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Yes, we said all aboard, not all are bored 😉 . And the train is going all the way to Paraplanners Paradise, on 7th October for the Big Day Out (In) with the Paraplanners Assembly. It will be quite the ride.
Like many others, we’ve found moving a physical event online an interesting challenge.
We’ve hummed and ha’ed over the different options and have been very lucky to see some great examples of what can be done in the events that have already taken place (ahem, NextGen).
We keep coming back to what we’ve always done with our events. Creating a space for Paraplanners to gather to learn, fix and share.
This time the space isn’t in teepees, in a field, under (occasionally) blue skies. This time it’s online. And we’re taking those that join us to Paraplanners Paradise. A little-known beach side resort where the October weather is unseasonably warm.
And when we’re all gathered at the virtual beach, we’re going to pack in plenty of opportunities for our tourists to gather and learn, fix and shore!
Participants will have lots of opportunities to chat among themselves. Whether that’s in groups or on an individual basis, we’ve chosen to use a nifty piece of technology called Hopin that helps make this easier – making sure the technology doesn’t get in the way of Paraplanners speaking to other Pararaplanners.
Throughout the day, all huddles (topic specific conversations) will be hosted by Paraplanners and, as usual, participants decide where the topic takes them. You can find out more about huddle topics here.
No trip to a make-believe seaside resort (or a Paraplanners Assembly event) would be complete without unhealthy amounts of sugar, and we’ve got that in hand too. Just make sure you get to the package that arrives in the post before anyone else does.
We’ve got a studio and we’re not afraid to use it
But you know us. We like to have a bit of fun while we’re at it. So some parts of the day will come live from a studio. A studio with a beach in it. A beach with sand on it.
Some of the segments in the day will feature our seaside studio. Our two main hosts – Becca Tuck and Jonny Stubbs – will be broadcasting from the Paraplanners Paradise studio. In the afternoon, they’ll be joined by our Mega Clever Clogs, Laura Graham-Brown. Laura will be leading our Excel Slam. Forty-five minutes of pure excel expertise. Starting with a speed round of short cuts, Laura will then move on to solving the Excel problems and answering the Excel questions you send in live. It’s a first for us and, we think it’s the first time it has been done at a Paraplanner event.
What could possibly go wrong? Well this style of event is very new to us and there are quite a few moving parts so it could be an interesting ride. But where’s the fun in NOT trying out new ideas and ways of helping Paraplanners to gather together to learn things, fix things and share things?
Memories and souvenirs
As well as actual souvenirs (clear a space on your fridge), we hope the tourists who make their way to Paraplanners Paradise on the Big Day Out (In) will leave with fond memories, big ideas and new friends. You can see how we get on by following us at @ParaAssembly or the hashtag #bigdayoutin
If you’re a Paraplanner and interested in finding out more or saving your spot on the train, details of the day out are here.