There are many reasons why you may want to host a business conference. It’s important that if you’re going to spend time and money on an event it goes smoothly and the attendees feel it was a rewarding and educational experience.
There’s a lot that goes into planning any event so you want to make sure you have the right planning team on your side and start preparing early. With the right approach and pieces in place, you can ensure a positive outcome and that you get the results you desire. Here you can review eight tips to help you plan an exceptional business conference.
- Set A Budget & Theme
A good place to start is to set a budget so you know how much you want to spend. Keep in mind there are numerous costs you’ll need to cover such as venue rental, catering, AV equipment, and marketing. It’s important that you have the funds you need and can avoid overspending. Now is also a good time to come up with a conference theme. It will help if you determine your goals and objectives and define a clear purpose for your business conference. For example, it could be for educational and networking purposes or to launch a new product and build brand awareness.
- Select the Dates & the Location
Another important step you’ll want to take care of is to select the days and the location of the business conference. Choose a time of year that makes sense and that you think will be a popular time for people to go on a business trip. Consider where your attendees are located and try to pick a central location that will be convenient for most. You also need to ensure the venue is large enough and suitable for your purposes. You want the venue to offer a positive experience for your attendees and be in an area where there’s plenty to see and do. Once you have the dates and location set it’s important to get out the invites so that people can mark their calendars and start booking travel.
- Plan the Agenda
One of the most important aspects of your business conference will be the agenda and what you will cover at your event. You want it to be educational, engaging, and interactive for the best results. Consider how many general sessions you’ll want to have and ensure you have plenty of space for running the amount of breakouts you’ll need. Come up with a diverse agenda that includes a mix of workshops, presentations, and networking opportunities. You can keep the attendees engaged by hosting Q&A sessions, running polls, and having different-sized breakout groups. Come up with catchy titles and names for your sessions and order any necessary signage so people know where they’re going. A good idea is to use correx board printing services which is a cost-effective, lightweight, durable, and versatile solution for conference signage.
- Secure Speakers & Special Guests
Now is also a good time to start reaching out and securing speakers and special guests for your business conference. Another option is to put out a call for speakers and have interested parties apply for the role so you can begin to narrow down your list. You want people who are good public speakers and will create a rewarding experience for your attendees. It’s wise to do your homework and read resumes and reviews for speakers you’re considering inviting. You want any special guests to be relevant and a good fit for your brand. Use a mix of genders and personalities so that your conference is fresh and unique.
- Promote the Event
Another tip to help you plan an exceptional business conference is to work on promoting the event. There are many different ways to do so depending on how much time and resources you have. Ideally, you’ll want to use a multi-channel approach by putting your messaging out on social media, online advertising, and email marketing. It’s also a good idea to provide your speakers and special guests with marketing materials that they can share with their audience and networks. It’s essential that if you want a good turnout you communicate the benefits of attending your conference and highlight what people will get out of it.
- Determine the Menu & Evening Events
You’re going to need to feed your attendees at your business conference. Keep in mind that you’ll want to offer a variety of menu options and foods to keep everyone happy. You may also want to reach out and gather any food allergies so you know what to expect. You’ll not only need to choose what to serve as the main meals but also for snacks and drinks. You may want to work with the venue to see what tends to be the most popular options. You should also plan some evening events with food and entertainment which will give your guests a chance to have fun along with networking and meeting new people.
- Ensure Proper Staffing
You want your business conference to go smoothly and avoid any confusion. In this case, you should ensure proper staffing at your event. If you’re short on help you may want to consider hiring a local event staffing agency to supply some workers. Be sure to properly train whoever is helping you with your event so they know how to offer support to the attendees and answer any questions. It’s especially important that you have registration staffed well so that the check-in process is quick and people aren’t waiting in long lines.
- Gather Feedback
After all your hard work is done, you’ll want to know how you did and performed. Plan an exceptional business conference by having proper follow-up measures in place. You’ll want to make sure you reach out and gather feedback from anyone who attended. It’s a good idea to not only have paper surveys in each breakout session but also send an email survey post-conference. This will help you clearly see what went well and be able to identify any areas for improvement that you can apply the next time around.
