is no way in which having people join your event via Zoom can make up for an in-person meeting or networking with people in real life. Do not underestimate the importance of human connections. Your participants will be driving and flying in from all over and will expect others to do the same. So as you plan for and start inviting speakers, industry experts, mentors, investors, etc., emphasize the need for them to be there in person. Believe us, and you will be grateful for doing this later.
6. Get all your ducks in a row
No one can do it alone, you are not Superman. Know that you will need the help of others as you design, plan, and execute your program. Sometimes this help comes in the form of your extended team and sometimes in the form of stakeholders and external partners. The point is that the more people you involve, the more you need to clearly communicate the roles and responsibilities of everyone, both during the planning weeks and during the execution of the program. Once everyone knows their role, they will work more effectively towards the common goal of the program. Remember, teamwork makes the dream work.
7. Communicate!
Communication is key. There is no such thing as over-communication when planning and executing an on-site event. There is internal and external communication, so make sure you choose the right channels for each of them. Whether you choose to email, Slack, WhatsApp, or use Websites, etc., consistency is essential. E.g., if you consistently communicate with your stakeholders via email, keep this format throughout the entire period and ensure everyone is copied. If you have important messages, you can also decide to share them via various channels to ensure that everyone reads them.
8. Vision is everything
Do not expect anyone else to understand or get hyped about your program if you do not have a clear vision of the program yourself. Therefore, it is paramount to be crystal clear about your vision for the program. Once you know the whys and hows of the program you are designing, only then will you be able to sell the idea to others. Said differently, you need to be able to tell the story of your program and why anyone should care to participate or donate their time to support you. Think of your vision as your North Star that gives you purpose and helps drive the efforts of everyone involved in the program.
9. Give participants sufficient preparation before the event
Do not expect that your participant innately understands your culture and vice versa. When you deal with participants from all over whose culture is the thinnest bit different from that of the host country, you need to plan for this. This planning goes both ways. Make sure that you fully understand the overall culture, traditions, and customs of your participants to greet and treat them respectfully. Likewise, you should invest time in preparing the participants for the host country's culture, customs, and traditions. Of course, talking about these topics is not a guarantee of friction-free encounters. However, knowledge is power, and being mentally prepared for the differences can help ease conflicts or confusion.
10. Law of Murphy
Shit happens, no matter how hard you plan. Even though you spent the last three months planning for every little detail, life happens. Instead of throwing a fit and panicking when things do not go as planned, have a plan b. There is no way to foresee the weather, the cancellation of your keynote, or participants not showing up. The good thing is that you can plan for this by having a plan b, plan c, etc. Know your options if something changes on the fly, as this will allow you to activate your second-best plan effortlessly, often without anyone noticing it at all. The key is to stay calm and keep moving forward with the program.
As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider when planning your on-site programs. Though there is no right or wrong way to go about this, we hope that these recommendations can help get you on the right path. For us, it is always a great pleasure to go out and meet the startups who apply via our platform, get a feeling for the status of the startup ecosystem, and see how much they can benefit from these kinds of programs.
If you are planning to host an on-site event soon and need further guidance on how to design, plan, and execute this, then do not hesitate to reach out to us at sales@younoodle.com.
