Facilities and Setup

Over nearly 30 years of consulting and training in project management, Cadence account coordinators and seminar leaders have refined logistics to an art. The ideal location, catering options, room size and shape, and equipment for the perfect seminar are outlined for you here.

Room Layout Options

Throughout the course of the project management seminar, participants will be working in team workshops. Teams of four or five will need to post large charts around the perimeter of the space—at least 10 linear feet per team—to build their project plans. Rooms with many pictures and large windows are, as you can imagine, not acceptable. Below, you’ll find a few options for room setup. If your seminar room does not meet the dimensions of the layouts below, you’ll need to consider breakout space in another room nearby.

Room Size

The longer and wider the room, the more elbow room attendees have during workshops. Ideally, all workshops can happen in the seminar room, mitigating the need for breakout rooms. With a full class, we’ll need a breakout room with a few seating areas for team workshops. Two or three teams in a breakout and two in the classroom are perfect.

Standard Room Layout Alternate Room Layout

Materials

The proper presentation is key to attendee satisfaction. Here’s a list of the audio/visual equipment needed for the seminar:

• 1 LCD Projector
• 1 8-foot or larger screen
• 2 pads of flipchart paper*
• 2 sturdy flipchart stands**
• 1 pack of assorted color felt pen markers

*Flipcharts

These easel pads can be found for $20-$40 per pack at OfficeDepot.com: Item Number 160333. For the project management seminar, Cadence usually needs only two pads, but we recommend having extra on hand.

**Flipchart Stands

To go with the pads, make sure to have sturdy Easels with backs for the pads—tri-pod models collapse quickly under heavy use! Try these, also available at OfficeDepot.com – Item #619110.

Catering

More than just a kind gesture, appropriate and timely catering can help attendees push through long days of hard work. While we leave the menu up to you, we do have some suggestions, as well as a schedule of catering service throughout the seminar.

Daily Seminar Catering Agenda

In our experience, a lunch that’s too extravagant or spicy lacks general appeal, leaving some of the group hungry in the afternoon. Heavy or creamy dishes can cause attendees to drift off in the later hours of the day. In addition to traditional afternoon snacks of candy and cookies, you may want to consider a healthier addition of fruit, a more energizing snack.

Checklist

Logistics is a critical part of a successful seminar. Your role in coordinating is very important to ensure a high-quality session. We’ve put a kit together to help you get started, a resource for all your set-up needs. If you find something missing or unclear, please contact your coordinator right away.

We have prepared a sample one-page checklist to help you plan your on-site, or off-site event.