Reg egio ional nal Ne Netw twor orks: ks: An Annu nual al Me Meet eting ing Pl Plann anning ing Presen esented ed by: : Mag aggie gie Ullman an, , Networ work k Ad Advisor, visor, As Ashev heville, le, NC maggie@ullmanconsulting.net | 828.713.9488 Connecti ecting ng Peop ople. le. Fost ster ering ing Innov ovation ation.
Pre resen entatio tation n Purp rpos ose e and d Conte ntents nts Partner Networks Network Participants Representing Green Cities California Linda Giannelli Pratt GCC Managing Director This is presen esentati ation is to the Regi gion onal al Network tworks s (GCC) (Coordinator) Coord rdinati ating ng Comm mmitte tee, e, on Marc rch 4th, , 2016. . Erik Pearson Hayward, CA Shannon Parry Santa Monica, CA ALTERNATE- Susana Reyes Los Angeles, CA Great Lakes Matt Naud Ann Arbor, MI Matt Gray Cleveland, OH It’s purpose is to presen esent the best st prac acti tice ce for Heartland T.O. Bowman Oklahoma City, OK planning ing and nd coordin rdinating ating a ne networ work k ann nnual al Brenda Nations Iowa City, IO meeti ting, ng, incl cluding uding: Michigan Green Dave Norwood Dearborn, MI Communities (MGC) Sandra Diorka Delhi, MI – What the practice is and looks like Jaime Kidwell-Brix MGC Coordinator (Coordinator) – Why the practice is worthwhile New England Municipal Troy Moon Portland, ME – Who should do it and when Sustainability Network Cyndi Veit EPA- (Coordinator) (NEMSN) Kelsey O'Neil EPA- (Coordinator) – How to do it, with examples Virginia LeClair Dedham, MA Ohio, Kansas, Indiana Larry Faulkin Cincinnati, OH (OKI) Lamees Mubaslat Montgomery County, OH Prairie State Network Catherine Hurley Evanston, IL (PSN) Dan Hughes PSN Coordinator (Coordinator) Southeast Sustainability Peter Nierengarten Fayetteville, AR Directors Network Robin Cox Huntsville, AL (SSDN) Meg Williams-Jamison SSDN Coordinator Western Adaptation Tamara Lawless Flagstaff, AZ Alliance (WAA) Ashley Perl Aspen, CO 2
What t Ar Are So e Some e Guide deli line nes s for r An Annual al Mee eeting g Planning ning? • A network’s annual meet eting: ing: a time e for mem embers ers to connect ect with other memb mber ers s in orde der to – Develop and strengthen relationships; – Engage in peer-to-peer learning; – Obtain field-building progress updates; and – Recruit members to serve in leadership and collaboration roles after the meeting. • Resour urce: ce: Connecting ecting to Change ge the World ld: : Harnes nessin sing g the Power er of Networ orks ks for Social ial Impact act contai ains ns guide delines lines for a networ twork k to to deve velop lop and host t a succes cessful sful annual al meetin ing: g: 1. 1. Guidi ding g Concepts epts 2. 2. Agenda nda Developme elopment 3. 3. Planni ning ng Guida dance nce 4. 4. Assessment sment and Impro rove veme ment nt Plastrik, P., Taylor, M., & Cleveland, J. (2014). Connecting to Change the World: Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social Impact . Island Press. 3
Gui Guidi ding ng Co Conc ncepts epts Importa rtant nt fa factors rs to conside der r no matter ter the e size ze and st d stage e of de f devel elopment ent of yo f your net etwo work rk (revisit sit regularly rly to ensure re a h highly eff ffecti tive ve annual al meeti ting ng): ): 1. Determine the meeting goals early and compare to meeting development often. 2. Make increasing connectivity an explicit objective of the meeting. 3. Make enough time during the meeting for members to connect, not just work together. 4. Promote what members are doing and what they know; don’t over -rely on outside experts. 5. Be fluid at the annual meeting itself; keep to the timing as best you can, and roll with reality. 4
Ag Agen enda da De Development elopment Kee eep these ese concep epts ts in mind d while e de devel eloping your mee eeting ing agen enda da. . Thes ese e insights hts will hel elp you bu build d a produ ductive ive and dy d dynamic c itinerary: rary: – Balance informal and formal networking times. – For larger groups, include time for everyone to learn together, and times for smaller breakouts. – If possible, include open space times (scheduled time blocks without programmed content); these spaces allow you to respond to topics that emerge at the meeting. – Build in time for network planning and surveying on next steps. – Provide an update on the current State of the Network. – Develop a core team (3-4 people) to help guide strategy, such as meeting goals, and agenda topics. – Survey the membership for their content priorities, and ask who is willing to teach on which topic area. 5
Pl Planni anning ng Gui Guida danc nce Planning ing an annual al mee eeti ting ng can see eem like e a d daunti ting ng task. k. But with h solid or d organizat zation n and d clear communic unicati ation, n, this process s can be be easy. The fo following ng tips can help to create te a c clear di division of la f labo bor and s d stream eamli line ne the event t de development ent process: s: – Start 6 months in advance with a host city or county. – Assign 2 people to be over the budget to avoid calculation errors; one is point, the other checks. – Meet bi-weekly with the Annual Meeting Planning Committee. Send out call agendas in advance and use their time to troubleshoot at a high level. – Build a shared task list so the team knows exactly who is responsible for which details. – Send a speaker instruction sheet to recruited speakers before the meeting to focus presentations on lessons learned, road blocks, and candid insights. 6
As Assess sessme ment nt an and d Im Impro provement vement A network’s annual meeting gives members an opportunity to build relationships and share ide deas. . • Collecting ting fe feedb dback fr from partici cipant nts abo bout their r exp xperience nce and s d suggestio stions ns fo for fu future re even ev ents ts is valuabl ble e fo for the e success ess of f fu future re ev even ents. s. • The fo following ng tips will help you get the right t info formati mation n fr from membe bers: rs: – Distribute and collect evaluations before the meeting adjourns, and make evaluation collection simple for participants. – Make sure evaluations help you understand how much connecting happened in addition to other evaluation goals. – Use different ways of collecting information in the survey (check boxes with specific answers, rating systems to evaluate specific topics, and fill in the blank sections were members can elaborate). 7
Why y is Pl Plann nning ing for r An Annual ual Mee eeting ng so Impor ortant tant? It redu duces es pain: Many gears need d to mesh h to make it run smoothl thly. y. Someone ne needs ds to be be i in charge, e, and d the e tea eam nee eeds ds to be be ver ery clea ear on Logistics roles and de d deadl dlines. s. Planning ing gives es you an ide dea of f what t to Planning and Doing exp xpect and pa d pathwa ways ys fo for Dates trouble blesho shooting. ting. Budget If participants don’t feel like the event t was well planned, d, it may be be conside dered red a w waste te of ti f time e and d 8 money. y.
An Annu nual al Me Meet eting ing Lo Logi gist stics ics Good lo d logistics ics coordi dinati ation n de defi fines es clea ear roles es and d ex expec ectati ations ns of f tea eammate mmates. s. Capitali lize ze on indi dividu dual strengths. engths. • Des esigna nate te staff ff or 2 n net etwo work rk point peo eople e to handl dle e logisti tics, cs, such as bo booking a bl block of f rooms, s, arrangi ging ng trans nsit it fr from the airport t to the hotel / meeti ting ng locatio ion, n, and de d dealing with h fo food. d. • Send d a logistic ics s packet t fo for travelers elers in adv dvance, e, which h contains: ns: – Transportation instructions (airport, transit, etc.) – Hotel location / map of the event (meeting, dinner, tour locations) – Parking / building access instructions – Meeting Agenda – Participant list (so members can stay connected after the meeting) – A structured network building activity such as a buddy list (see appendix for example) and PPT with attendee pictures and profiles (to connect members more quickly) 9
Who is Res esponsi onsible ble for r Planning ning the e An Annua ual l Mee eeting? g? • Discuss ss team m selecti tion on process s and s d sizing ng ba based d on network rk topography: hy: ask fo for skill l sets sets and a d assign n ba based d on them. m. • What t types of f skills ls will be be m most t usefu ful? l? – Who has an eye for details? – Who is good at planning? – Who is good at design and strategic thinking? – Who has capacity (staff that can help, like assistants, interns, etc.)? – Who wants to host? What are their resources (like free meeting space)? • Organizing zing workflo flow w and s d setting ting up committees: ittees: – Calendar everything: reoccurring meeting dates, deadlines, etc. Having appointments will keep things on track and keep the surprises to a minimum. 10 10
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