The Modern Therapist's Survival Guide with Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy So You Want to Plan a Conference
Curt and Katie talk about the ups and downs of planning Therapy Reimagined 2018. We share tips and tricks for planning an event as well as things we’re going to do differently next year.
It’s time to reimagine therapy and what it means to be a therapist. To support you as a whole person and a therapist, your hosts, Curt Widhalm and Katie Vernoy talk about how to approach the role of therapist in the modern age.
In this episode we talk about:
- Reflecting on Therapy Reimagined 2018
- The importance of planning ahead
- Creating time and space to do something extra
- How to create buzz and excitement throughout a long event
- Messaging and marketing
- The importance of creating a cohesive marketing plan from the beginning
- The loss of creativity and perspective when you are super busy and overwhelmed
- Delegating when something grows bigger than you can manage on your own
- The danger of burnout when working TOO much, even when you are doing something you love
- Taking care of the details and creating templates for the next year
- Event planning and negotiating with the venue – knowing what you don’t know
- Planning ahead – not just creating stuff to use now, but actually making templates and structures that are repeatable
- Getting and supporting sponsors
- Creating relationships and leveraging them to grow the movement
- Being very clear with the information that sponsors, speakers, and exhibitors can and should share, and when. How important it is to be specific.
- Being directive, respectful, and specific on how people can help and participate
- Understanding that we packed WAY TOO MUCH into 2 days
- Thinking through your whole schedule from the participants’ perspective
- Making sure you put forward clear instructions for your participants
- The challenge we had with continuing education sign in and certificates (#fail)
- How to vet speakers, working with them earlier in the process, the details that are important
- Taking care of the technological aspects of presenting multiple speakers
- Looking at it as a production, versus an “educational event”
- Getting feedback from everyone who attended to improve (our deliberate practice)
- Announcing the tentative plans for Therapy Reimagined 2019
- How to incorporate feedback and criticism into future decision-making, and how important it is to be responsive
Resources mentioned:
We’ve pulled together resources mentioned in this episode and put together some handy-dandy links.
Our Facebook Group – The Modern Therapist’s Survival Guide Group
Relevant Previous Episodes:
Own Your Awesome Business (with Kelly Higdon)
Our event this year:
The Therapy Reimagined Conference in Los Angeles in October 2018!!
Our consultation services:
Credits:
Voice Over by DW McCann https://www.facebook.com/McCannDW/
Music by Crystal Grooms Mangano http://www.crystalmangano.com/