So you’ve decided to organise a conference. Quite a task!
You should start planning the conference at least six months prior to the date. (For larger conference, the planning might start a year in advance.) You’ll be keeping track of a lot of moving parts.
You must have a million questions on your mind. Where do you start? How do you find the right speakers to invite? Which venue will best suit your needs?
Not to worry.
The truth is, even though organising a conference is a demanding endeavour, you’re not the first one to face it. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s all about following a few specific steps.
We’ve prepared this top-level guide on how to organise a conference. It’ll walk you through the main steps involved and link you over to valuable tools and articles that will make your job a lot easier. The steps aren’t strictly chronological---you may well start contacting potential speakers before you’ve secured a venue---but they give you a rough idea of what to focus on first.
Ready to start arranging that conference?
Assemble your A-team
Chances are, you won’t be organising a whole conference all by yourself. (In fact, we’d be shocked if that were the case.)
You’ll need a dedicated team of people to assume responsibility for different aspects of the planning, negotiations, and promotion. Your core team will likely include:
Planning team: Conference venue, accommodation, activities, catering.
Administration team: Budgeting, attendee registration, ticket sales. This team/person will also be the main point of contact for questions related to the conference.
Marketing team: Contacting the media, creating promotional material, managing your website, blog, and social media activities.
Sponsorships team: In charge of securing sponsors, applying for grants, and fundraising. (Only relevant for conferences that rely on external sources of finance. Obviously)
Volunteers: Helping with all on-site activities on the day of the conference: door management, ticket scanning, keeping track of the guest list, manning the wardrobe, guiding people, etc.
Your main job will be to coordinate the team, set priorities, and delegate tasks.
Prepare a budget & business plan
Whether your conference is funded by sponsors or not, you’ll have to put together a budget. You need to know where your money is being earned and spent.
Having a budget will also help you set the price for participating in the conference. Here are the most common items you’ll want to budget for:
Venue
Accommodation
Transportation
Catering
Speaker fees
Activities
Marketing
Team members
Preparing a budget with realistic estimates will also come in handy when searching for venues and negotiating contracts.
Settle on a date
Now it’s time to decide when your conference will take place. As discussed, that date should be anywhere from six months to a year ahead.
You also need to find out how long the conference will last. Industry consensus suggests that a conference with around 300 participants calls for two full days. Larger, more in-depth conferences may stretch for even longer.
Here are some great rules of thumb to keep in mind:
Pick a date that doesn’t conflict with other major events like festivals. City-wide events make booking flights more expensive and generally hinder transportation to and from the conference. Besides, you don’t want your conference to compete for attention with big events.
Avoid summer and winter holiday periods when people tend to go on vacation. It’s best to aim for a date between the middle of March and end of June or from early September to late November.
Never plan a conference during the weekend. For most participants, attending a conference is a part of their job, so schedule it during the workweek.
Try to aim for the end of the week, so that traveling attendees get the chance to stay behind and sightsee during their time off. The best days for a conference are Thursday and Friday.
Setting a date will give you a fixed point to count back from to better plan your preparations.
Book the venue
Once you know the date, you can start looking for available venues that match your requirements.
In general, venues might fall into three categories:
University campuses: These are best suited for smaller, academic events and are relatively cheap to hire.
Hotels: These typically have dedicated conference facilities and own catering. They’re the best all-in-one choice since they offer both accommodation and conference space. They also tend to be the most expensive option.
Independent venues: This category includes all other types of venues that can host conferences. Many of these specialise in specific types of events.
But the cost of the venue is just one part of the puzzle. Here are a few other factors to consider when looking for the right venue:
Size: Booking a too-small venue where everybody has to squeeze into a tiny room is clearly a bad idea. Similarly, securing a giant venue for a relatively modest crowd will not only hurt your wallet but also make the conference feel empty and poorly attended.
Location: It’s best to pick a somewhat secluded location so that participants are better able to focus on the conference itself. Even better if the venue has calming, picturesque surroundings to help people relax.
Atmosphere: It’s crucial that the vibe of the venue suits your target audience and theme. You don’t want to host a business conference inside a giant gym, for instance.
Facilities: Does the venue have the proper layout and the right conference room styles for your needs? Does it have the necessary facilities like e.g. smaller rooms for breakout sessions?
Accommodation: Does the venue provide accommodation or are there hotels nearby?
Catering: Is catering included or can external catering companies easily get to and work inside the venue? If not, are there suitable restaurants and cafes in the area? (Keep in mind any special dietary requirements: vegan, kosher, nut-free, etc.)
Transportation: How easy is it for participants to travel to the venue by public transport? Are there enough parking spots for those who drive?
Technical aspects: Does the venue have the right IT, audio, and video equipment? You’ll need projection screens, microphones, plenty of charging spots for participants, and---of course---solid WiFi access.
When negotiating with potential venues, try to arrange for early access to the place so that you can do a “dry run” or a walkthrough with your team prior to the conference. You should be able to ensure that every detail is in place before the big day.
Quick tip: If you find a great venue that’s just out of your budget, see if you can negotiate a lower fee in return for a multiyear contract (provided you’re organising a recurring conference). If you think finding the right venue is too demanding, consider getting a venue finder to take care of it for you.
Arrange catering & other vendors
Typically, a dedicated conference venue will also provide on-site catering. If that’s not the case, you’ll need to bring in external vendors.
Decide on what type of refreshments you want to offer and how many breaks there’ll be for food. Reserve up to an hour for lunch and a few 15-20 minute breaks for coffee and snacks. Remember: If there’s room in your budget, it’s always best to go for proper hot meals instead of sandwiches when it comes to lunch.
You want to be sure that the catering company can handle the logistics on the day of the event. Your best bet is to find a local company close to the conference venue to avoid potential traffic-related issues and delays.
Don’t forget to check how far in advance the caterer needs to know the final headcount, the menu, and any special dietary requirements. That way you’ll also know what “RSVP by” date to put on the conference invite.
Think about any other external vendors you might need, such as a decorating company or suppliers of special IT equipment.
Line up your speakers
This may just be the most critical step of all. Your speakers are the stars of your conference. You want a solid lineup in order to attract attendees and guarantee a professional experience.
One sure way to gain traction here is to first secure one big-name speaker. Someone who is very well-known and respected within the field. This will boost your credibility in the eyes of other potential speakers and make them more likely to sign up.
Start looking for thought leaders that focus on the same themes as your conference. Create a prioritised list of potential speakers you’d like to invite. Then start making those calls and writing those emails.
Here are a few things to address:
Compensation: Do they require a speaker fee or other forms of compensation to participate?
Supporting equipment: Does their presentation rely on specific IT equipment or other props?
Special requirements: Do they have specific dietary preferences? Will they need to have transportation and accommodation arranged for them?
Work through your list as you gradually fill up the allotted time slots with quality speakers.
But don’t throw away that list just yet! You want to have plenty of backup speakers in case some of your first-priority ones cancel. You should always have a Plan B.
You can also consider recruiting some local speakers. You’ll save on transportation and lend an air of authenticity to the conference.
Host the conference
The big day is finally here!
Provided that you’ve followed all the above steps and have a team of volunteers in charge of on-the-day activities, there shouldn’t be much for you to worry about.
Here are a few situations that might require your attention:
Calling up backup speakers in case of any last-minute cancellations
Personally introducing the conference and the main speakers
Making sure presentations don’t run past the allotted time
Participating in networking and facilitating conversations
Gathering in-person attendee feedback as the conference unfolds
Communicating with journalists and others reporting on the conference
Today, you reap the fruits of your hard work and get to enjoy the (hopefully) inspiring conference.
Credit: Billetto UK
https://billetto.co.uk/l/how-to-organise-a-conference
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