EVENT CHECKLIST

1. Planning Stage (8 weeks before)

   1. Contact Howie Rhee & Reid Lewis at dukegen@reidlewis.com to let DukeGEN know you'd like to plan an event for your city. 

   2. Select a venue to host the event.  Call to book a place (restaurants, conference room, etc).

   3. Select a time - usually 6-8pm works well.

   4. Select the type of event - happy hour, speed networking, panel, speaker, etc...

   5. Ensure one person is designated as the contact person and will be attending.

2. Marketing Phase I (6 weeks before)

   1. DukeGEN will market the events to its network and create event landing pages in SquadUp pages for RSVPs.

      1. Join the DukeGEN LinkedIn group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/87157/

      2. Follow DukeGEN on Twitter - http://twitter.com/DukeGEN

      3. Join the DukeGEN group on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/groups/dukegen

   2. Add a description and update any details on your LinkedIn event page.

   3. Draft an announcement for your local Duke Club to send out with it's marketing channels (cc the Director of Events).

      1. Locate a local Duke Club here - https://alumni.duke.edu/groups?groups_filter=regional

3. Marketing Phase II (4 weeks before)

   1. Invite your personal contacts and friends.

   2. Identify other Duke alumni in your city who may be interested and send a brief, individual invite.

      1. Conduct a LinkedIn search by location (state or ZIP) and school (Duke).

      2. Choose to "send message" or "add to network" and include information about the event. 

4. Final Preparations Stage (2 weeks before)

   1. Confirm the venue location and continue marketing.

   2. Prepare materials for the event - (Documents and graphics for use attached below).

      1. Name badges - Avery works well (pack of 100 for less than $5) or anything similar.

      2. Sharpies.

      3. Container for business cards or sign-in sheet.

      4. Banners, signs, or handouts. 

   3. Send a reminder email and ensure details and materials are ready (1 week before).

5. Day of the Event

   1. Arrive about 30 minutes early and check-in with the venue manager.

   2. Set up the materials. 

      1. Container for business cards or sign-in sheet.

      2. Name badges and sharpies (optional - use colored dots to designate different areas of interest).

      3. Banners or signs to point people to the event area.

      4. Bring a camera to take pictures (optional).

   3. Act as a host and introduce people around (optional - designate a greeter if possible).

   4. Give a brief "Welcome to DukeGEN" toast explaining briefly our mission and how to get involved.

   5. Wrap up with a "Thank you to all" and encourage attendees to join the DukeGEN LinkedIn group to stay in touch.

6. Follow-up (1 week after)

   1. Report out to the DukeGEN organizers how the event went (cc Director of Events and Co-Chairs).

      1. Overall vibe of the event.

      2. Number of attendees.

      3. Any highlights or noteworthy news. 

   2. Send the list of attendees to the Director of Events and any pictures from the events.

   3. DukeGEN will send out a feedback survey to all participants.

   4. Communicate with the Director of Events on how DukeGEN can help in the future and any ideas for improvement.

Contact - Reid Lewis at dukegen@reidlewis.com with any questions or comments.