Topic 5 - Procedures for Organising

and Supporting Meetings/Events

Higher Administration & IT

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Learning Intentions / Success Criteria

Learning

Intentions

Procedures for

Organising and

Supporting

Meetings/Events

Success Criteria

By end of this topic you will be able to describe and

explain the following:

• role of Administrative Assistant and Chairperson in

planning an event/meeting

• duties and tasks to be completed

• venue selection

• notifying attendees

• documentation relating to meetings: — notice of

meeting and agenda — minutes (including action

minutes)

• evaluation forms

• use of technology to aid in the planning and

organisation of events.

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Events

An event is an important, planned occasion. Examples of events include:

• meetings

• school events, e.g. dances, ceilidhs, parents’ information evenings, careers fairs,

trips, assemblies

• fund-raising/charity events, e.g. coffee mornings

• book club meetings

• interviews

• business trips

• promotional events

• presentations

• products/business launches

• press conferences

• award ceremonies

• sales event

• training sessions.

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The Role of Administrative Assistant and

Chairperson in Planning an Event/Meeting Chairperson Administrative Assistant

The chairperson will decide a

suitable date and time for a meeting.

This is normally agreed at the

previous meeting when all members

are present.

The administrative assistant will be

responsible for sending out a

notification of the meeting.

The chairperson will decide where

the meeting will be.

The administrative assistant will book

the accommodation, arranging any

necessary equipment and arranging

catering.

The chairperson is responsible for

compiling the agenda items.

The administrative assistant will be

responsible for preparing and

distributing the agenda.

The chairperson will correct and/or

suggest any amendments.

The administrative assistant will focus

on the preparation of the draft minutes

from the previous meeting. 4

Duties and Tasks to be Completed

An event can be broken down into the following three

areas:

1. Planning tasks - tasks that carried out before the

event takes place

2. Supporting the event - tasks that relate to the day

of the event

3. Follow-up tasks - tasks that are completed after the

event has taken place.

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1. Planning Tasks

(before the event) • Create a priorities list to ensure all tasks are completed.

• Liaise with chairperson to finalise agenda/notice and sent out to eligible attendees.

• Contact everyone to confirm attendance numbers.

• A suitable date should be selected and entered into the relevant people's (electronic)

diaries.

• A venue should then be chosen, booked and availability confirmed just before the event.

• A spreadsheet to ensure the event keeps within the budget originally set.

• Invitations and a prepared presentation should be sent to key/guest speakers.

• Book suitable equipment required for the meeting e.g. IT resources.

• Establish and cater for any special requirements for attendees e.g. dietary or disability.

• Organise video or web conferencing facilities for remote attendees.

• A database should be created with details of all attendees - this could be used to produce

name badges, place cards and an attendance register. A room plan should also be created.

• Packs prepared to be handed out during the event.

• Information about the venue, including parking, sent out to attendees.

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2. Supporting the Event

(on the day of the event)

• Ensure all relevant documentation is available, for example

attendee packs, presentation for guest/key speaker, etc.

• The room should be set out as per the room plan and direction

signs should be placed in appropriate areas.

• Attendance at the event should be recorded - this can be done

using the database prepared at the planning stage.

• Catering arrangements should be checked.

• During the event the admin assistant should assist guest

speakers and attendees with any questions/queries.

• If the event is a meeting the admin assistant will be required to

take minutes of the meeting.

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3. Follow-up Tasks

(after the event)

• The room should be cleared and tidied up.

• Evaluation forms should be prepared and sent to attendees to gather

feedback on the event. These forms should be reviewed and suggestions

should be considered when planning future events.

• Management may require a brief report on the event.

• If the event was a meeting the admin assistant should prepare the Minutes

of Meeting and send them to the Chairperson. Action Minutes may also be

prepared.

• Thank you letters should be sent to the venue and to guest speakers.

• The attendee database should be checked to ensure it has been updated with

the actual people who were present at the event.

• The budget spreadsheet should also be updated with actual costs of the

event and a comparison made of actual and budgeted costs.

• Information about a successful event may be placed on the organisation’s

website or social media.

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Venue Selection

When choosing a venue for the meeting or conference there are a few things

that have to be kept in mind.

Suitability

Check to see if the venue is big enough to accommodate all the

attendees of the meeting.

Location Make sure that the venue is in a location accessible to all the

attendees of the meeting.

Availability Check to see if the venue is free on the date requested to avoid

disappointment at the last minute.

Size Check to see if the venue can accommodate all the attendees

and the resources that they will need, and if help is available to

use resources needed.

Facilities Check the venue to see if you can hold the meeting there

without any trouble in using the resources.

Cost Also check to see if the venue fits into the budget and if it is

cost-effective. 9

Notifying Attendees

Attendees can be notified of events/meetings through the following

methods:

• letter

• memorandum (memo)

• staff newsletter

• email

• telephone

• mobile phone

• voicemail

• fax

• intranet

• Internet.

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Letter

A letter can be sent by normal,

1st class, 2nd class and Special

Delivery (guaranteed next day

delivery) post. Apart from

normal post. Letters can be

tracked and signed for.

Benefits

• Provides both you and the reader with

a record.

• May be taken more seriously.

• Less easily forgotten than a spoken

request.

Costs

• Can take time to deliver.

• Can be lost.

• Not 100% sure of security , can easily

be opened and read or sent to the

wrong address.

• Takes time to produce letter.

• Recipient may not understand any

information. 11

Memorandum (Memo)

An internal communication that

contains a short message on a

specific issue. For example, a

memo may be sent by the Sales

Director to the Sales Manager

informing him of when the next

sales meeting is.

Benefits

• Written messages normally read

by the recipient.

• Provides permanent record of the

message sent.

• Same message can be sent to all

staff or placed on the staff notice

board.

Costs

Can take up to 24 hours to be

delivered if using internal courier

system which is slow for urgent

messages. 12

Staff Newsletter

A magazine-like document

that is given to staff on a

monthly basis. It may

contain information on

upcoming social events, staff

interviews and information

on new products.

Benefits

• Provides a permanent record of

the message sent.

• It is sent to all staff which means

everyone will receive the same

message.

Costs

Some staff just throw away

newsletters without reading them.

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Email (Electronic Mail)

A message that

can be sent

between two

computers that

have been linked

via a phone line.

To operate an

email system a

user must have an

email account and

an email address.

Benefits

• Messages can be received in seconds of it be

transmitted.

• Can be sent 24 hours a day.

• Same message can be sent to many people at the

same time.

• Can be sent anywhere in the world.

• Can be sent with attachments.

Costs

• Can only be used to send electronic messages

(paper-based can’t be sent unless scanned).

• Communicating certain messages can be

inappropriate. For example, a letter firing someone

should not be sent in an email. 14

Telephone

Used to send an oral message

down a telephone line to

another person. As well as

being able to make and receive

calls, a modern telephone can

receive voicemail messages.

Benefits

• Takes a few seconds to dial a

number in order to contact the

person you want to talk to.

• Call can be made all around

the world.

Costs

• An employee may not be

there to receive a call because

they are out of the office.

• International calls can be

expensive.

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Mobile Phone

A phone that an employee

can carry whilst on the

move. Mobile phones can

also be used to

send/receive text

messages and access the

Internet.

Benefits

• Employees can be contacted when

they are out of the office.

• Employees can be contacted 24

hours a day and very quickly.

• Mobile phones work all around the

world.

Costs

• Mobile phones only work in areas

with a signal.

• International calls can be expensive.

• Mobile phones can’t be used while

driving or on an aircraft. 16

Voicemail

Similar to a old-style

answering machine. The

voicemail system will ask

the caller to leave a message

if the employee is out of the

office or in a meeting. The

employee will have to dial

their voicemail box and then

types in their pin code.

Benefits

• A message can be left and picked up

at anytime during the day.

• It avoids other employees taking and

for forgetting to pass on the message

or wrongly.

Costs

• Messages will not be picked up if the

employee does not check their

voicemail regularly.

• Message may not be understood if

the voicemail message is not clear or

understood. 17

Fax Machine

Allows paper-based

documents that contain

text, graphics or

photographs to be sent

down a telephone line.

The fax machine

produces an exact copy

on the receiving end.

Benefits

• It only takes a short period of time to send a

fax.

• A fax message can be sent anywhere in the

world to another fax machine.

• Faxes can be sent 24 hours a day.

• Paper-based documents can be sent digitally

very quickly.

Costs

• Messages will not be picked up if the

employee does not check their voicemail

regularly.

• Message may not be understood if the

voicemail message is not clear or understood. 18

Intranet

A form of computer

network that operates

with an within an

organisation. Information

can only be accessed

within the business. The

information contained on

an intranet is in the same

format as you would find

on the internet.

Benefits

• Areas on the Intranet can be set up to inform

employees of new job vacancies and health

and safety procedures in the organisation.

• All memos and reports can be displayed on the

Intranet meaning time and money will be

saved printing and delivering a copy to each

employee.

Costs

Some employees may not look at the

organisation’s intranet site on a regular basis and

may miss out on vital information.

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Internet

A communications network

that links computers all

around the world through

connecting powerful servers.

These servers store the

information that anyone can

access when on the internet.

Benefits

• An organisation can put messages

on its internet site about new

products, upcoming events and

special promotions. Anyone

accessing the site can have access

to the information.

• It’s cheap and fairly straightforward

to add information to a web site.

Costs

An internet site is only useful if people

use it.

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Documentation Relating to Meetings

The following meeting papers are documents

which are needed to conduct a meeting:

1. Notice of Meeting and Agenda

2. Minutes (including action minutes).

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1. Notice of Meeting and Agenda

The agenda is prepared before the meeting and is sent

out to all the attendees. It is a list of topics that will be

put forward for discussion. An agenda needs to include:

• a brief description of the meeting objectives

• a list of the topics to be covered

• a list stating who will address each topic and for how

long.

The time, date and location of the meeting and any

background information participants will need to know

to hold an informed discussion on the meeting topic.

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2. Minutes (including action minutes)

Meeting

minutes keep an

official account

of what was

done or talked

about at formal

meetings,

including any

decisions made

or actions taken.

The importance of minutes are:

• to serve as official permanent record of

who was present, what was decided,

what actions must be taken, who must

take them and when

• to support decisions around policies &

procedures, finance & budget and

staffing

• to inform those who are unable to

attend the meeting about what took

place.

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Evaluation Forms

• You can easily evaluate the event you have

attended by filling out a paper or on-line

evaluation form.

• The form is very useful for you to get the true

feedback about your recently conducted event

from your event attendees.

• Feedback can be positive, negative, or neutral.

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The Purpose of Collecting and

Evaluating Feedback Forms

• To improve customer service.

• To improve your efficiency.

• To improve your work with the diverse community.

• To help us work efficiently in a way that suits every person in

the community.

• To consider alternative ways of improving your performance.

• To help us to identify mistakes and mend any relationships

with individuals.

• To help us focus on what the participants in a meeting require

rather than what we require.

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Use of Technology to Aid in the Planning

and Organisation of Events

• Computer • Projector • Presentation

Software • Loud speakers

A computer system and projector will be required to give a presentation. Loud speakers will be required as the presentation software may contain sound or so that everyone can hear the speaker(s) talk.

• Laptops • Mobile phones • Apps

Apps on different devices can be used to research information on different topics, find venues and used to book flights/rental cars and check in for your flight.

Database and Spreadsheet Software

A database can be used to produce name badges, place cards and an attendance register. A spreadsheet can be used to keep track of your budget for the event.

• Webcams • Microphone

Webcam and microphone may be required for video conferencing for remote attendees.

• Internet Access • Wi-Fi • E-mail

Access may be required to the Internet to access e-mail.

Printers Printer may be required to print packs for attendees coming to the event or sending information to attendees prior to the event.

• Social Media • Blogs

Information about a successful event may be placed on the organisation’s website or social media.

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