--- title: "Thursday Buzz: Prevent Meeting Fiascos" id: "38573" type: "post" slug: "thursday-buzz-prevent-meeting-fiascos" published_at: "2017-06-15T20:36:57+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T19:44:04+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/06/15/thursday-buzz-prevent-meeting-fiascos/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/06/15/thursday-buzz-prevent-meeting-fiascos.md" excerpt: "Even the best meeting planners will come across these common problems that could lead to disaster. Also: Change up your seating arrangements to get more people engaged." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "conference management" - "event planning" - "meeting tips" - "Meetings" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Thursday Buzz: Prevent Meeting Fiascos Have you ever had a meeting speaker cancel at the last minute? Perhaps he or she got an illness or missed a flight. It’s a panic-inducing moment for even the most veteran event planners. In a recent post, Omnipress’ *Big Ideas Blog*provides a few [recommendations for event-planning disaster scenarios (opens in a new tab)](http://blog.omnipress.com/2016/06/avoid-disaster-3-conference-planning-tips/) . To minimize the damage of a missing speaker, be sure to schedule sessions that run concurrently. “If you are presented with a situation where you need to fill an unexpected hole in the schedule, this extra presentation can be moved to fill the gap with minimal disturbance to the rest of the conference,” writes Matt Larson. A last-minute surge of RSVPs sounds like good news because it means more people will be attending, but unexpected registrations can cause several headaches for event planners who have already ordered printed materials and made deals with vendors. It may be too late for significant vendor changes, so “make sure you order plenty of extra to accommodate the influx of RSVPs that tend to come right before the deadline,” says Larson. ### New Ways to Sit > 5 Edgy Ideas for Educational Seating [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/aV77uBZq6C (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/aV77uBZq6C) > via @_ConnectCorp [pic.twitter.com/eUPc2xtTpm (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/eUPc2xtTpm) > > — Kenes Group (@Kenes_Group) [June 15, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/Kenes_Group/status/875375010772340741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **We’re all used to the classroom-style seating in educational settings**—whether that be at annual meetings or in-house sessions. But you may be able to keep attendants’ attention and better engage them just by shaking up your seating arrangements. The *Connect* blog shares several [possible seating arrangements (opens in a new tab)](https://www.collaboratemeetings.com/feature/5-edgy-ideas-educational-seating/) to try at your next meeting. If you’re hosting an educational session in a large room, try multitiered seating. “The idea is to set up decking within a ballroom,” writes Erin Deinzer. “On each tier, consider large beanbag chairs for people to sit on, alongside trays to hold drinks and snacks.” To ensure that your attendees pay close attention to your speaker, try silent sessions. “Attendees sit on communal couches while they listen to the presentation through headsets—sans any auditory distraction.” ### Other Links of Note **Twitter makes big design changes.**[According to TechCrunch (opens in a new tab)](https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/15/twitter-tweaks-its-design-again-in-an-attempt-to-woo-newcomers/) , the updates are an effort to attract new users. **Digital transformation requires vigilance.** *CMSWire*shares tips for [staying ahead of the technology curve (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/when-it-comes-to-digital-transformation-complacency-is-not-an-option/) . **Could your internal team meetings be more productive?** *Inc.* shares [three rules for shorter and more effective meetings (opens in a new tab)](https://www.inc.com/tony-tjan/want-to-escape-meeting-hell-three-rules-for-shorter-better-higher-impact-meeting.html) . (Pixland/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#conference management](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conference-management/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#meeting tips](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meeting-tips/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [TemplateMembers onlyEDUCAUSE User Support/Events Technology CoordinatorMay 1, 2007](https://associationsnow.com/2007/05/01/educause-user-support-events-technology-coordinator/) - [ArticleHow Events Can Drive Value in Times of Budget CutsJune 11, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/06/11/how-events-can-drive-value-in-times-of-budget-cuts/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Contract: Building Stronger Destination PartnershipsSeptember 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/24/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-contract-building-stronger-destination-partnerships/) - [VideoMelvin Tennant, CAE, President & CEO of Meet Minneapolis, Welcomes You to Great Ideas 2026September 2, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/02/melvin-tennant-cae-president-ceo-of-meet-minneapolis-welcomes-you-to-great-ideas-2026/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F06%2F15%2Fthursday-buzz-prevent-meeting-fiascos%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !