Putting together a conference takes a lot of organisation, management, and cooperation from everyone involved. There are so many moving parts to bring together and plan perfectly so that your conference can become a success. From finding a venue to organising key speakers to selling tickets, there is so much to consider. The businesses attending will have expectations for the event itself to help those businesses achieve their goals. To help you to navigate the stressful world of conference organising, we’ve put together this list of 4 tips to help you when you’re organising a conference.
Table of Contents
Plan your event carefully
The first thing you should do when organising a conference is to have a clear outline of your aims for the event. What is it that you are looking to have achieved by the end of the conference, what is your conference offering that others don’t, and why should people come to your conference rather than a different one? Start by answering these questions and then formulate a clear and concise plan for your event. Plan to bring in some great speakers that are relevant and who your target market will want to hear from, and work out whether your conference is best suited to a virtual, in-person, or hybrid format. Keep the needs of speakers and attendees in mind and put together a relevant plan using this information.
Staff your event well
If you’re putting together an event, once you have a venue, the next thing to do is ensure that you have all the right staff for your event. One of the best ways to do this is by hiring an event staffing agency. Doing so will make sure that you have staff that are well-trained and experienced when it comes to handling big events and able to help your event to run as smoothly as possible.
Check-in, and then check in again
As the organiser of an event, it is up to you to be on top of everything and proactive when it comes to airing out the finer details of your conference. To make sure you do this well, be sure to check in with all of your speakers early and continue to check in regularly. Make sure that every speaker is organised well in advance for travel and accommodation arrangements, and be sure to check in with them about the direction their talks will take so that you can advertise effectively. It also helps to eliminate any chances of multiple speakers covering the same topics, meaning that your audiences will be able to stay engaged and interested for the duration of the conference.
As well as this, check in with your presenters to see if there is anything extra they need in terms of technology, access requirements or anything else that may come up so that you can organise any extras early on to make sure that everything runs smoothly.
Schedule time for smooth transitions
Something many event organisers forget is to include transition time in their events schedule. However, this is one of the most important things if you want to host a conference that feels well-planned and runs smoothly. Make sure that there is a 10-15 minute gap in between each panel or speech so that audiences can leave and a new audience can file in, speakers can run to the bathroom or grab a quick drink of water in between, and generally, everyone involved can have a much more relaxed and organised time at your event. This small detail will go a long way towards organising a successful event for everyone, from the participants to the attendees. Make sure there is time for everyone to meet their needs, and don’t forget to schedule lunch and coffee breaks to keep everyone fed, hydrated and happy!
Including some of these small details when you’re organising your own conference will help you to be able to put on the best conference that you can that inspires attendees and panelists alike. Make sure you communicate clearly with everyone involved and stay available and in touch for any questions that may arise, and schedule well so that you and your team of hired staff can have a calm and enjoyable time too!
