Quality assurance and readiness gates
Event names and titles double-check
A misspelt name or a wrong title on a badge, slide or programme is small to fix early and awkward to explain afterwards.
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The short answer
Check names and titles against one source list, and make the person themselves the source: ask each speaker and guest to confirm how their name, title and organisation should appear.
Then check every place that list is used, such as the programme, slides, badges, signage, stage script and certificates, against that list and not against each other.
Build the source list
Make one table with a row per person: full name as they wish it shown, title or honorific they want used, role, organisation as they want it shown, language of display and the date they confirmed.
Do not assume titles or the order of honorifics. Ask the person, or their office, and record the answer. Where a protocol office is involved, ask what form of address they require.
Where names and titles appear
| Place | Common error | Check |
|---|---|---|
| Printed programme | Old title kept from last year | Against source list |
| Slides and stage script | Name spelt differently from the programme | Against source list; pronunciation noted for the emcee |
| Badges and signage | Organisation abbreviated or truncated | Against source list; proof shown to the person if they asked |
| Certificates, if issued | Name as registered rather than as the person writes it | Against the registration data and the person's request |
| Website and messages | Not updated after a change | Against source list; see attendee communication proof test |
| Translated versions | Name changed or transliterated differently | Same spelling across languages, see multilingual consistency review |
Names that need extra care
- Names with honorifics, titles of nobility or religious or academic forms: use the form the person gives you.
- Names written in more than one script: record each form and say which goes where.
- Names where order differs between cultures: ask which part is the family name.
- Names of organisations that rebranded: confirm the current form.
- Pronunciation for the emcee: ask the person to say it or provide a note.
Make the check repeatable
- Lock the source list and note the date and the person who owns changes.
- Check each output against the list, not against another output.
- Mark each checked item with the checker's name and date.
- After any change to the list, re-check every place the person appears.
- Ask the emcee or session chair to read the stage script aloud once.
Worked example · Fictional example
A secretariat double-checks 38 names before printing badges
Fictional organisation and figures, for illustration only.
A fictional engineering institute prepares badges and a programme for 38 speakers and guests. Checking against confirmations, it finds one speaker whose title changed after a promotion, and two organisation names that differ between the programme and the slides.
The source list is corrected, the programme and slides are regenerated from it, and the badge printer is sent only the corrected list. The emcee's script carries a pronunciation note for four names.
Use this yourself
Names and titles check table
Copy one row per person. A row is not complete until Confirmed by person has a date.
| Name as shown | Title or honorific | Role | Organisation as shown | Confirmed by person (date) | Programme | Slides and script | Badge | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You have a short list and speakers reply quickly.
- One person owns every output that carries names.
- There are no protocol requirements.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Many guests have offices or protocol teams that set the form of address.
- Names appear in several languages and several materials, made by different people.
- Late changes keep arriving and nothing re-checks them.
Want names and titles checked as part of final preparation?
A planning diagnostic can review how your guest and speaker details are collected, who owns changes and which materials carry them, then list what to settle before print and stage use. Confirmation of each person's preferred form still comes from the person.
Questions organisers ask
Should we copy titles from the person's website or LinkedIn?
Use them as a starting point only. Ask the person to confirm, because public profiles may be out of date or use a different form.
What if a speaker does not reply?
Record the form you are using and the source, and tell the programme owner. Decide who accepts the risk if it is printed unconfirmed.
How do we handle honorifics we are unsure about?
Ask the person or their office how they wish to be addressed. Do not guess.
When should the final check be done?
After the last confirmed change and before files go to print or to the stage team. Re-check any file produced after that point.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.