Planning a Workshop in 7 Easy Steps
Sure, the idea of hosting a workshop may sound like fun but you can’t get to that point without a plan. Think of it this way, the workshop is the location while the plan is the means of transportation. Without a form of transportation, there’s no way to arrive at your destination. Convinced you need to plan? Perfect. Grab a notebook or split your computer screen with an open document so we can get to work!
1. Identify the Subject
Consider the topics you’d like to have a workshop about. If you’re stuck, try brain dumping and compiling a list of all the potential subjects you can think of. Don’t worry about whether or not the topic is “good enough”. You’ll have time to narrow everything down afterwards. Just get it down on paper!
When narrowing down topics, consider how each one bridges a gap or provides a solution for your audience members. Additionally, consider which topics you are most qualified to speak about and what interests you! Once you’ve finally narrowed down the subject, it’s time to get started on the next step.
2. Identify the Purpose
Why are you giving this workshop? Crafting your “why” statement will help keep you on track when deciding what kind of content and/or activities to include throughout the workshop. Try defining your purpose using one of the following key phrases:
To persuade…
To inform…
To entertain…
To inspire…
To teach…
3. Identify Your Audience
This step is crucial! Who are you planning to target. Think about the demographics within your niche. For example, although I specialize in digital illustration, my audience is mainly comprised of creators of varying disciplines including photography, singing, fashion design, creative direction and more. If I wanted to hold a more general workshop, my audience would be creators. However, if I wanted to really niche down and teach my audience to use the Procreate app, I would most likely target fellow illustrators and designers.
4. Identify Your Voice
Your voice is how you uniquely communicate with your audience. I aim for my voice to have a balance between professionalism and casualty. I also aim for my voice to present as helpful. Determining your voice goes hand in hand with the steps that will follow. It can influence your location, activities and even promotional methods.
For instance, if my voice was completely casual and that was understood amongst my audience, I may decide to choose a location that allows attendees to dress freely and include fun activities. If my voice is more serious and sophisticated, I may decide to hold this event at a more up-scale venue, assign a dress code, and use classier imagery and designs in my promotional materials.
5. Identify Your Budget
Having a ballpark budget for how much you’re looking to spend (or not to) will simplify the steps that follow. Consider whether the workshop will be online of offline. What materials (if any) do you need to purchase for the workshop and how much will they cost? This list may include costs of hands on materials for your audience, technology materials, promotional materials, venue costs and more.
Once you have a ballpark amount that you’re willing to spend, you can begin to identify the specifics.
7. Identify Logistics
Identifying logistics includes specfically determining your venue, amount of attendees, activities, supplies, promotional methods and price management. Brain dumping is a great method to employ during for this step. Create a list of everything that comes to mind and then begin to flush out the details. Having you rough budget from the last step will allow you to make the monetary decisions that best fit within your capabilities.
Outside of choosing a venue, materials and activities, you should also consider how people will find out about your workshop. You want to make sure that the promotional methods you choose will not only do a great job of reaching your audience but also encouraging them to attend. Will there be an incentive to encourage attendees? What platforms will best reach attendees? How will you ensure your audience takes the nexts steps in registering after being made aware about the event?
Once you’ve identified the overall cost, you can create a price that will enable you to generate your desired profit. The price per attendee should be based upon the overall cost, the amount of work you must complete and the time you will devote to the operations!
After you’ve worked through all of these phases, that’s it! It’s time to move onto execution!