Event Planning
Selecting a Speaker
This is the most important part of planning an unforgettable, successful event. Thank you for considering Susan! To help you during your decision-making process, you may download printer friendly versions of the information contained in this web site:
Meet Susan
Programs with Purpose
Clients
Rave Reviews
Benefits and Requirements
Benefits to Working with Susan
Understanding As a business owner for nearly 30 years, Susan's been in the trenches. She's faced, and overcome, the same challenges of vision, fluctuating markets, growth, set-backs, staffing, training and customer care that the members of your organization are facing.
Customization Susan approaches every engagement like a private consultation. Armed with information from questionnaires and planning meetings, Susan designs your program to address your specific goals and challenges. Your own unique vision and needs drive every aspect of her presentation/training.
Approach As a high school teacher, Susan quickly learned that one-way lectures and outlines on an overhead projector were a sure-fire way to put a group to sleep. With Q&As, activities and projects, action plans, and unique audio/visual presentations, you become an active participant. Her dynamic, interactive, "hands-on" methods engage attendees and provide a fun environment that maximizes the learning experience.
Materials Susan prepares customized packets containing worksheets, handouts relevant to your industry and objectives. Depending on the type of program you've chosen, she'll also provide your group with materials to use during teamwork exercises, as well as activity and creative projects that attendees will take home as touchstones to keep focused and on-track long after the event is over. As a further educational resource, many clients ask to purchase Susan's book, which she will make available for advanced as well as on-site purchasing.
Follow-up The information, new skills, and new techniques learned during your program would mean very little without implementation. Susan will schedule a phone meeting with you in order to check on your progress, provide guidance, and answer any new questions that may have arisen. In some instances, she will collect action plans or other completed worksheets from your event, and later mail them back to attendees to act as a reminder and refresher. For those wanting more in-depth training and reinforcement, Susan offers a variety of options for continued learning and development sessions. And of course, she is always available via email and phone.
Requirements
To secure your date(s) Once you decide that you want to book Susan to speak at your meeting, we will send you a Confirmation Form. This is a simple, one page form stating the details such as where, when, etc. You'll need to sign one copy and return it to us with a deposit of 50% of the speaking fee. The deposit locks in the date for you and the Confirmation Form is our verification from you that we've all agreed on the major items such as date, fee, place, etc.
Expenses When travel is involved, we ask that you pre-purchase coach airfare after coordinating Susan's travel itinerary. Please setup a direct bill to your master account for a hotel room plus tax and incidentals. We will invoice you for additional travel expenses (ground transportation, meals, etc.) In some instances, arrangements for 2 may be required.
To prepare for the event You will be sent a pre-planning questionnaire designed to assist Susan in learning about your culture, industry, specific challenges and goals. This questionnaire may need to be filled out by your organizers/leaders, or it may need to be distributed to all attendees, depending on the type of program you're planning. She will also speak with you and/or key people within your organization to fully understand your needs and objectives. Promotional materials may be requested, such as brochures or photos.
Audio/Visual Susan will need a wireless lapel microphone, an LCD projector, and an audio cable (with miniplug) for connecting her laptop to the sound system. In many cases, Susan will supply her own microphone, but will still need the mixer and sound system to connect to. She will also need a flip chart with markers and a small table at the front of the room. Susan does not require a stage or podium.
Room setup Setup will greatly depend on the type of program you've selected, determining whether round tables or classroom/auditorium style will work best. Two to three extra tables may be needed for materials. Exact setup requirements will be emailed to you following event confirmation.
Luncheon/Dinner Events: When food is an integral part of your meeting, it is required that your meal is finished and cleared from the tables before Susan begins. To get the most from your presentation, the clanking of dishes, side conversations, and other such distractions cause delays and drastically affect the overall experience. In addition, Susan's presentations are interactive and hands-on, requiring people to be able to talk and move about freely when necessary, as well as utilize the space on their tables.
Video taping, audio taping, or written reproduction is not allowed. All handouts/materials are copyrighted.
Other Materials/Information You May Need
Susan's introductionHigh-res photos of Susan