Organising a staff development event: summary

The SCONUL Advisory Committee on Staffing (ACoS) has prepared a working paper to help staff who are asked to organise events. The amount of planning and preparation which needs to go into even a half day event is often underestimated, as is the anxiety which can be caused to the member of staff having to organise an event for the first time.

The working paper is organised as a series of clear checklists in bullet point style, making it easily accessible, and can be either worked through from start to finish, or dipped into by specific section, as relevant.

The sections included are:

• Starting up
• Deciding on the style and format of your event
• Who will do what?
• Budgeting and costing
• What to look for when inspecting your venue
• What to cover when booking
• Documentation
• Checking before you start
• On the day
• After the event

Appendices included are:

• Briefing the speakers
• Suggested form for eliciting delegates skill and interests
• Suggested guidance notes for session Chairs
• Suggested guidance notes for group leaders
• Suggested evaluation sheet
• Producing a conference report

There is also an introductory section on ways in which SCONUL can help in the organisation of events.

The full text of this working paper is available online. To order a paper copy of this working paper go to the SCONUL Publications page.