AI Session Scheduling and Dates
The calendar is empty on purpose.
What is session scheduling?
Session scheduling at Duara means arranging AI sessions around a single organisation rather than selling public tickets, which is why no fixed calendar of dates exists and why dates are confirmed after the purpose of the session is agreed.
A public session has to serve everybody who bought a ticket. That means general examples, a level pitched at the middle of the room, and nothing that touches anybody actual work. It serves everyone approximately and nobody exactly.
A session arranged for one organisation can use your systems, your constraints and the decision you are actually facing. That is a better product, so it is the one we mostly run, and the visible cost is an empty calendar.
Open sessions do happen occasionally, arranged when there is a reason rather than to a schedule. If you want to hear about those, we keep a list for that purpose and use it for nothing else.
Why we would rather not sell you a seat
Duara arranges AI sessions for organisations across Kenya, on request rather than to a published calendar.
We would rather run a session for your team than sell you a seat at a general one. Public tickets would be easier to sell, and they would be a worse product, which is the whole reason the calendar looks empty.
Who this is for
- You want a session for your own team
- You are looking for public dates and finding none
- You want to be told when open sessions happen
- You need sessions on a recurring basis
Industries we serve
- Corporate teams
- Industry associations
- Public sector bodies
- Educational institutions
- Professional networks
- Any organisation training a group
Problems this solves
These are the reasons a published calendar would make the sessions worse rather than better.
- General sessions fit nobody exactly. Content that must serve every ticket holder cannot use anybody actual systems, constraints or decisions.
- Dates confirmed before purpose. Booking a date before knowing what the session is for produces preparation that misses, since preparation time varies with the purpose.
- Mixed rooms pull content down. A public audience spans wildly different starting points, and the session ends up pitched where it helps the fewest people.
- Events run to fill a schedule. Sessions arranged because the calendar looked bare rather than because somebody needed them waste everybody time.
What we deliver
Sessions arranged around one organisation, dates confirmed once the purpose is agreed, occasional open sessions announced to those who asked, and recurring programmes where sessions are needed regularly.
A session arranged around your organisation
Dates confirmed once purpose is agreed
On site, remote or hybrid delivery
Notice of occasional open sessions if you ask for it
Recurring programmes where sessions are needed regularly
A quote before anything is committed
Features
- Arranged, not scheduled. Sessions are built around one organisation, which is why dates come from the conversation rather than from a published list.
- Purpose before date. Preparation time varies with what the session is for, so confirming a date first produces preparation that misses.
- Open sessions announced, not advertised. Occasional open dates go to people who asked to hear about them, and that list is used for nothing else.
- Recurring programmes available. Where an organisation needs sessions regularly, a programme works better than repeatedly arranging one off dates.
- Delivery to suit the group. On site, remote or hybrid, decided by where people actually are rather than by what is convenient for us.
Benefits
- The content is about your work. A session for one organisation can use your systems and the decision you are facing, which a public one cannot.
- No wasted seats. You are not paying for attendance at something pitched at the middle of a mixed room.
- Timing suits you. Arranged dates can sit where they are useful, such as immediately before the work the session prepares people for.
- You hear about open dates. If public sessions suit you better, asking to be told means you find out when one is arranged.
What we need before confirming a date
- Who is attending. Roles and starting point, since the same topic needs different treatment for different groups.
- Rough numbers. Group size changes the format, because what works for eight does not work for eighty.
- What they should leave able to do. The single most useful answer, and the one that shapes the whole session.
- Where people will be. On site, remote or split, which affects both format and what is realistic.
- Any date you are working towards. A session landing just before the work it prepares people for is worth considerably more than one landing months early.
These four answers determine how much preparation a session needs, which is why a date cannot be confirmed before them. A date agreed first is a guess about work nobody has scoped yet.
How the process works, step by step
A few weeks notice is typical. That is preparation time rather than availability, since a session built around your work has to be built.
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Step 1
Free scoping conversation
We establish the audience, the numbers and what people should leave able to do.
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Step 2
Format and length proposed
Based on the group rather than a standard offering, since size and purpose change the shape considerably.
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Step 3
Quote before commitment
You see the cost before anything is booked, and can decline without having spent anything.
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Step 4
Date confirmed
Once the purpose is agreed, so the preparation time is known rather than guessed.
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Step 5
Materials prepared for you
Built around your systems and constraints, which is the reason for the notice period.
Quality assurance and how we work
The commitments attached to arranging rather than publishing sessions.
- We say when a session is not worth running. Sessions arranged to fill a calendar rather than because somebody needed one waste everybody time, including ours.
- We quote before you commit. You see the cost before anything is booked, and declining at that point costs you nothing.
- We do not confirm a date before the purpose. Preparation time varies with what the session is for, and a date agreed first is a guess.
- The notify list is used only for that. People who asked to hear about open sessions hear about open sessions, and nothing else.
- We tell you when a group is too large. Beyond a certain size the format stops working, and splitting it is better than pretending otherwise.
Frequently asked questions about session scheduling
Why are there no dates listed?
Because most sessions are arranged for one organisation. A general session serves everybody approximately and nobody exactly, so we mostly do not run them.
Can we still attend something public?
Occasionally. Open sessions happen when there is a reason rather than to a schedule, and we keep a list of people who asked to hear about them.
Would a public ticket be cheaper?
Per person usually, and it would be a worse product. Content that must serve every ticket holder cannot use your systems or your decisions.
How much notice do you need?
A few weeks typically. That is preparation time rather than availability, since a session built around your work has to be built.
Can you do it sooner?
Sometimes, and the shorter the notice the more the session resembles a general one, which is the trade you would be making.
What do you need from us first?
Who is attending, rough numbers, and what they should leave able to do. Those three answers shape everything else.
Why not confirm the date first?
Because preparation time varies with the purpose. A date agreed before the purpose is a guess about work nobody has scoped.
Can it run at our offices?
Yes, and on site usually works best for a single organisation, since people are in the room rather than half attending.
Can it run remotely?
Yes, and it changes the format. Remote sessions need shorter blocks and more deliberate interaction than the same content in a room.
What about a hybrid group?
Workable, and it needs handling rather than a camera pointed at the room, since remote attendees otherwise become spectators.
Is there a minimum group size?
No. Small groups often work better, since there is time for everybody to raise their own situation.
What if our group is very large?
We will say so. Beyond a certain size the format stops working and splitting the group is better than pretending otherwise.
Can we book a series?
Yes. Where an organisation needs sessions regularly, a standing programme works better than arranging one off dates repeatedly.
Do you run sessions outside Nairobi?
Yes, within Kenya and the region, with travel agreed as part of the arrangement.
Will you tell us if we do not need one?
Yes. A session arranged because a calendar looked bare rather than because somebody needed it wastes everybody time.
How do we join the notify list?
Ask, and we will let you know when an open session is arranged. It is used for that and nothing else.
Can we combine a session with other work?
Yes, and timing it just before the work it prepares people for is worth considerably more than running it months early.
Do you record sessions?
On request, agreed beforehand so the material is pitched for a recording as well as for the room.
Can we reschedule after booking?
Yes, and preparation already done carries over. We would rather move a date than run a session at a bad time.
What does a private session cost?
Group size, format and preparation determine it, quoted after the scoping conversation and before you commit to anything.
Glossary of terms
Scheduling terms in plain language.
- Private session
- One arranged for a single organisation, which is most of what we run.
- Open session
- An occasional session anybody can attend, arranged when there is a reason rather than to a schedule.
- Notice period
- The few weeks between agreeing a session and running it, which is preparation rather than availability.
- Hybrid delivery
- Part of the group in a room and part remote, which needs deliberate handling rather than a camera.
- Recurring programme
- A standing arrangement for organisations needing sessions regularly rather than once.
- Scoping conversation
- The free discussion that establishes audience, numbers and purpose before anything is quoted.
Related services in AI Events
Talk to us about session scheduling
Tell us who would attend and what you want them able to do afterwards. Everything else follows from those two answers.
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