Welcome to my block!

It’s funny how terminology in one industry translates to something totally different in another. For example, the term “Block Plan” could mean something to do with a prison to a police officer, a layout of a neighborhood to a homebuilder, or even a castle design to someone at Lego Land. To me, this means managing sanity during event. In other words, in this industry, a Block Plan is a schedule of the event minute by minute, showing what is happening, who is the leader of the activity, and listing details pertinent to the event.

With a five day event and several different people involved, I learned from a local meeting planning company, Grand Connection, about how to create a Block Plan and make it work for RCMA. Here’s how I did it:

1. Write down major events and activities at your conference and their day/time.

2. Also, include the contact person/leader for each event. Make sure this isn’t you all the time!
Think about the events you wrote down. What information would you want to share about each of them? These will be your columns. Your rows are the day and time of the event.

3. Fill in the blanks as you go – you probably won’t have all of the information at once! Remember, include every detail. If you have to pick up a box in the loading dock at 11:30, put it in the schedule. This not only reminds you, but lets others know where you are if they need you.

4. When you are confident with your BP, tape it to a wall. Mentally walk through the event using the BP, and highlight areas that you may have missed.

5. The BP changes daily so don’t be afraid to edit it. Just make sure you notify others involved of the new copy!

The BP was a way of managing confusion and creating ownership and initiative to those that are assigned to lead an activity. I just wonder if those designers over at Lego Land manage their designs… I’m still working on figuring out how to build a tower.