SURVIVING CONFERENCE PLANNING WITH 10 TIPS &
TRICKS!
Casey Thayer, CGMP
One of the main goals when planning a conference is for your
attendees to walk away with a memorable and impactful experience. Conferences are
a way for people to connect and communicate with others in their industry who
share the same interests and goals. Effective meeting planning is essential to
accomplishing this. Although not always easy, it is attainable. Here are the
top ten tips and tricks for planning a successful conference based on my
professional experience as a Certified Government Meeting Planner (CGMP).
1.
ORGANIZATION
IS KEY. If there is one thing I can’t stress enough it’s to be and stay
organized throughout the planning process. There are three parts to a
conference; pre-planning, the actual conference, and post-conference. Seventy
percent of your work will take place in the pre-planning stages before the
conference even takes place. You must remain organized or you will become
overwhelmed. Use spreadsheets, timelines, notebooks with tabs, whatever helps
you stay organized. For larger
conferences, online event planning software is key and will pay for itself in
time saved and errors avoided. See #4
below.
2.
START
EARLY. Begin your planning and timeline as early as you possibly can.
Venues book up fast, food and beverage negotiations can go back and forth for
months, not to me when you can start planning can depend on contracts and
client approval, it is important to make every effort to start as early as possible.
A year to nine months is not too soon to
start plannention, your attendees need time to get approval and register for
the event. Although the dating.
3.
AGENDA
FINALIZATION. No matter how early you start planning, people are going to
be looking for an agenda to see if the sessions and speakers peak their
interest. Set an abstract submission deadline and create a committee to review and
decide which speakers to select. The sooner you can finalize an agenda and a
key note speaker, the sooner you will see people registering for the event.
4. ONLINE REGISTRATION. Do away with paper
registration. In this era, there are more online registration options than you
can imagine. Use your registration website for registration, hotel booking,
logistics, FAQs, agenda, etc. If you are collecting funds set up a merchant
account to automate this process (Paypal
and many other services offer this for a small fee). The reporting options and
on-site registration opportunity will make your life easier. Ask about our
reseller discount for Cvent, the #1 event
planning software in the industry.
5. SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS. Use sponsors and/or exhibitors to defray
the costs of the event for attendees and/or fund meals, breaks and evening
social events. Determine your levels of
sponsorship and what benefits come with each level. Sponsor logos on the conference website,
banners, and programs … acknowledgements from the podium during plenary
sessions … pre- and post-conference email blasts … inserts in the conference
registration bags -- these are just a few of the creative ways that sponsors
can be acknowledged. Whether it’s a
networking event, reception, or print materials-use their money to help fund
your event while promoting their business.
6. SMART COLLATERAL. The signage and
materials handed out at your conference can really be a time saver if done
right. It will save both the attendees and the planner the hassle of asking
conference staff where rooms are, which way are the bathrooms, and who is
speaking in which session. The use of proper directional signage is key:
a. Rooms should be visibly labeled.
b. Agenda
should include room numbers and speaker names.
c. Include
a map of the venue with all areas of interest highlighted in the attendee
packets.
7. SUPPLY BOX. Have you ever managed a
conference and you find yourself in need of tape, a stapler, paper clips or
scissors? To save yourself time, prep yourself with a small box of office
supplies-including attendee materials like extra lanyards and name badges. Having a portable onsite printer is handy
because there is inevitably someone who needs to register onsite. All badges professionally printed instead of
some hand-written reflects well on your professionalism as an event
organizer.
8. A/V. It’s likely that your speakers
will have a PowerPoint they need shown on a large screen in the front of the
auditorium or room. One of the worst things is having your audiovisual not function
properly. This delays a speaker’s presentation (cutting into their allotted time),
wastes attendees time, and makes conference staff look unprofessional. When
touring venues, ask if there is a designated A/V person that will be assigned
to support your event. Get their contact information and keep them informed
with what you will need from them. If you have to hire an outside vendor for
A/V, get quotes and shop around. Look for customer ratings and make sure they
can provide what you need. During the
event, assign “room monitors” -- volunteers or event staff who will be
responsible for checking the A/V and setting up the presentations prior to each
session.
9. POSITIVE ATTITUDE. There is nothing
worse than being greeted by a grumpy, unfriendly person at the registration
desk. Make sure staff at the registration desk are upbeat and knowledgeable as
they can set the tone for your event. General
customer service training is advisable for all on-site support
staff--especially when you are hiring local students or temps just for the even. I use
a tailored version of industry best practices to cover the basics like
greetings and de-escalating stressful situations. Make the attendees feel welcomed and excited
for a great conference!
10. POST-CONFERENCE SURVEY. Always send out
a post conference survey. Not only will this let you know how well the event
was perceived by attendees, it will give you specific feedback on the sessions;
speaker choices; topics; the venue; social events and lunches -- all of which
will be helpful for planning next year’s conferences. Make sure to ask in the survey what you can
improve. Once the feedback is received
and compiled, hold a “hot wash” meeting with the key individuals responsible
for the conference to discuss what went well and what should be changed for
next time. Knowing these things and
reviewing lessons learned will make for a better conference the following year!
TIP: To increase the response rate, offer
a random prize as an extra incentive to people to fill out the surveys. Be sure to announce the winner--perhaps with
a “save the date” for next year.
All in all, no matter how much you prepare, something will
go wrong. There are so many details and
personalities--It’s inevitable. You can
minimize your risk by being prepared, however know that most things can be
fixed rather easily if you don’t panic and work with your team to sort out the
issues. You know you are a professional
planner when only you notice the mistake(s) while the attendees and your client
have a great time. After the conference
don’t forget to reflect on a job well done........and start the planning for
next year!
More information on Conference Planning:
CONFERENCES THAT
WORK: Creating Events That People Love by Adiran Segar
We've
Got to START Meeting Like This!: Creating inspiring meetings, conferences, and
events by Dana Wright
Need help with conference planning? Contact us about OPP’s BOOSTSM Conference
Planning services.
