Events: The Real Thing

By Ian, on September 22nd, 2008

So, last week, we organised a conference called i-design 08 and a portfolio clinic session of the same name as part of the London Design Festival.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the content, but I don’t want to talk about that in this post, However, my reports from the event will be published over the next couple of weeks and so extensively linked and republished that you will be physically ill at my gauche-itude. You will feel as though you were there, and are still there.

I wanted to talk about my feelings as the person ultimately responsible for the event budget. We’re a modest sort of organisation with modest sort of budgets, so basically, we’re talking about around £10K — the LDF paid for most of the venue hire costs.

Even though that’s a tiny amount of money in event terms, marketing terms, advertising terms, I have to say that my main feeling until the event was over was one of utter horror. There’s been a sick tightness at the bottom of my stomach for four months.

Would people book?
Would they turn up even if they’d booked?
Would the speakers say anything remotely sensible, let-alone groundbreaking?
Would people complain about the catering/seating/internet/badging arrangements?

But, of course, it all went fine. We’re professional people. We try the best we can and so it all turns out right. At the end of the day I was positively jubilant. Some people said that it was the best conference they’d been to for ages. But I don’t listen to them.

Is that feeling of horror just something you get used to after a while? And if you don’t, how do you manage those feelings? Would it be a better asset to be totally blase about events? I can see that as an asset in some of my colleagues, who just get on with it while I go off to the toilet to be sick again (not really).

Photo from the BBC’s coverage of the day.