“Choose A Live Event” Checklist | Are you looking to make the right decision about attending a live event?
June 30, 2010 by Andrea J. Lee
Filed under Beyond..., Meaning..., Money..., Online Business, Uncategorized
Whoa! You’re not imagining things – there are a lot of events to choose from these days! Gee whiz, which one is right for you?
Of all the choices I have, how can I make the right decision about which live event I should attend?
Obviously, most people make this decision emotionally. It’s lonely being a small business owner after all. And after all those long weeks, don’t you deserve to reward yourself?
There’s nothing at all wrong with that, but it pays to be rational about it as well, especially with SO MANY events to choose from, and only so much time and money that you can really spend trolloping along to events.
Putting aside the fun factor for a moment…
The upshot is simple:
What is the total cost of attending an event? (Money, time, lost opportunities, physical wear and tear, all of that.)
What is the total benefit of attending an event? (Increased income, potential for increased income, leveraged contacts, and much more – there are a LOT of benefits, tangible and intangible.)
Put those two answers together and what do you get? A pretty good cost-benefit analysis for attending.
But that said, like tens of thousands of entrepreneurs like you, you have a budget for personal and professional development. So you plan, let’s say, to attend at least one, or perhaps more, live events each year.
In that case, I’ve developed an easy-breezy ‘Choosing a Live Event’ Checklist for you below, to further help. It includes a few lines for you to fill in, because each one of us has our own criteria. This makes the rational part of the decision making process much more evident.
I hope you find this useful. If you do, please forward it to someone you think could benefit as well…would you?
“How to Choose a Live Event” Checklist
Did you know that there are over 80 seminars, workshops and events happening every year, and growing, each of them specifically designed to help you, the small business owner, succeed?
Amazing, isn’t it? And, it’s great news.
Because it means that you have many more options than I did when I first started my business 13 years ago.
Thank goodness for options, because there are many different kinds of entrepreneur, and now you can choose the live event that will suit you, your values and your success path most. I invite you to carefully consider the field of options, because your choice of live event can have a real impact on your success as a small business owner, year after year.
Here’s a link to the PDF version for easy printing.
And here are just the questions. To really benefit from this checklist, be sure to use the PDF worksheet at the above link.
Now review your answers and rank or choose the event you most want to attend, then register to begin reaping the rewards of your clarity.
| 1. | Is the event in a geographically positive (convenient, environmental, energetically fitting) location? |
| 2. | Is the training a good value-for-dollar? Does it permit me to make payments, if that’s better for me? |
| 3. | Will there be frequent high-pressure scenarios to invest further than my comfort zone? |
| 4. | Is there a support system to taking action and following through post-event? |
| 5. | Is the agenda leading-edge and future-oriented, addressing topics I can’t get addressed elsewhere? |
| 6. | Can I speak with previous attendees to candidly hear their comments without filters? |
| 7. | Will I be learning business models in addition to technical how-to? |
| 8. | Will I also be learning how to grow and sustain myself as an entrepreneur and human being? |
| 9. | Will I be able to access the hosts and presenters easily in a group that’s the size I’m comfortable networking in? |
| 10. | Will I be intellectually stimulated and challenged to develop in surprising ways? |
| 11. | Does the event represent an entrepreneurial community I’d be proud to associate with? |
| 12. | Will the community serve my long-term needs if I return yearly, and as I become a more experienced business owner? |
| 13. | Is the event community open, welcoming and helpful to newcomers? |
| 14. | How current/fresh is the content that I will be learning? |
| 15. | How practical is the content that I will be learning and will there be new case studies? |
| 16. | Will what I learn increase my fees or income? |
| 17. | Will attending bring me more business/clients? Estimating how much? |
| 18. | Will what I learn support me in my definition of balance and success? Work hours, lifestyle, leverage? |
| 19. | Will I be exposed to key concepts that clients will pay a premium for? |
| 20. | Will what I learn set me apart from others in my market? |
| 21. | Will the training be complete and actionable without additional investment? |
| 22. | Will I leave clearer or more overwhelmed? |
| 23. | Will I leave tired and if so, how much recuperation or down-time should I plan for? |
| 24. | Will what I learn stay with me long term, and equip me to make better decisions later? |
| 25. | Is there another reason to travel to this event – client for-fee work locally, other business generation, etc.? |
| 26. | Is the event hosted by an organization that walks its talk and whose values I respect? |
| 27. | Does the event look enjoyable and like I can comfortably be my real self without pretense? |
| 28. | Can I get a 100% refund if I am not completely satisfied? |
| 29. | _________________________________________________
(insert your additional criteria here) |
| 30. | _________________________________________________
(insert your additional criteria here) |












