Planning a Shabbaton or other event? Read these great tips from Shosh Friedman to make sure the event runs smoothly, efficiently, and successfully.
Having a program that runs smoothly comes down to two basic things: planning and communication.
Planning
- Start planning every detail of the Shabbaton or event with enough time in advance that you’re not rushed. This will not only help the event run well but will likely save you money as well.
- Use Asana or a similar program and list every single thing that needs to be done before and after the Shabbaton, and each item that needs to be brought to a Shabbaton.
- Assign every task to a specific person, and make sure that everyone knows what their responsibilities are. This could take some work, as Shabbatons can be chaotic and some job descriptions can be vague – but it’s well worth the effort to figure it all out before the Shabbaton begins!
Communication
Communication is the second key to Shabbaton or event planning.
- Communicate with every staff member so everyone is on the same page and understands what the goal of each part of the program is – which rules are flexbile and which rules are not flexible, and why things have to happen a certain way. If everyone feels looped in and invested in the program, then everyone will be motivated to help the program stay on track.
- Make sure everyone knows what their role is. Before the Shabbaton, have a staff meeting and run through each minute the program and make sure you know what is supposed to happen at what time, what the goal is, and have a plan to troubleshoot whatever unexpected issues may crop up.
- Brainstorm about what could go wrong and how you would deal with it. This process of going through the schedule may take more than one meeting (or an all day meeting) but it’s worth it to minimize the amount of questions and issues that will arise at the Shabbaton. It's much better to address them beforehand when you can have time to fix the issue in a well-planned, thought out way.