picture by Tom Raftery

Many tools are available out there, from "remember the milk" to "iGTD", I have tried a lot of them and today, this is my system:

- Project Management: Things [link]

It's clear, nice graphics and I love the tag function. All my projects and "next-things" are here

- To-do lists: Google tasks [link]

I love it. It's basic, simple and, most of all, it syncs with my iPhone

- Appointments: iCal

I am a Mac user. iCal has a nice interface, it syncs through MobileMe with my iPhone and it's fast to use

- Contacts: Mac Address book

Very well categorized with smart lists and normal lists

- Email: Gmail

I sync it with my Mail on mac and my iPhone, and I have it online

- Brainstorming: Mind Node [link]

Simple and effective, fast to use

- Notes: Notes on my iPhone/TextEdit on my Mac/Evernote

TextEdit over all of them because it's the most simple, but I love Evernote as well

- Budgets/Hours of work: Google documents spreadsheet

Especially for Event budgets, when they are on going, I have it everywhere and can update it without losing anything

All these tools have really boosted my creativity, leaving the space in my head, every-second, to Think and not just Remember.

NOW. The important part of this article. 

These are tools that I use during the "planning phase" of the event, what about on-site operations? 

I have not found a solution that is comfortable for me yet. An effective tool to keep time schedules, contracts, contacts, checklists, to-do lists, and other important documents. The only way by now has been: a folder where all the printed stuff is inside. (not much green either)

The problem? Onsite operations often mean practical things to do: a chair that has to be moved, a case that has to be placed, a staff guy to help, and it means also "run" sometimes. Well, with all this things going on and the pressure of the day, it's just not comfortable, especially when I forgot where I left it!

So, here's the point... Could the iPad (and the innovation that the iPad has brought to the market, that means all the competitors that will develop similar products) be THE device that we, event managers, were waiting for???

I am optimist about that and already see myself with one of those iPad in my hands...   Thoughts?

Photo by Rickydavid via Flickr

Let's bust some myths about green events first. Good zen starts with decluttering. Two examples of frequently experienced myths that will give you some food for thought. 
 

1. Recycling bins will make my event look eco-friendly.

Wrong. Sure you want recycling facilities in place, but that won't mean your event is green. In fact, if at the end of the day your paper recycling bins are full of event brochures, info packs, sponsor flyers...well you should focus on fixing the problem somewhere else first. That is, your audience simply don't want to be spammed with loads of brochures. 
 

Fix: offer attendees an 'event material return guarantee'. You'll save on printing additional material that's just doomed to go straight to recycling bins or desk drawers.

Better fix: Go badge scanning. Then distribute marketing materials automatically and based on specific attendees' profiles.

2. I really think green. I provide sustainable bottled water at my events.

This is not simply wrong. This is detrimental to your reputation. I was at a conference about sustainable procurement last year and guess what, after a 3-hour session on green purchasing and buying sustainably, we were all being served bottled mineral water at the lunch break. I didn't bother staying for the afternoon session. I left the conference that day and still have a very poor perception of those event organisers today.

Fix: do your homework. As in our example above, if you are hosting an event on green purchasing, do you think your attendees will be impressed with 'sustainable' bottled water? That'll be perceived as either greenwashing (best-case scenario) or complete ignorance (worst-case).

Better fix: forget catching up with the latest eco product. Keep it simple and grounded. Go for tap water in jugs.