ELN guidelines: Event collaboration

Collaboration across networks is a great way to encourage diversity of ideas and
perspectives. It can also mean more support behind the scenes, a wider audience, and a
greater impact.

What you can do:

Before the event

Designing the event

• Agree on your kaupapa as an organising group and what you want to achieve. It
  can be one sentence: e.g., “our goal is an event for at least 100 people to discuss x
  topic because members have asked for this opportunity.”
• Have a coordinator or central contact point for the group. This person can ensure
  the group comes together often enough and keep planning on track.
• Decide how you will hold the event: face to face, online, hybrid? What conditions
  will require a switch from one to another? Be prepared for this.
• Think carefully about the time of the event. If you have a series of events, consider
  alternate times to offer a range of options. Previous feedback tells us that if you’re
  considering after work, 5-6 pm is best. Lunchtime is popular but has drawbacks
  too (e.g., people don’t get a proper break).
• When choosing speakers, who will resonate with and keep your audience
  engaged?
• Keep in mind senior leaders/Ministers may require significant notice and
  preparatory mahi beforehand (e.g., speaking notes, briefings etc.

Working together

• Think about your own capacity and encourage others to do the same. If one of you
  needs to step out of the group, is there someone who can seamlessly swap in?
• Get to know each other’s strengths and perspectives early. This helps with
  deciding who will do what.
• Have regular catch-ups scheduled well in advance. It’s better to cancel if it’s not
  needed, than scramble to find a time to meet.
• Be clear about who is responsible for what. Think about how you might adapt if
  someone becomes unwell or circumstances change. Consider buddying up on
  tasks.

Think beyond logistics

• Communications: explore promotional channels available. Contact the ELN team.
  Some events could be shared across the cross-agency ELNs’ channels to reach a
  wider audience.
• Practice: by doing a ‘test run’ with the event team and technology such as:
  o breakout rooms
  o Slido (or other question functionality)
  o Polls
• Do you need to provide information/send instructions to attendees before the
  event?
• Plan B: Do you have a backup if something doesn’t go to plan? What will you do if
  a speaker pulls out at short notice? What if your MC is unwell on the day?

During the event

• We recommend the MC create and update the run sheet. They need to use it so
  it’s best they make sure it is correct and up to date with any changes. Ensure it’s
  detailed enough and try not to assume too much knowledge.
•  If you are introducing someone, practise saying their role, title, names and
  pronouns correctly. If you’re unsure, ask before the event.
• Ask someone to take screen captures/photos that can be used in newsletters.
• If recording, ensure audience are made aware of this.
• Ensure someone is keeping track of the time.
• Prepare some questions in advance for speakers to get the Q&A going, if needed.
• Work out how the organising group will communicate during the event. Will it be
  by text? Private message? Emails?

After the event

• Don’t forget to follow up after the event and send a thank you email/card to your
  speakers and acknowledge your attendees also.
• Run a short survey to capture feedback for future events.
• Share the results with your organising committee.
• Run a debrief session, to see what can be improved for next time. Examples of
  debriefing frameworks include ‘what went well and what to improve?’ or
  Stop/Start/Continue. Share this with the ELN team for other networks to learn from
  too.
• Think about how you want to share the event afterwards and if you want to record
  the event. Keep in mind that editing and adding captions can be time consuming,
  but for high impact events, it may be worth it (contact the ELN team for more
  information).
• Consider sharing feedback/insights learned in newsletters in different agencies
  across your agency networks and with cross-agency networks.
• Consider sharing the event feedback or event summary with your People and
  Internal Communications teams, sponsor, CE or Minister.
•  Start preparing for the next one!

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