How do you cope with changes when setting up an event?

Changes are inevitable. Always plan for (un)foreseeable changes when organising an event. We were asked, by a big international player, to organise a two-day convention for 225 people at Château Du Lac. But what if the number suddenly hits 375 and the convention goes to three days instead of two?

The challenges

The briefing changed drastically while we were setting the event up. Our client was planning some important internal business, and the convention was to be the springboard. The event became more important as a result, the convention was extended by a day and the participants grew in numbers as we went along. It was an international guest list and most of the participants were from Western Europe. In the end we were able to split the 375 people into four groups, each with their own schedule, wishes and requirements. The location was already confirmed when the changes were announced. Here too, we were forced to consider our options. And, the icing on the cake, we had to deliver the evening event.

What challenges did they set us?

• Find a suitable location.
• Get our international participants to the location without a hitch.
• Lay on an appropriate evening event.

Making it happen!

They wanted us to propose a location, but there were several strings attached.

• It couldn’t be in the centre of Brussels.
• It had to offer a large plenary meeting room and another 10 to 15 break-out rooms.
• Plenty of parking space.
• The potential to set up a vibe.

After considering all the conditions we managed to pull Château du Lac from the hat. There were 225 participants when the proposal was submitted. When the number went up to 375, we wondered if the location was still up to scratch. Fortunately for us, the Château was able to accommodate the growth. This is because the meeting facilities offer tremendous flexibility. In the end, we occupied 14 break-out rooms and used up all the break-out sessions. But that still left us with another hotel to find. And find one we did, with enough rooms for the extra guests.

✔ Find a suitable location.

When an international player organises a convention its guests are often international too. On this occasion most of the guests were from Western Europe. We organised all their transfers. We made sure they were on the right plane and safely shuttled to the right location when they landed. It was the first time that many of the participants had been invited to a convention in Belgium. To offer a warm reception we provided a Russian-speaking hostess. Given that the number of participants had almost doubled, we looked for an extra hotel near Château du Lac. We laid on a shuttle service for these guests to allow them to travel between the two locations at any time.

✔Get our international participants to the location without a hitch.

If you know a little French you will have guessed that Château du Lac is beside a lake. So it wasn’t exactly hard to come up with an evening’s festivities. A lake with a quirky view: what better than a beach party! It was still only February at the time, so we put up a tent to keep the cold at bay. The view from the transparent tent was beautiful, and we fitted a beach carpet to enhance the feeling of sun, sea and sand. And the party went on into the wee, small hours…

✔ Lay on an appropriate evening event.