The Road to Hyderabad: Lesson #5

Submitted by Danielle Dumm on October 5, 2009 - 10:45am

The Road to Hyderabad Lesson #5:

Last week I had the opportunity to attend The Feast in NYC. It was a great conference with some truly amazing speakers (more on that in another post) but it also gave me the opportunity to see how another organization puts conferences and gatherings of social entrepreneurs.

One thing I took from The Feast (besides the amazing series of speakers) was the attention paid to detail and the way the organizers made sure that every little thing contributed to the overall feel and mood of the event.

From keeping the event running on time, to printing the wirelessness network and password onto the back of everyone's name tag. From compostable plates and flatware to a fun networking activity (including food-even better) early in the morning. Everything added up to make a non-verbal statement about the event that both appealed to everyone attending, and branded the event for an external audience.

When planning a meeting for 8-10 social entrepreneurs, as we often do at Ashoka, things like the flatware don't factor in as much to the meeting. While good food, a good atmosphere, and a comfortable place to sleep matter a lot, its really those intense interactions within the small group that define the meeting.

Scale it up to a 250 person event like we'll be holding in Hyderabad, all of a sudden those little details matter a lot. People are traveling far distances to be inspired, engaged and entertained and when the whole day isn't taken up with super intense discussions, your participants will have time to notice the little things. One tip I once got from someone with a world-class record for hosting events in the social change sphere was to think about things even so small as your centerpieces on the dinner tables. If you are hosting an awards ceremony for local non profits are your centerpieces made up of flowers flown in from across the world or are they minature works of art from a local non-profit that provides fine arts education to low-income students?

While not everything was perfect at The Feast, when it came to the details they nailed the day hands-down; and provided me with some good inspiration as we move towards Hyderabad.

Click here to check out The Road to Hyderabad series.