The 6 mistakes to avoid for a successful seminar
Not defining a specific theme
Not defining a theme for your company seminar risks making employees feel like it’s just another business event like all the others. Any lack of interest will inevitably have a negative effect on participation rates.
Above all else, a successful seminar needs to arouse the curiosity of all the participants. Andalusian cities, Japanese cuisine, a catamaran regatta… there are an endless number of themes you could choose. To help choose, another piece of advice would be to get your team members involved by organizing a vote or providing a suggestion box. Success is guaranteed.
Note: clearly state that the event is a seminar, not a conference. What’s the difference between a seminar and a conference? Both are gatherings of groups of people, but with some significant differences.
A seminar is an exchange of ideas and debate among attendees, with the aim of motivating them, uniting them, or presenting a project.
A conference is much more formal: an audience listens to one or more speakers on a specific subject.
Seminars are designed to inform participants about a project, encourage employee participation, and bring teams together.
The 6 mistakes to avoid for a successful seminar
Seminars are a great way to build team spirit, boost pride in the company, and enjoy time together in a different setting.
After presenting the 6 mistakes to avoid in meetings, Accor’s meeting experts have now compiled a list of the most common mistakes to avoid when organizing your seminar.
Not defining a theme for your company seminar risks making employees feel like it’s just another business event like all the others. Any lack of interest will inevitably have a negative effect on participation rates.
Above all else, a successful seminar needs to arouse the curiosity of all the participants. Andalusian cities, Japanese cuisine, a catamaran regatta… there are an endless number of themes you could choose. To help choose, another piece of advice would be to get your team members involved by organizing a vote or providing a suggestion box. Success is guaranteed.
Note: clearly state that the event is a seminar, not a conference. What’s the difference between a seminar and a conference? Both are gatherings of groups of people, but with some significant differences.
A seminar is an exchange of ideas and debate among attendees, with the aim of motivating them, uniting them, or presenting a project.
A conference is much more formal: an audience listens to one or more speakers on a specific subject.
Seminars are designed to inform participants about a project, encourage employee participation, and bring teams together.
This may seem obvious… However, event organizers note that people often choose a bad date. Avoid school holidays, long weekends, and public holidays.
To avoid mistakes, it’s best to set a date a year in advance, after consulting your team in advance, or simply organizing your event on the same date each year, making it a fun ritual that everyone looks forward to.
Choosing and scouting the location, testing equipment, planning meals and breaks… This may also seem obvious, but it’s essential to plan all these things well in advance.
Taking the time to do this in advance frees you from any worries during the event, allowing you to fully focus on your seminar and stay calm on the big day.
Choosing the destination or restaurant, naming the hotel, assigning rooms, proposing activities… Communicating all these things clearly and efficiently in advance is essential. This helps make things clear to everyone and allows them to plan ahead.
A nice thing to look forward to that creates a good atmosphere among your team members weeks, or even months before the event.
Organizing a 2 or 3-day seminar, either locally or abroad, is no easy matter. Make the most of this opportunity to get help from one or more of your colleagues.
It’s a good way to enhance their sense of belonging to the company and to get ideas and input from all your team members.
On the big day, many seminar organizers try to fill the schedule with as much as they possibly can, hoping to increase efficiency. The problem is that this is generally done at the expense of reducing breaks and the time for lunch.
However, these rest periods are essential for ensuring people can concentrate on the event and for creating genuine experiences of sharing and team-building, which makes all the difference between a successful, enjoyable, and constructive seminar, and a boring and overly demanding one.
So be sure to ensure you get the right balance!