Commercial, partnership and post-event problems
When a co-host announces a programme change without agreement
Your co-host has posted a revised session order on its channels, and your committee has not agreed to it.
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The short answer
Take a screenshot of the announcement, then compare it line by line with the last programme both hosts approved. Do not post a correction until the two hosts have spoken and agreed on who decides.
Check what the change does to the day, speakers and venue timings before taking a position. Use the same facts when you talk to the co-host, so the conversation stays about the programme and not about who acted first.
What is known and what is not
Write the facts down as they stand now. Anything in the middle column is checked, not assumed.
| Known | Not yet known | Who can answer |
|---|---|---|
| The announcement as posted, where and when | How many people have seen it or acted on it | Whoever manages each channel |
| The last programme both hosts approved, and its date | Whether any change was discussed informally | Both hosts' conference owners |
| Which sessions or speakers the new order affects | Whether affected speakers have been told or have agreed | Programme coordinator |
| Room hire hours and supplier call times | Whether the new order fits them | Venue contact; programme duration check |
| The co-hosting agreement or memorandum, if one exists | Who has the right to change the programme and how | Both hosts' signatories; legal adviser for the wording |
Who has authority to decide
Programme decisions in a co-hosted event belong to whoever the co-hosting agreement names, or, if nothing is written, to both hosts together. The chair of each host usually speaks for it.
What the agreement allows, and what either host may do about an unapproved announcement, are contractual questions. A project lead can lay out the facts and the choices, but cannot decide the contract position.
- Programme content and order: both hosts, per the agreement.
- Public correction or confirmation: one agreed spokesperson from each host.
- Speaker and venue changes: programme coordinator, after both hosts agree.
- Contract interpretation: legal adviser for either host.
The realistic options, including stopping or scaling down
List the realistic ways forward, including leaving the announced change in place and withdrawing it.
| Option | What it involves | Consequence to weigh |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the original programme | Co-host agrees to withdraw the post and both publish the approved order. | Quick to explain. The co-host's reason for the change is not addressed. |
| Accept the change | Both hosts review and approve the new order, then update their materials. | Speakers, supplier calls and venue hours may need changing. Check them first. |
| Agree a middle version | Adjust the order so both hosts' priorities are met. | Takes a meeting and a new approval. Messages stay on hold until then. |
| Pause all public updates | Both hosts stop posting programme details until agreed. | Delegates may notice silence. Set a date for the next update. |
| Scale down or postpone | Reduce the programme or move the date if agreement is not reached. | Real cost and goodwill implications. Check venue and supplier terms before offering this. |
Who says what to whom
Speak to your co-host directly, by phone or in person first, and follow up in writing. Say what you have seen, what was approved, and what you need agreed.
Short template to the co-host:
- We saw the programme post of [date] showing [change]. The last order both hosts approved is attached.
- Please can we speak by [date] to agree which version stands and who confirms it publicly.
- Until we speak, may we both hold further programme updates? We will check the effect on the venue and speakers in the meantime.
Follow-up and preventing a repeat
- Record every proposed and approved change in the change request builder so each has an owner, a reason and an approver.
- Compare the old and new order in the change impact comparator before either host replies in public.
- Check the new timings in the programme duration checker, including breaks and room-use hours.
- Log who decides what, and by when, in a decision log.
- Agree, in writing, who may announce programme changes and the approval needed first.
Worked example · Fictional example
Two fictional co-hosts and a moved keynote
Fictional organisations and illustrative times. No real event is described.
A fictional university faculty and a fictional professional association co-host a one-day forum. The faculty posts that the keynote moves from 9:30 to 14:00 and a new panel opens the day. The association never approved this.
The association's conference owner calls the faculty's contact, holds public updates, and checks with the venue that the room is hired until 17:00 and the keynote speaker is only free in the morning. The hosts meet and keep the keynote at 9:30, adding the new panel after lunch, and the faculty posts the agreed order.
Use this yourself
Programme change log
One row per proposed change. Do not publish a row until both hosts have approved it.
| Change | Proposed by and date | Sessions or speakers affected | Venue or supplier effect | Approved by both hosts? | Public update date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A written agreement names who decides and the change is small.
- The co-host agrees to withdraw or confirm quickly.
- Speakers and venue are not affected.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- There is no written agreement, or it is unclear who decides.
- Speakers, venue hours or a travel plan depend on the order.
- The relationship between hosts has become tense.
Want a neutral hand on the programme decisions?
A project lead can collect the approved programme, the announcement and the timing constraints, prepare the options for both hosts, and keep a single change log until the order is agreed. A planning diagnostic can review how co-hosting decisions are made and write down who approves what for the rest of the event. Contract interpretation stays with your legal adviser.
Questions organisers ask
Should we post a correction straight away?
Not before the two hosts have spoken. A correction made alone can add confusion. Agree one message and one spokesperson first.
What if speakers have already seen the new order?
Tell them the programme is being confirmed and that you will write again by a stated date. Avoid confirming times that have not been agreed.
Can we hold the co-host to the original programme?
That depends on the co-hosting agreement. Ask your legal adviser what it says before taking a position.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.