Organising an event should be like cooking a great meal: a careful balance of technical know-how and creative flair. Get the mix right and your guests leave satisfied, inspired, and possibly asking for seconds.
Get it wrong… and you’re serving up something bland, or overcooked
Sadly, many organisers fail to find the right ingredients. They over-season with PowerPoint presentations, dilute the panels with speakers who lack incisive insights, and wonder why the audience sneaks out before dessert.
But last year, the organisers of one of the most enjoyable events I moderated absolutely nailed the recipe. They served up the right blend of policy substance and creative flair.
So, let me share what made this event so deliciously satisfying.
The Dish: The ALMA Journey
The ALMA (Aim, Learn, Master, Achieve) journey celebrated the achievements of young people not in employment, education, or training who had taken part in a transformative European Commission programme, working for a short period in another European country.
In short: a meaningful initiative, a powerful story — and the perfect base ingredient.
Here, in 8 easy steps, is their recipe for success.
Ingredients & Method
1) Keep a clear head and focus. The organisers kept the spotlight firmly on the added value of ALMA from the young people’s perspective. They weren’t garnish — they were the main course.
2) Do what it says on the tin
The title “The ALMA Journey: results, reflections and the road ahead” matched the content.
3) Add the policy ingredients — sparingly
Panels, keynotes, presentations, fireside chats: all essential staples. But served short and sweet. Think tapas, not an all-you-can-eat buffet of slides.
4) Sprinkle generously with humour
Two young Poles brought the house down with a stand-up comedy routine about their ALMA experience. Proof that laughter is not only allowed at policy events — it’s an essential ingredient
5) Combine insights with creativity
Two young Spaniards offered their own six-step recipe for success: courage, active engagement, collaboration, continuous learning, commitment, and a positive mindset. Nutritious and inspiring.
6) Stir in time for interaction and networking
The audience moved between sessions where project operators from across Europe shared successes, challenges, and future visions. It is important after all not to leave the audience seated for too long!
7) Appeal to the senses
A Portuguese teenager had the audience on their feet, singing about how those on the ALMA journey are “the heroes of themselves — body and soul.” It was the icing on the cake!
8) Garnish with professional moderators
Moderators who seamlessly linked sessions, engaged the audience, and — crucially — kept everything on time. Because even the best meal loses its appeal if it drags on too long.
Chef’s Tip
Like all good recipes, this one works best with preparation and practice. The organisers left no stone unturned: briefing calls with panellists, clear roles for moderators, and no assumptions that things would “just work.”
The result? An event that showed how daring to be different, innovating with formats, and putting people firmly at the centre can create a truly shared — and memorable — experience.
Bon appétit!
Author's bio
Claire Doole is a former BBC correspondent and international spokeswoman who is passionate about helping people communicate with confidence. Since 2006, she has successfully trained hundreds of professionals in the art of presenting and public speaking, talking to the media, managing communications in a crisis, and writing for the web. In addition, she has coached C-level executives and public figures to give powerful TEDx and TED style talks in Europe and the Middle East. A Swiss and UK national, Claire trains and coaches in French and English.
Claire is also a highly experienced moderator having facilitated panel discussions with government ministers, NGO activists, humanitarians and human rights specialists at major events.
Claire helps clients design their virtual, hybrid and in-person events and runs workshops on organising and moderating at events.
