19 Tips for Organizing Conference Planners

Feeling overwhelmed with responsibility in planning your union’s organizing conference? Where do you start? What needs to be included? What if anything should be done differently this time?

It’s no easy task. You have to choose the right location, the right venue, and it needs to run like a well-oiled machine. You want to send people home feeling refreshed and ready with new tools to do their job better.

Here are 19 tips to help you conduct a successful organizing conference everyone will enjoy.

1.      Review Objective – Ask “Why an organizing conference?” then set a goal and work toward it.

2.      Plan for Fun – Host it at a location people enjoy and give them time to enjoy it.

3.      Keep it short – Two or three days max; don’t take your best people out-of-the-field for too long.

4.      Build Them Up – It’s easy to get discouraged as an organizer. Encourage attendee’s success.

5.      Limit Teleprompters – Good leaders make accomplished speakers. Teleprompters distract.

6.      Skip the Entertainment – Organizing is a fascinating topic. Keep the focus on organizing.

7.      Limit Speakers to 15 Minutes – Less if possible. Everyone will thank you!

8.      Remind People to Bring a Sweater – Conference rooms are often chilly.

9.      Keep it light – Organizers are the most overworked people in the labor movement.

10.  Give Them a Break – Regular restroom breaks lead to better attention and retention.

11.  Limit Evening Receptions – After a long day glued to a chair most would rather pass.

12.  Repeat Theme Often – Ask each speaker to include a reference so it’s not forgotten.

13.  Start and End On Time – Be respectful of attendee’s time and travel arrangements.

14.  Have Contingency Plans – Be ready should a speaker fail to show or a computer malfunctions.

15.  Keep It Relevant – If the subject is anything but better organizing it should be dropped.

16.  Don’t Preach to the Choir – Organizers know exactly why they do what they do.

17.  Limit Who Attends – Raise the bar by requiring attendees be full-time union organizers.

18.  Discover New Talent – Bring in new people to conduct seminars and breakout sessions.

19.  End Strong – As participants depart they should feel relaxed, motivated, and energized.

Apprentice Upstages LA Mayor/Former Governor

One of the best speakers at the 2010 Delegates Congress at the Los Angeles Convention Center was Sammy Jackson. He spoke about completing his pre-apprenticeship program at Century Training in Lennox, CA and successfully passed the entrance exam to enter the IBEW, Local 11 Apprenticeship. Jackson had to overcome several obstacles to get to where he is today and is grateful for the opportunity. He is currently working at LA Live on the Ritz-Carlton Project. He has learned to bend 3” and 4” conduit on a hydraulic bender and is in the very first day-class given at the Electrical Training Institute. Other notable speakers were Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former California Governor Jerry Brown.

Another highlight of the Delegates Congress was the push for The March for California’s Future. It’s a planned march from Bakersfield to the State Capitol with a goal of registering and engaging voters. The kick-off event is scheduled for March 5th, 2010. Several attendee’s took the stage in a show of support and pledged to complete the March by April 21st. To learn more go to www.fight4california.com or to get involved call Ade at (213) 387-0780, extension #17