CMI Events Toolkit
Your step by step guide to organising and delivering digital and in-person events.
# BetterManagers
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the CMI regional and devolved nations events toolkit. Your step-by-step guide to delivering digital and in-person events for your region.
We really appreciate the work that our Regional Boards do in providing CMI members and the wider community with a calendar of events which cater for all audiences, from aspiring managers right through to experienced leaders, across the UK and internationally.
As you plan your event and add your own regional flavour, the CMI events team will work closely with you to ensure your events are promoted and delivered to a high standard.
Good luck and enjoy the event planning process!
EVENT STRATEGY
Our Event Strategy has been created to inform our event planning and delivery in line with strategic CMI Objectives.
THE VISION - OUR EVENTS WILL...
Highest Priority
Increase learner engagement with CMI resources, leading to higher levels of activation and longer term, conversion.
Increase Chartered Manager advocacy and engagement, leading to increased retention and recruitment of Chartered Managers.
Provide quality continued professional development opportunities for all members, leading to increased retention and acquisition of new members.
Support the delivery of CMI policy and thought leadership, leading to increased brand awareness and contribution to CMI’s charitable mission.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS WHEEL
All of our events align with the CMI Professional Standard for Management and Leadership skills; a complete guide to skills and competencies for managers and leaders. The main sections of the wheel are broken down into three segments, each of which represent a set of capabilities. Explore the segments using the links below and open up an explanation of the corresponding capabilities in more detail, along with descriptions of what proficiency looks like across different career levels.
All of CMI’s activities, including our events will be aligned to one of the segments of the Professional standard. We will work with you to ensure your events are correctly aligned.
For more information, see the Professional Standard Wheel and explore the segments and corresponding capabilities in more detail.
GRO A N I SATIONALPERFORMANCE PERSONALEFFECT
Leading change and innovation Managing resources and risk
Achieving results
Managing yourself Making decisions
BEING AN ETHICAL AND INCLUSIVE LEADER
Developing people and capability Building relationships and networks
Communicating and influencing
Providing purpose and direction
INTERPERSONAL EXCELLENCE
E N E S S
DIGITAL EVENTS
DIGITAL EVENTS - QUICK GUIDE
STEP 1
Initial Planning (12 Weeks Prior)
• Consider your event date, time, host, speakers, title, content and format
• Complete and submit your Regional Digital Event Request Form
• CMI Events will contact you to start the ball rolling
STEP 2
Progressing Your Event (10 Weeks Prior)
• Start to work through your Digital Event Planning Checklist
• Approach and confirm speakers, and select a nominated person for speaker liaison. (The speaker liaison will be someone from the Regional Board or your CMI Event lead)
• Outline your event agenda
• Speaker liaison to request a high resolution photograph and short biography from the host and speaker(s)
• CMI Events will list your event on Eventbrite & the CMI website
STEP 3
Promotion (8 Weeks Prior)
• CMI Events will start promotion via member communications
• Board to promote on Regional LinkedIn/Twitter Pages and personal networks using digital assets provided by the CMI Events team
STEP 4
Event Lead Up
• CMI Events will provide you with weekly booking number updates via your google space
• Liaise with your CMI Event lead to draft the host and speaker briefs
• Confirm availability of host(s) and speaker(s) for a briefing call with your CMI Event lead
STEP 5
The Event
• Your CMI Event lead, speaker(s) and host(s) to join Streamyard 30 mins before start time for final checks
• CMI Events to manage the live stream including chat and audience questions
• Enjoy seeing all your hard work come to life!
STEP 6
The Follow-up
• CMI Events to send ‘thank you’ emails to speakers
• CMI Events to send a follow up email to attendees which will include links to any relevant resources, the evaluation form and any upcoming events
• CMI Events will share event and evaluation data with the regional board
Step 1: Initial Planning
Our events align with the CMI Professional Standard for management and leadership skills. e.g. Personal Effectiveness, Interpersonal Excellence, Organisational Performance, each of which has various sub topics. For more information, see the Professional Standard Wheel and detailed themes
With support from your Regional Manager, and once you and the Board have discussed your event concept in more detail, including the aims and objectives, theme and content, date, time etc, you can then complete the Regional Digital Event Request Form This will enable the CMI Events team to support you with the next stages of organising and delivering your event. Once you have completed the google form a member of the events team will be assigned and become your CMI Events lead. They will be in touch with you to start the ball rolling and discuss digital platform options.
Events aligned with CMI Professional Standard
Support from your Regional Manager throughout the planning process
Step 2: Progressing Your Event
You’re at a great place in making progress with your event plans. Use your Digital Event Planning Check List to track your progress, completed actions and deadlines. This should be shared in your regional shared Google Drive so members of the Board and CMI Events can track progress and offer support if required.
Have you secured your speakers? It is important that you confirm your event speaker(s) and host(s). Decide who will be your speaker liaison - this is the person who will communicate with your speaker(s). This can be someone from the Board or the CMI Events team. The speaker liaison will then send an initial invitation email. This email is to explore their willingness and availability to participate, giving them a high level overview of the event and their proposed role and/or contributions. Once they have confirmed, please request a high resolution headshot photograph (JPEG format) and short biography (80-100 words) that we can use for the promotional marketing of the event. Please also secure the same items from your event host or facilitator.
Please note: As a registered charity, CMI is unable to offer a fee or honorarium to speakers. However, as a token of our appreciation we are pleased to offer free CMI membership for three months to speakers who are non members.
The content of the speaker’s presentation and/or panel conversation should focus on the topic in question and although they may refer to their business or services, it should still be in context with the event and any such reference(s) should be brief.
Host: A member of the CMI Events team will provide the housekeeping intro and outro. A representative from the Regional Board should take the main hosting role and facilitate the Q&A at the end. Your early discussions should establish who will take this hosting role for the live event.
Outline a draft agenda for your event specifying times and activities. Use the Digital Event Agenda Template to assist you in making a start.
Don’t forget to ask for a high res headshot and short biography from the speaker
Step 3: Promotion
The CMI Events team will use the information you submit to ensure relevant and bespoke event assets are designed by our inhouse marketing team. These assets will be used for Eventbrite, social media and other avenues for promotion. Once these have been designed they will be shared with you to assist you and the Board in your promotion of the event via your Regional LinkedIn/ Twitter pages and personal networks.
CMI Events will start promotion via member communications and will ensure your event is listed and published on Eventbrite and the CMI website.
Depending on the nature of your event, targeted mailings for specific CMI member groups can be arranged.
Event assets designed by our in-house marketing team
We ensure your event is listed, published and promoted correctly on required platforms
Step 4: Event Lead Up
CMI Events will provide you with weekly booking number updates via your google space, enabling you to monitor progress of registrations.
CMI Events will draft host(s) and speaker(s) briefing documents which will include details about the event, their role, the agenda and any other key information. Once completed this will be shared with the host(s), speaker(s) and all participants.
Alongside the briefing document, a briefing call and tech rehearsal should be arranged to discuss the event in detail, to answer any questions that your speaker(s) may have. It will also allow time for orientation of our streaming platform. This call should be scheduled for approx 30 mins, CMI Events will be able to organise this for you and send a calendar invite. Following the call, if there are any agreed changes to the agenda or speaker roles, the briefing documents will be updated and re-distributed at least seven days prior to the event date.
Step 5: The Event
The event day has arrived and you’re about to see how all of your hard work and planning comes to life during your event. Speaker(s), host(s) and CMI Events to join Streamyard 30 mins ahead of start time for final checks and event run through.
Throughout the event there will be various calls to action (CTAs) displayed on screen (ticker) and posted in the live chat box for our online audience. Members of the events team will manage this process, and monitor the live chat and all technical aspects of the event, so that speakers and hosts can focus on delivering quality content.
During the Q&A, CMI Events in conjunction with your host, will moderate, star and select any suitable live audience questions which will be displayed on screen.
Once the live stream has ended, we ask that all participants stay online for a short debrief.
Most importantly, ensure that you enjoy the event as much as possible!
Step 5: The Follow Up
Your CMI Event lead will send an email to your speaker(s), thanking them for participating in the event, and requesting that they complete our Speaker Feedback Form
CMI Events will also send a follow-up email to all attendees which will include relevant resources, slides, a link to the evaluation form, calls to action and promote any relevant upcoming CMI Events. We will also share event and evaluation data with the regional board.
You’ve successfully organised, and delivered a CMI Regional digital event! Congratulations and thank you for your hard work and contributions to the continued success of CMI within your region and beyond.
Follow up emails sent to all attendees Congratulations! You have now successfully delivered a CMI Regional Digital Event
IN-PERSON EVENTS
1
Initial Planning (12 Weeks Prior)
• Consider your event date, time, location, host, speakers, title, content and format
• Complete and submit your In-Person Event Request Form
• A CMI Event lead will be assigned to your event and they will be in touch with you to discuss next steps
• Your CMI Event lead will source suitable venues and arrange a virtual or in-person site visit
2
Progressing Your Event (10 Weeks Prior)
• Start to work through your In-Person Event Planning Checklist
• Approach and confirm speakers, and select a nominated person for speaker liaison.
(The speaker contact will be someone from the Regional Board or your CMI Event lead)
• Outline your Event Agenda
• Speaker liaison to request a high resolution photograph and short biography from host and speaker(s)
• CMI Events will list your event on Eventbrite & CMI website
Promotion (8 Weeks Prior) STEP 3
• CMI Events will start promotion via member communications
• Board to promote on Regional LinkedIn/Twitter pages and personal networks using digital assets provided by the CMI Events team
• Event lead to confirm and finalise any additional requirements with venue e.g staging, microphones, AV
STEP 4
Event Lead Up
• CMI Events will provide you with weekly booking number updates via email
• Liaise with your CMI Event lead to draft the host and speaker briefs
• Confirm availability of host(s) and speaker(s) for a briefing call with your CMI Events lead
• Your Event lead will confirm final numbers, any dietary and any access requirements with the venue
STEP 5 The Follow-up STEP 6
The Event
• Arrive at the venue at the agreed time for set up of the event space including registration
• Work through the Event To do list
• Scan/photograph the completed attendee check in sheet and email to the events team
• Enjoy seeing all your hard work come to life!
• Collect all completed Evaluation forms , take a photograph or scan each form and sent via email
• CMI Events lead to send ‘thank you’ emails to speaker(s)
• CMI Events to send a follow up email to attendees which will include links to any relevant resources, the evaluation form and any upcoming events
• CMI Events will share event and evaluation data with the regional board
Our current event strategy has three main objectives:
OVERARCHING OBJECTIVES FOR ALL EVENTS
Raising CMI’s profile / Engagement with Partners & Employers
Evidencing the impact of CMI Qualifications / Products
• Raise brand awareness
• Raise CMI’s profile and engagement with Partners & Employers
• Evidence the impact of CMI Qualifications & Products
These objectives will be delivered through four ‘streams’
Each stream has been placed in order of priority. In your initial planning stage please consider the event streams and how your event will predominantly align with the CMgr and CPD streams alongside the Professional Standard.
Our events align with the CMI Professional Standard for management and leadership skills. e.g. Personal Effectiveness, Interpersonal Excellence, Organisational Performance, each of which has various sub topics. For more information, see the Professional Standard Wheel and detailed themes .
Step 1: Initial Planning - Event Pricing Matrix
The pricing matrix below outlines the ticket prices for digital and in-person events. There may be events that fall outside of the below, in these instances please discuss with your event lead.
Ticket Prices
Chartered Manager
•
month’s
In-Person
£45 including VAT equivalent to 3 month’s membership
Digital
£15 including VAT equivalent to 1 month’s membership
In-Person
£45 including VAT equivalent to 3 month’s membership
Member CPD
• Regional events (aligned with professional standards)
• Small regional board led networking events
£15 including VAT equivalent to 1 month’s
In-Person
£45 including VAT equivalent to 3 month’s membership
Digital
£15 including VAT equivalent to 1 month’s membership
In-Person
£45 including VAT equivalent to 3 month’s membership
Step 1: Initial Planning - Event Types
• Regional In-person networking event
• Chartered Manager Events
• TED talk/Interviews
• Roundtable Discussion
With support from your Regional Manager, once you and the Board have discussed your event concept in more detail including the aims and objectives, theme and content, budget, date, time, location etc, you can then complete the Regional In-Person Event Request form . This will enable the CMI Events team to support you with the next stages of organising and delivering your event. Once you have completed the google form, a member of the events team will be assigned and become your CMI Event lead. They will be in touch with you to start the ball rolling.
Your event lead will support you in the planning and preparation for your event so that you are fully equipped to deliver as a board on the day.
CMI Events will source an appropriate venue to host your event. If you have a preferred venue or location, please let us know and we will explore availability. Once a preferred venue is identified, your event lead will arrange an in-person or virtual site visit. This will provide an orientation of the event space and allow an opportunity to ask any questions regarding the venue and plans for the event. Event leads should be involved in the site visit.
During the site visit there is a checklist which will be completed to ensure that the venue is fit-for-purpose and all the relevant questions are asked.
Once a suitable venue is sourced, we will ensure that all of the event requirements are confirmed and contract signed.
Step 2: Progressing Your Event
You’re at a great place in making progress with your event plans. Start to use your In-Person Event Planning Checklist . This will support you in tracking your progress and helping to ensure you have not missed any crucial steps. This should be updated and placed in your regional shared Google Drive so members of the Board and CMI Events can track progress and offer support if required.
Have you secured your speakers? It is important that you confirm your event speaker(s) and host(s). Decide who will be your speaker liaison - this is the person who will communicate with your speaker(s). This can be someone from the Board or the CMI Events team. The speaker liaison will then send an initial invitation email. This email is to explore their willingness and availability to participate, giving them a high level overview of the event and their proposed role and or contributions. Once they have confirmed, please request a high resolution headshot photograph (JPEG format) and short biography (80-100 words) that we can use for the promotional marketing of the event. Please also secure the same items from your event host or facilitator.
Please note: As a registered charity, CMI is unable to offer a fee or honorarium to speakers as a token of our appreciation we are pleased to offer free CMI membership for three months to speakers who are non members. We will cover reasonable travel and accommodation expenses where necessary. For details refer to the Expenses Claim Form
The content of the speaker’s presentation/conversation should focus on the topic in question and although they may refer to their business or services, it should still be in context with the event and any such reference(s) should be brief.
Host: A member of the Board should be the host for the event. The host would be expected to start the event with a welcome, introductions, housekeeping and provide any logistics and/or instructions to delegates as required throughout the event.
In collaboration with your event lead, outline a draft agenda for your event, specifying times, activities and location. An In-Person Event Agenda Template can be found here to assist you in making a start.
Don’t forget to ask for a high res headshot and short biography from the speaker
Step 3: Promotion
The CMI Events team will use the information you submitted to ensure bespoke event assets are designed by our in-house marketing team. These assets will be used for Eventbrite, social media and other avenues for promotion. Once these have been designed they will be shared with you to assist you and the board in your promotion of the event via your Regional LinkedIn/Twitter pages and personal networks.
CMI Events will start promotion via member communications and ensure your event is listed and published on Eventbrite and the CMI website. Depending on the nature of your event, targeted mailings for specific CMI member groups can be arranged.
Ensure your Event lead is clear on any ‘extras’ that you may need from the venue e.g staging, microphones, AV. At this stage, all these items and or services should be confirmed with the venue.
Event assets designed by our in-house marketing team
We ensure your event is listed, published and promoted correctly on required platforms
Step 4: Event Lead Up
CMI Events will provide you with weekly booking number updates via your regional board google space, enabling you to monitor progress of registrations.
The CMI Events team will draft host(s) and speaker(s)/host briefing documents which will include details about the event, their role, the agenda and any other key information. Once completed this will be shared with the host(s), speaker(s) and all participants.
Alongside the briefing document, a briefing call should be arranged to discuss the event in detail with speakers, answering any questions that your speaker(s) may have. This call should be scheduled for approx 30 mins and CMI Events will be able to organise this for you via Google Meet. It is the responsibility of the event host to lead the briefing call and prepare the content for discussion. Following the call, if there are any agreed changes to the agenda or speaker roles, the briefing documents will be updated and re-distributed at least seven days prior to the event date by your event lead.
A key part of the successful delivery of any event is a thorough running order. A running order outlines in detail various aspects of your event including content, timings, responsibilities and actions/tasks. Your event lead will support you in creating the running order for your event. A template has been provided .
Once your running order is complete, Please schedule a running order call with the board members to walk through the document discussing timings, roles and responsibilities and the overall event structure. This will create an opportunity for any questions or concerns to be addressed ahead of the event, ensuring that everyone is clear on what will be taking place on the day.
CMI will provide all the items and branding you need for the event e.g. banner stands and CMI goody bags. When completing the Event Request Form please indicate to who and where the event items should be sent - whether that is directly to a member of the board, or straight to the venue if they approve.
CMI goodies for each attendee will include:
• Green CMI Tote bag
• Green CMI Lanyard
• Grey CMI Notepad
• Grey CMI Pen
Please note: The above list of goodies is subject to change, based on stock availability.
Step 5: The Event
The event day has arrived and you’re about to see all your hard work and planning come to life during your event. Arrive at the venue at the agreed time for orientation and set up, and for the checking of key areas. e.g registration and event/directional signage. Use the Event Checklist to ensure you don’t forget any key tasks during the hustle and bustle of a successful event.
Arrival & Set Up
• Subject to the time you have access to the venue, we advise you arrive up to 2 hours before the commencement of registration. Example: If registration is from 5pm, you should aim to arrive at 3pm. This will allow you to set up in a timely manner and resolve any unsuspected challenges or issues
• Refer to your running order from your arrival, right through to the end of the event to help you stay on track with tasks and allocated timings
• If we posted your event items to the venue, locate them at your earliest opportunity so you can begin to set up the event space
Main Room Checks Speakers
• In your main/plenary room please ensure you check the following during set up:
• The room layout/set up is correct and for the right amount of people e.g Cabaret for 30
• Log into the wi-fi at the venue and ensure it is working properly
• Check that the screen and any slides or visual aids are in working order e.g Testing videos
• Check the temperature of the room is appropriate
• Please ensure your guest speakers/participants are greeted and welcomed by a member of the board upon arrival. This is a great opportunity to ensure they have all the information they need, and are familiar with the event space, particularly where they will be presenting from
Step 5: The Event (Continued)
Registration
• The registration desk and area is often the first place that delegates will go to when they arrive at your event. As a result, it is important that the desk and area is well presented, clean and tidy.
• Please ensure that the registration desk has a large white CMI branded table cloth on it.
• Please note: Ensure delegates are greeted with a warm welcome and smile .
Place the delegate name badges on the registration desk in alphabetical order by surname; you may want to place them facing the delegates. This means that delegates will spot their name quickly if you are struggling to hear their name (spelling) or due to a large number of delegates arriving at once.
Hand the delegate a lanyard which should be attached to the name badge. It may be easier for you to do this for them if appropriate.
Hand the delegate a goodie bag and or any other items that are required. Sometimes delegate bags are placed on chairs rather than handed out at registration, you can make this decision based on the venue, room layout and event context. 1 2 3
Step 5: The Event (Continued)
Branding & Signage
• Clear, consistent and well designed branding is essential for any successful and memorable event. We work closely with our marketing department to produce and create branding for all events, from Eventbrite images all the way through to evaluation and follow up emails
• Please ensure that there is directional signage at the venue to help delegates find their way around the venue and to the designated event space(s). If you require specific signage designed for the venue, please speak to your event lead
• Digital signage can be a great way to increase brand awareness, marketing of CMI products, services and can be used for directional signage.
• To ensure all signage is in line with CMI Brand guidelines, all signs should be created by our Marketing team for consistency
• Please note: For some venues the use of screens may be included in the hire costs or there may be an additional charge to utilise screens
An example of Directional Signage at CMI Women Conference 2022
Step 5: The Event (Continued)
Signing in delegates
We provide you with a hard copy sign-in sheet which lists every delegate’s full name and company in alphabetical order by Surname.
To sign a delegate in, simply place a tick next to their name. Please ensure that delegates are signed in on the check in sheet including regional board members and speakers.
At the end of your event
Please ensure any items that are to be returned to CMI are collected, packed in the relevant box and the return label(s) are visible. Please leave the box with your venue contact or team. We will arrange a courier to collect the items.
Please take a photograph of the completed sign in sheet and email it to cmievents@managers.org.uk. This is important as it informs our follow up emails and helps us to understand who was in attendance and those who were unable to make it.
Once you have collated the completed hard copy evaluation forms, take a photograph of each side of the forms and/ or scan them and email to: cmievents@managers.org.uk
Please ensure the sign in sheet and evaluations are submitted no later than the morning following your event. Once you have shared the relevant information from the sign in sheet and evaluation forms with CMI, please ensure you dispose of the forms and data in a secure way, due to containing individuals’ personal information.
For any photographs taken at the event, please upload these to your regional board shared drive in the relevant event folder.
Most importantly, ensure that you enjoy the event as much as possible!
Step 6: The Follow-up
Hard copy Evaluation Forms will be provided for each attendee, please collect all completed forms, take a photograph or scan each form and email to cmievents@managers.org.uk as soon as possible.
Your CMI Event lead will send a thank you email to your speakers, thanking them for participating in the event, and requesting that they complete our Speaker Evaluation Form .
CMI Events will also send a follow-up email to all attendees which will include relevant resources, slides, a link to the evaluation form, calls to action and promote any relevant upcoming CMI Events. We will also share event and evaluation data with the regional board.
CMI Events will also ensure that everything is settled with the venue in terms of any outstanding payments or issues.
You’ve successfully organised, and delivered a CMI In-person event! Congratulations and thank you for your hard work and contributions to the continued success of CMI within your region and beyond.
Follow up emails sent to all attendees Congratulations! You have now successfully delivered a CMI Regional In-Person Event
MEET THE TEAM
Events Team Regional Team
Ian Doher ty
Joanna
Mar y Bolawole
Lauren Elliott
Daniella Sijuwade
The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) works with business and education to inspire people to unleash their potential and become skilled, confident and successful managers and leaders.
With a wealth of practical qualifications, events and networking opportunities on offer throughout the UK and Asia-Pacific, CMI helps people boost their career prospects and connect them with other ambitious professionals in any industry and sector.
In fact, CMI has more than 150,000 people training to be better managers right now. Backed by a unique Royal Charter, CMI is the only organisation allowed to award Chartered Manager status –the ultimate management accolade.
CMI’s thought leadership, research and online resources provide practical insight on critical issues for a 220,000 plus membership community and anyone looking to improve their skills, nurture high-performing teams and help pave the way for the next generation of managers and leaders.
For more information, please visit www.managers.org.uk Chartered Management Institute on LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or TikTok.
X: @cmi_managers
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Chartered Management Institute Management
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