Your meeting has come to an end. Goodbyes have been said and you've dropped, exhausted, into the overstuffed chair in your suite. After you've considered and rejected the idea of packing your suitcase now to prepare for your flight home in the morning, you begin to think over each part of the meeting you helped plan and execute, erring on the side of being overly critical as many of us are prone to doing. Was it a successful meeting? Did I do a good job planning it? Did this reflect well on me and the company? The answers to these questions are undoubtedly subjective, but we can help! Ponder the questions below and ask others for their thoughts as well.
Here are our experts' thoughts on just how to answer these burning questions:
- How was the vibe during opening and closing remarks? If there were smiles and applause during these and a buzz of conversations afterwards, this is a great sign.
- Did at least 10% of attendees participate in discussions? Unless you kept count (and you probably did not have time), this will have to be an educated guess, but that's okay. If 10% or more actively pitched in with their thoughts, well done. If 50% did, then hats off to you for giving those attending great topics and a safe, inviting environment in which to share ideas.
- Were there sections that could have been left out? A successful meeting is as short as possible while still covering the necessary topics. More is not better!
- Were team-building activities provided and well-attended? As these are often the most memorable and talked about parts of a destination meeting, they are also a good bellwether.
- And finally, how was the food? Cuisine should never be underestimated and in fact, the quality of the food more often than not determines how meeting attendees rate their overall experience post-event according to many leading business publications.
If you can determine that you nailed four out of the five questions above, it's safe to say your meeting was a success. Don't forget to reward yourself with a mental high-five and an entire day off of even thinking about meetings upon your return home. Congratulations!
|