Participants working in a well-organized room. Note the strategically positioned boards with various charts which can be easily and quickly accessed by the facilitator. Note also the table set against the wall on which are placed visualisation supplies.

There are certain unforeseen situations that may arise even if the initial planning is done as carefully as possible. In many instances, the manager of the venue may want you to vacate the conference hall, for example, for a party or wedding in the evening. Even if an agreement on use of space for 24 hours per day was made beforehand, if the pressure persists for you to move, instead of arguing, the best use of your time would be to delegate the administrators and your supporting staff, or the staff of the venue, to help move the boards and other materials in an orderly manner and to have them back in place at a designated time in the morning. Explain to them how you want the cards and boards to be kept and where. To be on the safe side, you can delegate someone to photograph all the boards so that if any card falls off or goes missing it can be recreated for the next morning.

Food is an important issue in group events. In the daily feedback, sometimes there are more comments about food than the process! When planning, make sure to find out preferences and delegate someone who is sensitive to work with the staff of the venue in menu selections. For example, arrange for vegetarian items on the menu or avoid items less preferred, try to add variety, etc. Arrange for safe drinking water. The support staff should inform the venue managers if the quality of food deteriorates or if people become sick from eating the meals or drinking the beverages and water provided. Unless the participants are healthy, the outcome of the event will not be as planned.

Projectors and other electronic equipment can be tricky so try them out beforehand. Sometimes the power fails at an inappropriate moment, especially in developing countries. It is best to find out about the electricity situation in the planning phase. As a facilitator, be prepared with another alternative in case there is a blackout. For example, if a video has to be presented before group work and is sequenced in a way that it cannot be changed easily, at least for content, then it is best to have alternative materials prepared beforehand so that you present the content and continue with the process.