In The Event Of An Event ...

Station events are an opportunity to interact with the listeners, advertisers and potential advertisers. The voices behind the mics are on display as well as the staff of your station or stations. It's a time to make a great first impression or reinforce why your company should be the candidate of choice on all station platforms.

Communicate ...

All departments must be made aware of what is going on and that includes the receptionist; they are the voice of the station for all incoming calls. The more they know, the easier it is to assist in keeping everyone informed. Every department is important to an event, especially the traffic department; they route the station's money with every commercial log created. I'm a firm believer in brief meetings with someone taking notes for e-mail distribution to keep everyone in the loop.

Delegate ...

You can't do it alone, don't be afraid to put things in other people's hands. Use the staff and assign duties suited to their individual capabilities. This will free you up to handle other aspects of the event. You need to be focused on the big picture and making sure all the little details are handled.

Planning And Flexibility ...

It's always a good idea to have a Plan B, C, and D; evolving issues cause re-adjustments. I remember being a first time PD and taking what I thought was a perfect plan to the General Manager and he said, "This is great, but what if ... and did you think about...?" After reading the plan, he told me to always be prepared with at least 3 ways to execute any proposal, especially a station event.

Organize ...

Every aspect needs to be organized or things could become chaotic on site and over the air. For the broadcast from the location, make sure all participating air personalities have paper copies of the music and commercial logs coinciding with what in-studio is looking at on the computer monitors. Barring technical glitches, this will increase the possibilities for callbacks and actual on-site live broadcasts to go without a hitch. Make sure the on-site air talent calls the studio before every break to make sure everything is okay; even if it's an ISDN line and the studio can hear them. Don't depend on the ISDN line; that is one-way communication (Unless you have a two-channel setup for back and forth) and lends itself to potential miscommunication. Make sure those calls prior to breaks are made at least five minutes prior and not at the last minute.

The Day Of ...

It's the final key for covering all the angles to pull off a special event. On the day of the event, stay as relaxed and focused as possible. Get some sleep the night before, you need a clear mind to make any adjustments needed to ensure a great event. When things go off track, it's up to you to keep a cool head and make it look like it was part of the plan.