The 5 Roles of a Program Director

Identifying topics & speakers

Handling marketing

Managing logistics

Running the program

Performing followup

Identifying Topics & Speakers ...

Make sure your topics:

Support your mission

Appeal to your members (poll them!)

Provide variety

Collaborate with your board

Leverage your contacts (APCUG, biz)

Consider using member expertise

Tip for smaller groups:

Fit into the calendar of other groups

Band together to market speakers

Have a contest of how many geeky terms can you write down in 5 minutes.

Have a contest with a prize to members with the oldest computer-related t-shirts.

Have a contest — designing giftcards. Prizes for best w/photo, most humorous, etc.

Attend the meeting to receive website address information about free training sites, etc. — something just available for members who attend the meeting.

Have member children demo their favorite game.

Ask publishers for a copy of their magazine for each member.

Sheriff’s department demo the software they use to detect computer fraud.

Have a local car repair person demo their diagnostic software.

Have a local embroidery company demo how they translate a logo into one for a t-shirt.

Have a local baker demo how to frost cakes with a printer.

Saturday Linux Install Fest

Saturday game fest

Silent auction before holidays.

Ask Intel for a hyper-threading board and build a computer at the meeting then give away the board as a raffle item.

Speakers - Infragard.net. They have 81 chapters; joint federal/local/private organizations – to spread the word on homeland safety issues. See if there is a chapter near you.

Check with book publishers (or local book stores) to see if an author is going to be in your area for a book signing. If it coincides with your meeting, invite the author to speak.

Handling Marketing

Publicize well in advance

Promote through ...

Your newsletter

Other computer groups

Local papers

Radio spots

Web site(s)

Market before the meeting starts: put together a PowerPoint loop presentation and have it going when members are coming into the room prior to the meeting. BOD members’ names/contact info, raffle items, next meeting information ---- whatever you want them to be reminded of.

Tie raffle prize(s) to topic if possible

Press Release - follow-up with e-mail and phone call to make sure they received it. Also follow-up after the release was published (or not) to thank them for publishing your release. If it wasn’t published, reminds them that they missed something.

Get to know reporters on tech beat so your group gets known as a source.

Contact local radio talk shows and offer info on latest viruses, etc. Try to become their resident tech experts.

Managing Logistics

Send speaker an information sheet (location, A/V, tips, PigSig invite ....)

Provide out of town speakers with hotel information and maps

Consider a small speaker gift

Get speaker preferences for:

Handling questions

Product sales

You can’t over-communicate!

Ask vendors if they want to go to dinner. If so, BOD takes & splits the cost of the meal.

Do you give your vendor a thank you gift? Certificate of appreciation, logo engraved in a paperweight, CD holder with group’s name & logo on the front, coffee cup with logo, club t-shirt, send CD-ROM of pictures taken at the meeting.

Include the words “we would be delighted if you wish to contribute to our raffle” in your request for a vendor presentation.

Can a vendor sell his/her product at your meeting? If not (library), offer the location 10% of the sales. You can let the member’s decide if they want to pay the additional 10% or go out into the parking lot to purchase the product. Las Vegas PC UG

Have a special table marked Vendor Only so they can set up their software, etc. that they are selling.

Running the Program

Check, check, recheck:

Audio

Projection

Visibility

Network connectivity

Use a good emcee

Watch the pacing

Take pics for your web site

Performing Followup

Right away ...

Send thank you note/email – esstential!

Update your web site ... add pics?

Begin future months’ logistics ...

Add speaker to your newsletter list

Soon ...

Work your long-range booking list

Debrief with your board re: last meeting

Post pictures of the meeting on the website after the meeting for further publicity for the vendor. Have a section on your web page with a short blurb about past meetings. Include link to vendor’s website.

Other Pearls ...

Backups... critical! Speaker, Emcee, A/V

Take risks. Try ...

An interactive presentation

A format change

A remote presenter/webinar

Two shorter topics in one session

A fact: Some topics won’t draw as well, but may be worth doing (mission)

Speakers treated professionally tell others about their experience