For anyone organising an academic conference…
<h2>1 day before the conference starts…</h2>
<ul>
<li>Have a meeting with the boss to run through the final details</li>
<li>Check the flight and hotel bookings for all the guests</li>
<li>Check the conference room bookings</li>
<li>Check the power points are queued in the correct order</li>
<li>Check the handouts are printed</li>
<li>Check the catering invoices</li>
<li>Check that the biscuits are ordered (academics must have biscuits)</li>
<li>Check your emails for any last minute requests</li>
<li>Congratulate yourself on your impeccable organisation skills</li>
</ul>
<h2>2 hours before the conference starts…</h2>
<ul>
<li>Arrive at the conference room early in the morning</li>
<li>Find that the room is locked</li>
<li>Check your emails to confirm that the room should have been unlocked</li>
<li>Go to the caretaker’s office to ask for the room to be unlocked</li>
<li>Find the caretaker’s office locked and go looking for him</li>
<li>Notice that the signs put up to direct guests to the conference room are all pointing the wrong way</li>
<li>Regret that you delegated the job of putting up the signs to someone else</li>
<li>Redo all the signs</li>
<li>Return to the caretaker’s office to find it still locked</li>
<li>Go back to the conference room to find the caretaker unlocking the door</li>
<li>Control your temper when the caretaker asks you why you are late</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/jane-austens-wastebasket/for-anyone-organising-an-academic-conference-1ca463a8cf48"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>