Are you planning an upcoming spiritual workshop, seminar or retreat? Here are some helpful tips to assist you in planning a powerfully effective event.
Ask for Input
When planning a retreat, seminar or religious education event, it pays to get some input. Even a short survey (you can try surveymonkey.com for free) of some of your likely participants or event registrants can help you find out exactly what people are looking to gain from the event. Give the people what they want, and they're sure to be back for more.
While it's unlikely that you would incorporate all participant suggestions, try to include as many as you can -- but only if the suggestions are relevant to the material presented and feasible to accomplish.
Say It with Pictures
Images displayed on a hung white sheet or a blank wall can inspire, captivate, provoke, launch in-depth discussions or encourage deep introspection. With affordable rental rates as low as $99 per weekend, there are virtually countless uses for an LCD rental projector at your next gathering. Welcome participants with instructions, a soothing slide show or the weekend schedule; showcase relevant images during presentations, candid shots of participants during quiet time, or display beautiful pictures of nature during breaks or at any time throughout the event.
Why not include a closing slideshow for the end of experience? With digital photography, it's easy to put together a quick and beautiful slide show of photographs taken during the event. Set it to relevant music, and you're good to go.
Give 'Em Some Space
When the event ends, people will return to their busy lives; that's why it's so important to allow for plenty of quiet time during the events - this is where participants are free to journal, walk the grounds, meditate, listen to music, connect with other participants or otherwise allow the material covered during group session time to fully "sink in." For many spiritual event attendees, these periods of downtime are when the most profound "a-ha" moments occur.
Seek to strike a balance -- too much down time can lead to fraternizing that takes away from the meaning of the event, but too little free time can exhaust participants. Use common sense and some intuition to find the perfect balance.
When you're renting a projector for your event, be sure to get one that will work in low light and bright light, so that you can use it indoors or outdoors (depending on the weather and the nature of your event).
