‘Picture details in your head’

Founder of The Scotsman Conferences, David Lee thinks about what makes a good event

UNLESS I can see a conference in my head before it happens, I’m not happy. I need to visualise the way the speakers fit together, to see good numbers of engaged delegates asking informed and probing questions, marshalled by an agile, knowledgeable chair – and I need people to be enjoying the sandwiches.

I start from the end, with a picture of how the final event might look. Once you see it in your mind’s eye, you have a confidence it will work – and understand how to make it happen.

I need to see how all the participants will perceive it. Will delegates go away more informed and stimulated, having had an enjoyable and worthwhile experience? Do the speakers feel they have taken part in a highquality event which has moved the debate forward?

Every event needs a reason for being. Ask yourself, “Why is this conference useful?” “What does it add to the debate?”

If the answers are “not sure” and “not much”, walk away – or make the event fresher and more relevant. Talk to people who know the subject – who have they heard who speaks well, who comes at the topic from an interesting angle? What are the big issues?

It’s not always leading experts who are the best speakers. I’ve had at least two academics who were disastrous – they droned on in complex, mind-numbing detail and overshot their time massively. [Your chair should be primed to cut them off].

Think carefully about your chair. It’s great to have a subject expert, but not someone who asks impenetrable questions. They must know their stuff, but wear that knowledge lightly – and hold speakers to account for failing to answer reasonable questions. They must understand the “choreography” of the event and be able to leaven proceedings with humour; even apparently dull subjects should drum up a few laughs.

However, there is no point having a well-prepared, brilliant, chair and wonderful speakers if the audience can’t hear them. Choose your venue carefully – the room might be the right size and shape, with a great integral AV system, but make sure your seminar doesn’t co-incide with a noisy tour group enjoying a buffet next door.

Choose a venue where you know you can screen out background noise, ideally one with a technician on hand in case anything doesn’t quite work out.

We hold most of our events at the National Gallery of Scotland on the Mound, where there is a great technician, tiered seating with excellent sight-lines and a lovely environment for delegates to drink coffee and network before, during and after the event.

We first used the gallery for a food and drink conference in 2012, with the mid-morning brunch worked into the programme. The bite-sized snacks, composed of the finest Scottish ingredients, went down a treat – and luckily, the conference came up to the same high standard.

What else? I always like to have a conference pretty well-formed with at least three months to market it – and I always strive for a balanced agenda. This can be difficult in terms of gender; Scottish public life is still maledominated but there is always a good female alternative out there if your agenda is too blokeish.

Conference organising is stressful. I take it highly personally if a speaker turns me down, if numbers are poor and if an event doesn’t run smoothly. I sleep badly the night before and I am tetchy on the morning. Once it starts, I am calmer – but I never really relax until it’s over and until I’ve bitten into all the different sandwiches.

“Ialwaysliketohavea conferenceprettywellformedwithatleast threemonths tomarketit”

David Lee is co-founder of The Scotsman Conferences FROM historic castles to stunning landscapes, Scotland is famous for many things, but 2015 has seen attention firmly placed on raising awareness of the country’s culinary delights during the Year of Food and Drink.

The country’s natural larder is always a highlight among those coming to Scotland, and for those coming here on business, whether they are here for a conference, a product launch or a team away day, the food and drink plays a makeor-break role in their overall experience.

Food and drink is an integral part of the nation’s cultural identity and heritage and, for business visitors, it is all part of the experience of enjoying a trip to this part of the UK.

Scotland’s reputation for quality food and drink is growing. Sampling traditional dishes and local produce is one of the top activities undertaken by visitors and it is estimated that food and drink tourism generates up to £2.5m every day to the Scottish economy.

As a Scottish Government initiative, the year aims to showcase Scotland’s produce as well as our unique and authentic dining experiences. It is led by Visitscotland and its events directorate Eventscotland, with support from Scotland Food and Drink, SRUC, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Tourism Alliance and Young Scot.

This year will see a celebration of Scotland’s unrivalled produce, from Stornoway black pudding to Arbroath smokies, from delicious soft fruits to our world-famous whisky.

Scotland’s food and drink comes from unspoiled habitats and varied weather, which are perfect for producing a wide variety of high-quality fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, meat and much more.

A calendar of monthly themes has also been created for businesses which want to get involved in the Year of Food and Drink. With each month representing a different food industry or type of foodrelated activity, the calendar provides an opportunity for businesses to unite and align their activity under one heading.

There is no lack of