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.

Secretary of Labor Crashes Organizing Meeting

The nerve of some people…………. Just as organizers were discussing the Moore Drydock Case and Common Situs Picketing, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis dropped in for a surprise visit. Solis and other cabinet members were touring the 144,000 square ft Electrical Training Institute in Commerce, California. ETI is the premiere training grounds for thousands of Green pioneers in Los Angeles County. She posed for a few quick photos before leaving to see the facility.

BBQ at LA Fed Delegate Meeting

On Tuesday the LA Federation of Labor Monthly Delegate Meeting was held at the Professional Musicians Local and featured a barbeque for all in attendance. Over a dozen volunteers from the electricians union helped prepare and serve the food. Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the LA County Federation of Labor was there as well as approximately 120 delegates.