Retreat favorite, the free spirited and free thinking all around bon vivant, @Keith Martin had some excellent tips when I asked him how he used to organize events professionally in a previous life. I thought his advice was practical, actionable and very effective. I reproduce it here for the benefit of others who do not have the benefit of corresponding directly with him.
1. 1st, decide on the dates.
2. 2nd, procure the venue (it could be someone's house, or you could take turns having at each other's homes).
3. If you're not doing it in homes, don't make a major compromise on what venue to procure without first considering moving the date if that will open up opportunities for a better venue. It's like what Timothy Leary said about being prepared to take LSD: set and setting is everything. Aside from the mindset everyone brings to an event, the most important thing is the setting; the environment surrounding participants is crucial for creating the proper atmosphere.
4. 3rd, make arrangements for food and refreshments; they can smooth over potholes created by minor problems with the date or the venue, and bad refreshments can seriously impede the progress of a gathering.
5. Stay in communication with a representative for each family.
6. If you're in charge, be willing to make decisions when others are wishy-washy.
7. If you're in charge, never delegate overall responsibility, but as often as possible delegate specific authority for individual task items to others. Just make sure you get updates on a regular basis. That way, if someone is foundering, you can get them help or provide needed advice.
8. Be sure to delegate. As much as possible. The most successful events have someone in charge who doesn't DO much of anything tangible other than being in charge and knowing what everyone else is doing -- with everything else being delegated to as many people as the delegator can manage coordinating leading up to the event.
9. And don't forget to delegate.
10. Acknowledge people for their contributions during and after the event.
That's just off the top of my head, but I think I thought of everything.
And, seriously, try your best to give away as much authority as possible without creating a situation in which no one is in charge overall.
1. 1st, decide on the dates.
2. 2nd, procure the venue (it could be someone's house, or you could take turns having at each other's homes).
3. If you're not doing it in homes, don't make a major compromise on what venue to procure without first considering moving the date if that will open up opportunities for a better venue. It's like what Timothy Leary said about being prepared to take LSD: set and setting is everything. Aside from the mindset everyone brings to an event, the most important thing is the setting; the environment surrounding participants is crucial for creating the proper atmosphere.
4. 3rd, make arrangements for food and refreshments; they can smooth over potholes created by minor problems with the date or the venue, and bad refreshments can seriously impede the progress of a gathering.
5. Stay in communication with a representative for each family.
6. If you're in charge, be willing to make decisions when others are wishy-washy.
7. If you're in charge, never delegate overall responsibility, but as often as possible delegate specific authority for individual task items to others. Just make sure you get updates on a regular basis. That way, if someone is foundering, you can get them help or provide needed advice.
8. Be sure to delegate. As much as possible. The most successful events have someone in charge who doesn't DO much of anything tangible other than being in charge and knowing what everyone else is doing -- with everything else being delegated to as many people as the delegator can manage coordinating leading up to the event.
9. And don't forget to delegate.
10. Acknowledge people for their contributions during and after the event.
That's just off the top of my head, but I think I thought of everything.
And, seriously, try your best to give away as much authority as possible without creating a situation in which no one is in charge overall.
