We host a lot of meetings -- close to a thousand each year. Most of these are relatively easy and repetitive. A few times each month, we have days that are much more complex than normal. Sometimes the meetings are just larger or more numerous than normal. Sometimes a group has ordered more elaborate lunches. Sometimes we simply have a lot more details to capture, track, and execute. That's why we invented the "Big Day Sheet."

The "Big Day Sheet" is a form that we fill out to help us think through and capture all of the extra details required in a bigger than normal day. It's not terribly complex, but it helps us ask ourselves questions we might forget. The questions are based on our 9+ years of past experience with days like these. The Big Day Sheet helps us both plan and execute big days more smoothly. It becomes our game plan and a way to consistently inform our staff of everything that needs to be done.

Our Director of Guest Happiness, Elizabeth, is the keeper of our Big Day Sheets. She has taken the sheet to a whole new level by organizing the information and making sure names are assigned to specific tasks.

Why this is one of our favorite sparks:
Big days are important to us for two reasons. They are easy to screw up and they make us good money. If we screw up a big day, we could easily lose future business with our customers, so the short term gain of a big day could easily be offset by long-term loss. When big days run smoothly, the clients are extra happy. An added bonus is that our staff is also rewarded emotionally knowing that they kicked butt!