Most of us will be involved in organising an event at some point in our career particularly if your company does not have a dedicated events department. When I first started as an Assistant, I was helping with events fairly quickly, and one of the first tasks I was asked to complete was writing and sending out joining instructions for in-house training courses. This was a fairly basic task at the time but was helpful for the person conducting the training to know who was coming, it gave the attendees details on the event before arrival, and it added that extra level of organisation that the event didn’t previously have.

Joining instructions for company events

As my career has evolved so has the events I work on and the industry itself, there are some brilliant software applications that do great things with joining instructions, but I wanted to go back to basics for those just starting on small or internal events. Here is what you need for a basic joining instruction with a few modern twists.

The basics for any joining instruction

Joining instructions are sent out to attendees before the event and should include the following details:

  • The name, date and time of the event
  • General information about the event programme
  • Details of the venue (including travel directions and a map)
  • Any catering or accommodation arrangements
  • Dress code
  • Contact details of the event organiser or trainer on the day

Remember also to include any additional information they will need to know. For example, if you are doing a team building event will the attendees need a change of clothes? If they are sitting a test will they need a calculator or any other type of equipment?

So this is what is required for a very basic joining instruction and will serve you well for any event that you are asked to help with or organise. However, as many of you know I believe assistants are there to add value so here are a few additional points that will increase the benefit of sending out joining instructions to delegates.

Adding value to joining instructions

  1. Include links to any articles, websites or literature the delegates can read before the event which will support their learning during the event. Ask the trainer or speaker if they have any material they would like the delegate to be aware of or understand before they arrive on the day.
  2. Make the delegate aware of all of the social media activities around the event. Are you tweeting about the team building activities? If so how great would it be if other members of the team are doing the same? Remember that social media is beneficial within an organisation as much as marketing outside of the company. If you are using a hashtag for your event remember to let the delegates know the details for this too.
  3. Do ask the delegates for their social media details. Remember to follow them once you receive the information and ask them to follow you back. Once the delegates have received the joining instructions this should be the start of their involvement in the event, not the only thing they get from you before arriving on the day.
  4. Ask the delegates to let you know what their objectives are for attending the event, what do they want to get out of the day? Knowing this information will help shape the event and will also help the trainers and speakers with their presentations.

As I said at the beginning of the blog I am sure at some stage in your career you will be asked to help organise an event. There are so many brilliant ways you can add value to the process and be creative while still showing off your fantastic organisational skills. Bringing a basic joining instruction into the modern world is a significant first step. We have so much content for Executive Assistants who are organising events, check out our events management section.