5 things I learned from planning the San Juan Islands Ag Summit
San Juan Islands Ag Summit
I have been a part of the San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit for nearly ten years, either on the steering committee, assisting the coordinator, or producing it myself.
All of my colleagues out there who produce big events know it’s an absolutely wild amount of work. The primary, ultimate, main principle to enjoying producing big events is to do it with people that you love working with. Here are some other tips:
Set up Systems. Early! Very early! Organize your shared folder system! List all of the things you will need to create! Brainstorm! Sort! Make the spreadsheets now!
Create a Timeline with Actionable Milestones. Review this with your team All The Damn Time.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel. Guys, it’s an event. Eleventy billion events have been put on just in the last year alone. There are incredible event templates and tools and tricks available to you with a Google search. Use them.
Have Fun. Revel in the process, even when the process leaves you feeling like your heart is going to explode. Because if you’re anything like me, and if you love your event as much as I love the Ag Summit, you’ll be crying as everyone departs the venue and you’re packing up supplies.
This year the 2023 San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit March 3 & 4 will take place on San Juan Island. Designed as a space for inspiration, education, and community building, this year's theme is “The Changing Tides of Island Agriculture”.
Find the full Summit schedule and register through @wsuextension_sjc.
