32 The Linguist Vol/57 No/1 2018
www.ciol.org.uk
INSTITUTE MATTERS
MEMBERSHIP NETWORKS
Planning ahead
HOW DO CIOL VOLUNTEERS PLAN EVENTS, RESPOND TO FEEDBACK AND MAKE SURE ACTIVITIES
RUN SMOOTHLY? ELIZABETH GUYATT REVEALS THE TRANSLATING DIVISION'S MODUS OPERANDI
The Events Survey completed by Translating
Division (TD) members in late 2016 has been
invaluable in helping the TD Management
Committee plan events. As well as a talk at
the AGM, we organise two main events a
year, aiming to hold one on a Friday and
one on a Saturday, as the survey indicated
that these were the most popular days.
Events are organised in London, but CIOL is
now hoping to repeat successful events
outside London, as there is a clear demand.
The survey suggested that experienced
translators wanted events designed for them,
and this year's May event on marketing,
pricing and negotiation fulfilled that aim. Our
latest event was about legal translation, one
of several topics that elicited interest.
Once the committee has agreed the
theme for an event, we contact potential
speakers about their availability, giving them
a broad idea of the subject we would like to
cover. The committee then agrees a detailed
brief and goes back to the speakers to see if
they are able to participate. We look for one
or two main speakers for each event; these
are often individuals we know from previous
events, webinars or professional practice.
Inviting relevant specialists from other
industries can also be valuable.
The committee liaises closely with the CIOL
membership team, who are very responsive
and helpful. We book dates for events 18-24
months in advance, and change them to
avoid clashes with CIOL and industry events,
as required. Staff at CIOL head office organise
bookings via Eventbrite and publicise our
events through a variety of channels.
When booking venues, key considerations
include space and comfort; facilities (from
coffee provision to audio-visual equipment);
and accessibility in all senses (we are currently
considering venues that are convenient
for participants coming from the north of
England, for instance).
Committee meetings take place roughly
every two months; we try to meet soon after
an event so that we can analyse feedback,
with the aim of continuous improvement.
Each event has a lead organiser. We are
currently collating members' experiences in
a start-to-finish manual for organising events.
Meetings are the ideal place to share ideas,
but as time is limited we refine those ideas
between meetings, mainly by email.
Collectively, we have learned a lot about
doing this as efficiently as possible.
Our first main event of 2018 will be on
Saturday 12 May, taking the theme of
well-being and productivity. Our second
main event, at the end of the year, will be
aimed at students and recent graduates.
You can read about past events on the TD
section of CIOL's website (ciol.org.uk/td).
Committee members are all volunteers. We
would like to build capacity in organising and
running events. To achieve this, we need
members to join us who are confident and
professional. Past experience is not necessary,
so if you would like to find out more, we
would be delighted to hear from you .
td@ciol.org.uk
For contact details for CIOL's membership networks (divisions, societies and associations), visit www.ciol.org.uk/networks-events
To view the calendar of event, see www.ciol.org.uk/events
Correction
In TL56,6 we incorrectly listed the date
of the German Society's Anglophoner
Tag as 28 April. It is in fact on Saturday
15 June. We would like to apologise
for this error. To book, please contact
J.Bobrowska@gmx.net.
