Saturday, August 18, 2012

How to Plan a Business Conference

Sandbox event planning sketch
Sandbox event planning sketch (Photo credit: edmittance)

Business conferences are meant to inform and invigorate a companies team. The conference brings together people, giving them a place to network with other like minded people and build strong business relationships. Choosing a proper conference venue in hand with proper planning and preparation will guarantee your event is a success.

Planning
Preparation is the key to a successful conference. It's important to begin your planning well ahead of time. Starting your planning a year before the event occurs is not unreasonable. On the planning committee should be staff familiar with the purpose of the event. The committee should have an event specialist who can coordinate conference logistics.

Budget
A budget is necessary to stay in line with your desired goals. You do not want to spend to much money on one facet of the event and fall short in funding on other critical components. Specific budget items are venue (hotel, auditorium, etc.), catering, equipment (A/V, computing, podiums, etc.), speakers (fee/honorarium, per diem, travel, lodging, entertainment), marketing, conference materials, and staff.

Conference Venues
Finding good conference venues that provide the necessary staff familiar with events is critical. Hotels and convention center staff are trained and have the experience to provide competent hosting. When comparing venues you can negotiate complete event packages including facilities, catering , equipment rental, and hotel rooms. Easy to manage travel to locations that may be located in downtown or airport locales may afford easy travel to and from the event.

Speakers
Contract with speakers well in advance of the event dates. Obtain samples or summaries of the speakers remarks before hand. Any equipment needs should be arrange well before hand. Arrange travel and accommodation needs with the speaker early.

Conference Registration
Getting people informed about the conference needs to be set up. Create a website with a way to register and inform participants. The website should have a way to register online and through the mail. It should have the capability to allow participants to pay for the event online. Conference details concerning event location and a run down of the conferences events should be included.

There is much to do when organizing a business conference. Planning is key to creating such a large event. Be sure to allow plenty of lead time to organize. For more information on suitable venues visit venuefinder.com.

Enhanced by Zemanta

3 comments:

  1. I am satisfied with the article posted above. All the factors are important for a business conference. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. conference facilities in cambridge, london and wales is a good place to start searching for an ideal meeting room. First impression are key when meeting new clients and potential business partners.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah it's not that easy as you think. But now you can find a lot of nice conference venues in online booking systems like this one: https://www.tagvenue.com - check this out and book your venue for all kind of events!

    ReplyDelete


Join 1000's of People Following 50 Plus Finance
Real Time Web Analytics