I'd rather organise a conference than cook a Sunday roast!

I was at a friend's house recently, admiring the beautiful Sunday roast she'd made, when we got talking about the Pride in Leadership National Conference I'm organising. She was quite surprised by how much was involved, but I remember thinking that I'd much rather do all of that than attempt what she'd just produced in her kitchen!

I've been organising events for years. When I was at the Institute of Directors, we ran around 70 a year, although I had brilliant teams looking after different elements. Pride in Leadership is different because I'm across pretty much everything myself, from finding sponsors and negotiating with venues to putting the programme together, promoting ticket sales and making sure all the practicalities are sorted.

And I really enjoy it, most of the time at least. There's something quite freeing about having a big project to get your teeth into, where you can be creative, make decisions and gradually bring all the different pieces together. I also like that there's a definite end point, when you can look back at what worked, what didn't and what you'd do differently next time.

Taking the leap

One of the things people don't always see is how much you have to commit to before you know exactly what the event is going to look like.

When we first decided to run a Pride in Leadership conference, we already had a growing community and plenty of experience running other events. But a national conference was a different proposition. Would 100 people want to come in the first year? Could we grow that to 175, or eventually 200?

You have to make decisions about the venue, speakers, format and costs long before you know who will be sitting in the audience. That takes confidence in what you're creating, but it also takes a lot of work to make sure you're offering something people genuinely want to be part of.

And that's something I've learnt over the years. You can't simply put together a good programme and assume people will come. You have to understand your audience, communicate what makes the event worthwhile and keep building interest over several months.

Making the whole thing work

Some of the decisions take more thought than people might realise. Finding a venue in Manchester for 200 people, with a separate breakout space for 100, that doesn't blow the budget is surprisingly difficult.

And putting the programme together is much more than finding a collection of good speakers. Leadership is such a huge subject, and I want someone running a charity, someone in the armed forces and someone leading a big corporate organisation to all find something relevant in the same conversation.

That means thinking carefully about the mix of topics, experiences and perspectives, and how the sessions work together. Sometimes you have to make choices between two things you'd really like to include, because they don't necessarily work in the same programme. The aim isn't just to fill the day with interesting people. It's to create something that works for the audience as a whole.

Then there's the detail, which is where I think a lot of events succeed or fail. You can have the best speakers and the loveliest venue in the world, but if the timings don't work, people don't know where they're going or there's no time to actually meet each other, you've missed something important.

There's also the atmosphere you want to create. At Pride in Leadership, we want people to feel comfortable coming on their own, to meet people they wouldn't otherwise encounter and to have conversations that continue long after the event. You have to think about how the day is structured to make those things happen, rather than just hoping they will.

From the big picture to the tiny details

In the final few weeks before a conference, I'm constantly switching between the big picture and the tiny things. Finalising timings, working with the venue, sorting volunteers, the film crew and photographer, chasing dietary requirements, emailing attendees and encouraging people to book their tickets.

And on the day itself, I'll be compèring too, so there's the small matter of making sure I know what I'm going to say!

My favourite moment is usually about five minutes after I've finished the opening introduction. Everyone has arrived, they've had a cup of tea, they've started chatting, we've begun on time and I've handed over to the first speaker. That's when I think, right, this is going to be okay.

Of course, there's still a whole day ahead, and plenty of things that might need sorting out. But I enjoy that side of it too. Being able to keep an eye on what's happening, make decisions when something needs changing and make sure the audience is having the experience you wanted them to have.

Recognising what comes naturally

I suppose what struck me about that conversation with my friend is how easily we underestimate the things we're good at because they come naturally to us.

I find organising a conference enjoyable, but ask me to do some coding or build a website and I'd be completely out of my depth. We don't always recognise our own skills as particularly special until somebody else reminds us that they are.

Perhaps that's one of the reasons I enjoy this work so much. I like being able to see the whole picture, but I also like getting involved in the smallest details that make it work. And there's something really satisfying about watching something you've spent months imagining turn into a room full of people having conversations, learning things and making connections.

And I’d still rather leave the Sunday roasts to somebody else!

Through On The Level, I also work with organisations to develop and deliver their own events, from the initial idea and programme design through to finding speakers, facilitating conversations and making sure everything runs smoothly on the day. I particularly enjoy getting involved early, helping to shape an event that's interesting, engaging and genuinely worthwhile for the people attending. Give me a shout if you’d like some support with your event.