It starts at the show–usually during set up: the “what-worked-what didn’t” list.
This list is comprised of the items that you need to improve or fix but also the things that did work. For example, on the NACS show we are in the midst of today, there are a number of fixes we had to make on show site, but there are long-term things, too. I have three categories of fixes:
- Immediate
- Must-have when we return
- Nice-to-have when we return
Immediate are things like lights, broken or damaged things that can be fixed on site that impair demos or keep business from being conducted. A broken monitor, missing panel or damaged carpet.
Must haves are similar but can’t be fixed on site, but need to be repaired for long-term use of the exhibit. Think a door that doesn’t have to be used.
In the nice-to-have category are things like: can this counter be higher? do we need that structure? Customer interaction would improve if we had an enclosed conference room or storage needs to be added.
And don’t just limit it to exhibit structural things. Consider strategic ideas as well as tactical considerations.
At any rate, start the list now and complete it by the end of the show. At your postmortem meeting, you’ll have a talking paper.
What’s that? What’s a postmortem meeting? We’ll talk about that in another post.
TTSG
Hi Paul,
Love to see the continuous improvement loop in action. I've got an idea to take your postmortem to the next level (and move from death to opportunity in your project review). Have you heard of agile retrospectives? It's a process that provides a frame to help teams inspect, reflect, and adapt their methods, teamwork, and organizational relationships to continuously improve.
This is from the work of author and practitioner Esther Derby https://www.estherderby.com/books/agile-retrospectives.
The beauty is in creating a shared picture with your team that ultimately results in improvements that will make a difference "next time."
Have a great show!
Kim Behrens
See it. Be it. Dig it.
Facilitation and Process Design