Add These 10 Things to Your Roadshow Event Planning Template

What do Dallas, Brooklyn, London and San Francisco have in common? Hint: All played host to a global roadshow event planning effort we pulled together — in less than a month.

Having planned a big investor event in Austin, all systems were “go” until indicators showed the strategy should shift. Now, instead of bringing our global audience to one destination — we needed to bring leadership to four cities across half the globe.

This private equity investment opportunity deserved a more meaningful and engaging environment, with a more localized approach so that all attendees could focus and maximize their time together in person.

Just Your Typical Plan-Disassemble-Plan-Replan-Event-On-Site Scenario

This is how, after not traveling out-of-state for the last 20 months, I suddenly found myself in four cities in four weeks. To be honest, it was hard for me to even fathom how a seamless, consistent investor roadshow could even come together.

And to be clear, this was no pivot, but rather an exponentially greater high-stakes challenge with no sand left in the hourglass. 

Doesn’t Every Global Meeting or Roadshow Come with a List of Challenges?

Yes. Then add COVID complications and unforgiving time constraints on top of your roadshow planning template, and you can no longer count the challenges. But these were the top challenges that kept me awake each night:

• Rigorous Health and Safety Measures: All attendees — and all staff — required to prove vaccination and be tested upon entry
• Airtight Travel and Production Logistics: All meetings needed to be outdoors, rain or shine 
• An Eye for Spectacle: Each evening event needed headliner entertainment
• Lightning Reflexes: We planned each meeting in just ten days, one in under a week

My reaction? Gasp. Then breathe and make it happen.

It would become thirty days of taking things day-by-day, decision-by-decision — and even minute-by-minute — working with a seasoned team of tireless meeting management pros. And I can’t overlook the incredible venues, caterers and support crews we worked with.

Roadshow Event Planning: 10 Things I Learned In Taking It Global

1. Expect Continued COVID Complications: Pandemic protocols are very different everywhere you go so be sure you’re prepared for the specific rules of each country, state and county.

2. Practice Patience: There’s a little rust on the events industry, so give your teams a minute to get back in the swing of things. People new to properties and roles, or long-time vets who are suddenly back in busy season… we’ve all been in a different environment for a while.

3. Stay Close to Your Vendors: Many vendors are short-staffed or short on well-trained staff, so to ensure your expectations are met, be prepared for more oversight than you might be used to — even after you’ve clearly defined and reiterated your plan.

4. Engage Seasoned Staff: Travel with more of your own internal team than you might normally if it’s an option, as a feat like this is only possible when you have a lineup of senior planners by your side.

5. Get Even More Creative: We had to redesign the spaces that we were able to find and create our own breakout spaces, in some cases purchasing equipment where there were shortages of rentals.

6. Leapfrog to Minimize Mistakes and Burnout: I had others work on the next meeting as I was executing the current one, and our internal team alternated meetings and destinations to keep everyone fresh at the height of a busy season.

7. Let Go of Perfection: This was the hardest part for me and for our team, but considering the challenges, we had to do the “most perfect” roadshow event planning possible.

8. Turn Problem-Solving Into Problem-Seeking: With every venue contracted sight unseen (aside from photos and video), we needed to commit quickly and then troubleshoot to ensure successful outcomes.

9. Plan for Joy: People are SO happy to be meeting in person again, so remember how great it will feel to be able to make your event happen, even if it means climbing over insurmountable hurdles.

10. Pay It Forward: I’ll admit that I wouldn’t be writing this if the meetings weren’t wildly successful with kudos from every level of the organization, but it’s important to me to share what I learned the hard way.

Oh, and one more thing: When hitting four cities in four weeks, a little bit of luck from the weather gods always helps, too.

Shoutouts to Our London Event Vendors

Howdies to Our Dallas Event Vendors

Wassup to Our Brooklyn, New York Event Vendors

Kudos to Our San Francisco Event Vendors

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This article by Robin Reuben, CMP, Key’s Director of Operations, first appeared in the member newsletter of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA).