Two weeks from this Sunday, at 7:29 pm, the Opening Session for Learning 2011 begins. So, what are the design tasks in the next 17 days?
- Keynote Conversations: I am having conversations with every person who will be on the stage at a General Session. This allows us to get on the same page on content, length, graphics and style for their segment. It also gives me an updates sense of their work, research and learning attitudes.
- Secret Service and President Clinton Advance Team: We will be working with the President's team, to provide content for his presentation, structure the agenda for his visit and start to craft questions that I will ask him for 1/2 hour on stage. We will be working with the Secret Service on security, logistics, movements and more.
- The "BEO Book" of Session Details: We will build a 500 page book of BEO's, each one detailing the Banquet Event Orders for every room for every hour with Layout, Catering, AV, Signage, Seating and More will be created for each of the 240 sessions, meals, breaks, special events and more. Disney and Debbie, our Meeting Manager, use "The BEO Book" to prepare and real time manage the event. This year, we will have an iPad version for our team to use as well.
- What to Video: We will be making video's of several key sessions, in addition to all of the General Sessions. Next week, we will decide.
- Last Minute Tweaks and Substitutions: With 240 sessions, there will be several leaders who either get ill or have to swap out.
- Launching the Learning 2011 Mobile App: It is about to come out of the last wave of approval from Apple - as we had to change it once they upgraded to iOS5 for iPad and iPhone. We will also have a Web, Android and Blackberry version. Hopefully, Monday everyone will get an email with their authorization to access the apps and start building their profile pages.
- John Lithgow Performance Tech Specs: We are working with his Tour Manager to adapt his theater based show to our Ballroom - and it will look totally different when the lights go up on the Tuesday night performance of Stories from the Heart. We are adapting our lighting, special microphones geared for a 1 person show by an actor with a huge range, and a table that a tall 6" 4" guy can use to pour a glass of water in mid scene.
- Key Handouts for Big Sessions: We are getting final copy for a one page handout from the Clinton Foundation and FIRST Robotics, plus a Playbill from John Lithgow's group. These will be edited and digitally printed for Orlando.
- Budget Review: Orange Juice, Lunch and Bags for 2,000 people is a complex budget. We are in good shape on our revenue and expense lines, but the next two weeks is a budget checking opportunity. For example, we just found out that we get the big ballroom to start rigging lights and screens on Friday before we open, saving several thousand dollars of weekend labor overtime. So, I spent 1/2 of that on a very cool set of lighting columns to sweeten the stage setting.
- Contingency Planning: Yes, we always do a Plan B and C. What if a storm is heading to Orlando, or the country goes on a higher security level, impacting our processes for the event, or one of our keynoters is ill - while these rarely happen - we create many Contingency Plans in these two weeks.
- Handing Over Control!: I am starting to turn over control of the event from me, Producer, to my team. In fact, at the event, I am not told about many smaller problems, so that I can focus on Hosting the event and taking directions from our Event Planners. After the event, I enjoy hearing about the stuff that was kept from me :)
- Getting into the Host Zone: Hosting 2,000 people for 3 1/2 days and leading 6 General Sessions and teaching 3 seminar requires me to get in the zone. I love this assignment and it is the most exciting week of the year - AND, it takes a mental and physical prep to get in that right zone.
- What to Wear? Yup, I still am thinking about what to wear - colorful jackets, comfortable shoes, a tie when President Clinton is on stage? Hmm - these too arejust some of the decisions that we will make in the next 17 days!