Planning a conference is never an easy job, even when you engage the services of competent service providers. At the end of the conference, you want all the participants to feel like it’s been the best conference ever and have an assurance that they’ve gotten value for money. Whatever the industry you are in, there are ways to make a conference more successful. The following are tips to help you plan a successful conference that will leave your participants yearning for more:
i) Start Planning Early
The key to success in any endeavor is advance planning. A general rule of the thumb for event planning is starting the planning process at least six months earlier. Depending on the nature of the conference you’re planning, you may need to plan a year earlier. Be sure to consider every possible factor, including; weather, holidays, school calendar and other related events. This will take you a step closer to hosting a successful conference.
ii) Choose the Right Venue
There are many conference venues around the country and each one of them is different. Some venues are small while others are large and can host tens of thousands of participants. Depending on the number of participants you are targeting, you need to choose the right venue. The reputation of a venue should also be considered. You’ll come across venues that have previously hosted amazing conferences and have developed a wonderful reputation in the industry, so be sure to give them priority consideration. Speak to Black Label Events to help choose the right venue.
iii) Pick a Suitable Conference Theme
Before deciding whether or not to attend a conference, participants usually look at the theme. If they do not like the theme, they’ll ignore your conference. Be sure to spend some time thinking about the theme and create one that can catch the eye of the reader and evoke an emotional response. The best themes usually tell the attendees exactly what they’ll take away from the conference. This helps them decide whether or not the conference is worth attending. Try making your theme shorter without compromising on the message.
iv) Look for Great Speakers
It’s common knowledge that most people will attend a conference simply because they’ve seen the name of a great speaker on a banner or billboard ad for the conference. There are speakers who are known to inspire and motivate conference participants and organizers alike while delivering high quality content. Obviously, the availability of these speakers and your budget will dictate whether or not you’ll be able to have them attend your conference. This means that your conference date may also depend on the availability of the main speakers you’re targeting for the event.
v) Delegate Duties
To have a successful conference, you will need to delegate some duties to your planning team. You must have a marketing team, planning team, sponsorship’s team, an administrative team and some volunteers. These teams will help make the event a great success.
vi) Find Sponsors
Every organization is always looking to build their brand, so you can easily find sponsors. Your sponsorship team will have to reach out to organizations in different fields. This should include; catering and accommodation businesses, local banks and other types of organizations that may may contribute financially or in kind towards making the conference a success.
vii) Use Promotional Products
One of the best ways of ensuring you have a successful conference is giving out promotional products to all the attendees. The attendees should not have to buy pens and notepads. Therefore, be sure to give each participant a branded high quality pen and branded notepad to write on. There should also be high-quality branded t-shirts for every participant. Promotions Warehouse have suggested the following is a list of other promotional products you can give out:
– Promotional conference bags
– Branded USB flash drives
– Branded confectionery
– Branded water bottles
When choosing promotional products, you need to be creative while considering both usefulness of the products as well as their costs.