Planning for a large scale conference is not for the faint of heart. A lot of work goes into setting up a conference, especially if it’s your first time running one. There are a number of things you need to consider when you’re planning a conference, ranging from big picture things to tiny details. The best thing you can do is give yourself plenty of time to make decisions, find a venue, create branding, nail your target audience, and market the event. Then of course there are the logistics you’ll need to iron out as well as making sure the event goes smoothly and then ultimately following up after the conference has passed. While all of that can seem really daunting, we’ve put together a plan so you can start organising your thoughts and turn them into a reality.
12+ Months Out
Define Conference Goals and Objectives
Before you do anything else, you need to figure out what the purpose of your conference is. This is going to be the most important detail and you’ll constantly come back to it throughout your planning process. Once you know what the purpose is, you can identify your target audience and set some measurable goals so you can see if the event is a success once it happens.
Budgeting and Financial Planning
The next step in planning for a conference will focus largely on budgeting and financial planning. What is your initial budget? If you don’t have a number in mind, it’s back to the drawing board to really think about what the purpose of your conference is. When you know what the purpose is, you can usually determine how large it will be and in turn, how expensive it will be. Once you do know your initial budget, it’s a great idea to leave in some wiggle room because odds are you’ll end up over budget at the end.
If you’re not going to fund the conference yourself, it’s time to look for sponsors and create some partnerships with other brands that may also benefit from the purpose of the conference. This is a really good idea if you aren’t a huge company, yet you want to have a large event. After you do this, it’s time for venues!
Venue Selection and Booking
It may seem like it’s too early to start looking for a venue at 12 months, but conference venues are often hired out very far in advance. The venues that are equipped to handle a large-scale event are the ones that get booked year in and year out for the same events. If you have your heart set on a particular venue, it’s best to begin your search as early as you can. If you know there are things you’re very interested in like a venue being sustainable or having great accessibility, you should note these down.
You can do some research on your own, but if that sounds too stressful, you can always reach out to the VenueScanner for Business team. The team is here to help you find the perfect conference venue for your event. They have extensive knowledge on the best venues and will listen to your brief, find the venues that will work best for you, and then request proposals. They’ll organise site visits and contracts to make your experience as easy and stress free as possible. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, get in touch today!
Theme and Branding
Once you’ve booked a conference venue, you want to start to develop your conference theme and work on creating a logo and branding. It’s good to wait until you have the venue because a lot of them actually offer branding opportunities in their packages. Lots of venues will have the ability to change the LED lights to your brand colours, throw your logo up on screens throughout the spaces, and more.
9 Months Out
Program Development
Now that it’s getting a little bit closer to your event, it’s time to lock in your programming. Are you hoping to host panels? If so, what are the topics you want covered? Who would be your dream speakers? Make a wishlist and then try and get everyone on it. Have back ups in case someone isn’t available.
If sponsors or partners will be making presentations, it’s a good idea to have a general idea of what topic they’ll be covering. These things will most likely change as the event date gets closer, but it’s always helpful to have an outline of programming ahead of time.
Marketing and Promotion
Next up is getting the buzz going about your event! Marketing and promotion is so important when you’re trying to reach your target audience. Are you going to create a dedicated conference website? If you don’t have the resources to do that, you should at least have a page on your own website where you can share details about the event. Develop some marketing materials and figure out what your initial marketing push will be. You can go big with advertising or use social media to get the word out! There are so many options to use when it comes to marketing and promotion.
Logistics and Vendor Management
During this time you’ll definitely be in contact with the venue you’ve decided to book for your conference. Large conference venues will often have an events team that will help you plan your event and make sure everything goes off without a hitch. Find out from them if you need to secure any AV equipment externally or if they have everything in house. Use this time to set up tastings for catering, whether that’s with the venue or an agreed upon caterer. Having this stuff sorted early can help keep you on budget.
6 Months Out
Registration and Ticketing
Large conferences often set up their online registration early so people can get a jump on their plans. Establish ticket pricing, provide information on different tiers or ticket types, and begin to monitor registration numbers. It’s okay to oversubscribe your event a little bit as there will inevitably be drop outs as the event gets closer. Just make sure to check with the venue what the absolute max amount of people you can have is.
Sponsorship and Exhibitor Management
This is a great time to finalise any sponsorship packages you may have if you haven’t done so already. It’s also the right time to secure exhibitors. Most conferences will have some sort of exhibitors that are on theme with the topic of the event. Exhibitors will often pay a fee in order to exhibit. You’ll want to determine how many exhibitors you’ll be having, as well as where the stands will be inside of your venue. It’s a good idea to set up an exhibitor chart, so you know where everyone will be.
3 Months Out
Marketing and Promotion (Intensified)
Now’s the time to double down on marketing if you haven’t done so already. Ramp up your social media promotion, send out email reminders to your newsletter subscribers. Leave flyers or signage in relevant places. Shout from the rooftops if you have to! You want people to turn up to your conference, so make it happen by really promoting the event.
Finalise Program and Schedule
Three months will fly by, so make sure to start finalising your program and schedule for the conference. This is the perfect time to create a detailed schedule for the attendees, exhibitors, speakers, workers, and volunteers. This is also the time to arrange speaker accommodations and travel. You should also think about starting to print conference materials. In order to avoid waste caused by any typos or mistakes, check and recheck anything that will be printed in large quantities before you send out your big order.
Volunteer and Staff Coordination
You need people to help run your event, and odds are if it’s a large scale conference, your team won’t be able to do it all. You can recruit volunteers to help with some of the smaller stuff, but you’ll also need to hire workers who can help ensure your event runs smoothly. Oftentimes the venue can help source this, so be sure to ask. If you need to train your volunteers and staff, this is a good time to do it, so everyone knows what’s expected of them on the day of.
1 Month Out
Final Logistics Checks
One month before your conference, start to send out confirmations. Confirm that your venue will be set up the way you need it to be. Confirm any vendors you’ve hired. Prepare your registration materials. Finalise anything that can be done ahead of time so you’re not running around last minute.
Attendee Communication
It’s a good idea to send regular updates to your attendees once they’ve registered. Make sure everyone is getting a reminder email a month in advance. Send any pre-conference information including any travel or accommodation details. It’s a good idea to create a FAQ you can include that answers any questions that may keep popping up.
The Week Of
On-Site Preparations
If you have access to the venue during the week or days before your event, it’s time to start getting everything together. Set up your registration area and ensure there’s good signage and information around so people can see where they need to go upon arrival. Test your AV equipment so you’re not scrambling before a presentation or panel. It’s also helpful to have a final briefing with your staff and volunteers to check if they have any last minute questions.
During Conference
Registration and Check-In
During the conference you want to make sure everything is running smoothly and that all starts with the registration process. Manage the registration process to make sure everyone is being checked in properly. If any attendees need assistance, help.
Session Management
During the panels and presentations, help out where you can. You should have a team that can provide technical support if it’s needed, but having an idea of what’s happening when will allow you to help or find someone to help when necessary.
Attendee Engagement
Keep your attendees engaged throughout the day by facilitating networking opportunities with one another. It’s also important to chat to attendees to gather feedback and see what they think of the day’s programming.
Post Conference
Follow-Up
After the event has ended, make sure to follow up with the attendees and exhibitors. Send thank you emails to both groups along with a relevant survey where you can collect feedback for next time.
Get Finances Squared Away
Use this time to reflect on your budget and go over your expenses. If you haven’t done so already, pay vendors and any outstanding invoices. You can see if you went over budget or if you were able to keep things in check. It’ll be an opportunity to see what you can do differently if you decide to plan another conference in the future.
Reporting and Analysis
The last thing to do is to analyse the conference’s success. Did you stick with your original messaging? Did you meet your goals? Prepare a post-conference report so you can have everything in one place and you can really see how things went.
Planning a conference can be hard work, but it doesn’t have to be! It doesn’t matter if you’re looking in UK cities like London or Manchester or even in New York. We can take the venue sourcing part out of your hands so you can focus on the other stuff. Reach out to the VenueScanner for Business team for help with your next event.
