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Conference Planning: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Success

Great Fundraising Events: From Experience to Transformation.

Conferences are an important part of professional development and business networking for all industries. Bringing people together from all around the world in the same industry to learn and share is essential for innovation. A successful conference can come in all shapes and sizes, from 200 people over a weekend to 15,000 for a week.

Bloomerang Volunteer has had the privilege of working with many conferences, some of which are the largest in their industry. Through this, Bloomerang Volunteer understands the complex logistical challenges and planning that go into setting up a conference for success. Planning a conference can be a large undertaking, but this step-by-step checklist will help ensure whatever you plan will be a success.

Table of Contents

Getting started: 8-12 months out, ramping up: 4-8 months out, building excitement: 1-4 months out.

• The Weeks Before Your Conference

After the Conference

There is a lot of planning that goes into an in-person conference event. That’s why it is so important to start your conference planning process well in advance. It is helpful to review your successes and shortcomings from your last conference and use that information to help inform your planning this time around.

Task #1 – Establish your goals and objectives.

To plan and execute an amazing conference or corporate event, you need to first decide specifically what you are trying to accomplish. Ask yourself what type of conference attendee you want to attract, as well as how you can make sure the conference relates to your brand. What kind of value do you want to provide, and which organizations and speakers would make ideal partners for your event?

In order to do this, you need to answer some basic questions:

• What do you want the takeaway to be?
• What will people learn from your conference?
• Who is your target audience?
• Does your event need to turn a profit? If so, what is that profit target?
• How much will tickets cost?
• What charitable work will your conference do?
• Where will your event take place?
• How many people will attend your event?

By answering these questions, you will begin to see a clear picture of your conference objectives and the foundational elements needed to make it a success.

Task #2 – Choose a format and theme.

Your conference’s format and theme will form the basis of your attendees’ and sponsors’ experiences at your conference. As such, you should choose a theme that will attract your target audience and shine the spotlight on your brand. Your theme should be apparent to attendees and coherent throughout the event.

Here are a few conference themes to spark some ideas:

• Destination Innovation
• Journey To The Top
• Partners In Progress
• Mission Possible
• Back To The Future

Once you have a theme to act as your guide, the next step in the conference planning process is to decide your conference format. There are so many event formats to choose from, and you can also combine formats to deliver a unique experience for your attendees.

Here are a few formats that you can incorporate in your conference:

• Large Seminars
• Industry Panel Discussion
• Workshop Session
• Round Table
• Speed Networking (Like Speed dating)
• Gamification Sessions

Whatever format(s) you select for your conference, it is important to consider what will make your event stand out from your competitors. The more memorable and impactful your conference is, the greater success it will have for years to come.

Task #3 – Set your budget.

Now that you have a clear idea of what kind of conference you will be planning, the next step is to establish a budget to make it all happen. There are so many line items that make up a conference budget so it is important to account for all of them and then some for incidentals along the way.

Establishing Your Fixed Costs

There are many fixed costs in conference planning that will inevitably make up the most considerable portion of your event budget. These costs are not typically affected by the number of attendees at your event — they are what they are.

Examples of fixed costs are:

• Event Venue
• Equipment (AV tech)
• Licenses and Permits

Establishing Your Variable Costs

There are a lot more variable costs than fixed ones when it comes to conference planning. Variable expenses are all the extra things that depend on your number of attendees, marketing costs, and all the extra touches that make your event unique.

Examples of variable costs include:

• Meals per attendee
• Marketing and advertising
• Social event cost
• Shuttle or transportation service
• Event staff & volunteer management software
• Print materials
• Giveaways and speaker gifts

Once you have a clear understanding of all the line items required to make your conference a success, you can begin to establish your conference budget. Don’t forget to allot some extra money for any last-minute expenses that come up along the way.

Now that you have a clear idea of what your conference is and all the activities you will have for your attendees, it’s time to start planning how you are going to deliver those incredible experiences.

Task #4 – Choose a location and set a date

There is no conference without a venue and date. So now it’s time to get that all sorted out so you can begin planning your logistics. A great conference needs a great venue. If you are new to organizing conferences, ask other organizers what venues have worked for them for past events.

When you have found a potential venue, ask yourself:

• Is this venue accessible?
• Is it close to suitable accommodations?
• Will attendees find parking easily?
• Is the size suitable for the audience size you imagine?
• Does the venue have availability for the preferred event date?

Most of the time, an event date is determined by a venue’s availability. However, if the date is more important than the venue, you will need to prioritize finding a venue that accommodates that date. Once you have your venue/location and date set, it’s time to rally the troops to make this event happen.

Task #5 – Recruit a team of volunteers

Every good conference needs a team of dedicated individuals to keep things running. Rather than hire an entire crew to do this for your conference, why not use volunteers ? Many attendees would love to volunteer some of their time for a reduced conference ticket, or students would love to participate if they’re looking at getting involved in the industry post-graduation.

Volunteers are an essential part of most of the largest conferences in the world. So why not try to recruit some help from motivated individuals. Bloomerang Volunteer management software has helped conferences recruit, schedule, manage, and communicate with volunteers.

Getting started is simple; you just have to create a custom branded volunteer sign-up form and post it to your conference website. From there, interested volunteers can sign up directly for shifts they are qualified to work.

Here is an example of how volunteer management software can make an impact:

“ Social Media Marketing World went from an event with only 50 staff to more than 200 staff. There were 4,500 attendees, more than 600 shifts worked, and over 4,000 hours worked. Event manager Jaci Feinstein summarized the experience by saying, “Bloomerang Volunteer is worth every dollar to be able to streamline and better manage, communicate, organize your volunteers. It allows you and your volunteers to focus on what is really important.”

Task #6 – Book speakers and vendors.

Now it’s time to book all those people and organizations that will make your conference a memorable experience. You have likely created a list of desired speakers and vendors for your event. Now it’s time to secure those people for your event.

Booking Your Speakers

You will want to secure a few keynote speakers that are well known, as well as other speakers who can offer their expertise to your attendees. Securing your main speakers is incredibly important because you can’t effectively build your event schedule and marketing plans without them.

Booking Your Vendors

Your vendors are the people who will ensure that attendees are comfortable, fed, and entertained, so you must select the best vendors possible. There are many vendors to secure for your event, from Wifi providers and caterers to equipment rentals and attendee software. It is important to keep track of each vendor’s contract and deliverables to ensure there are no surprises when they start work.

Task #7 – Search for sponsors.

Sponsors are a huge source of revenue to help offset initial event costs. Corporate sponsorship is a common practice for industry conferences; often, industry vendors will be looking to sponsor events. To attract sponsors, it is important to establish all the various events and material available for sponsorship and then create sponsorship packages for your team to send to your list of ideal sponsors.

Remember that sponsors should be getting measurable value out of their money, so make sure to include numbers in your packages. The more successful the event is for your sponsors, the more likely they will be eager to contribute more next year.

Now it’s time to get everyone excited about your event. This is when to start sharing all the amazing things you have planned for your event to attract attendees and more volunteers to your conference.

Task #8 – Build your website.

Many event producers will choose to build an event-specific website for marketing and attendee registration. Other companies will simply add event specifics pages to their existing corporate website. Whichever way you choose, all the information an attendee, vendor, or volunteer needs must be available and easy to find online.

Here are some core pieces of information you need on your website:

• Event date and location
• Key speakers and activities
• Ticket and registration portal with payment gate
• A volunteer page with online registration
• Vendor and sponsorship information

Task #9 – Promote your event.

Now it’s time to start promoting your event to your network and to your target audience. What makes your event stand out from the crowd? Take that unique sales proposition and use it as a core pillar in all your marketing efforts .

When creating your marketing materials, it is important to use your theme and brand to stand out and create material in any medium . For example, a video on social media and YouTube can go a long way but so can a great graphic in an email. The more you have to work with, the more channels you can market in.

In today’s market, it is very important to use multiple channels to market your event. Here are marketing channels to promote your event:

• Email marketing to your network
• Social media channels
• Industry publications
• Paid social ads

Be consistent with posting and make sure to drive people to your registration and volunteer signup forms. By spreading the word as widely as possible, you’ll get your conference in front of more people, directly impacting event attendance.

Task #10 – Draft a schedule.

As you fill speakers slots and seminar hosts, keep a draft version of your schedule. Your event schedule is a key tool for you and all your stakeholders, like vendors and volunteers . Your schedule will change, but as your conference approaches, it is important to make your conference schedule available so everyone else has to make plans around it.

The Week Before Your Conference

As your event approaches, it’s time to make sure everything is all in place, and everyone knows what they need to do to set up your conference and ensure its success. This phase of conference planning is critical and will require a lot of last-minute adjustments and patience. Everyone on your team as well as all your speakers, vendors, and volunteers must have all the information they need to their best work.

Task #11 – Send Final Reminders.

As the conference approaches, it is vital to ensure everyone is meeting important deadlines and milestones. This is when reminders communications come in handy for everyone. Make sure to keep people updated on your event’s progress and any changes that need to be made to the schedule.

As for your vendors, sponsors, and volunteers, you will need to be in contact with a lot during the last few weeks leading up to the event. Consider assigning a staff member for each group, and ask them to keep their group updated on all the information and changes that can affect their job. Good communications will ensure the event setup goes smoothly.

Task #12 – Give your volunteers the final rundown.

Now that you have assembled an amazing team of volunteers, it’s important to equip them with all the training and tools they need to thrive. Volunteers should be trained on general safety regulations and receive specific training concerning the roles and responsibilities they will be tasked with during the event.

This is the time to ask your volunteers to download the volunteer app from your volunteer management software to access their personal volunteer schedule and event documents. This app should also allow them to check-in to shifts and communicate directly with their supervisor. Your volunteers are the people that will be the face of your event, so the better equipped they are, the better they can ensure your attendees have a great experience.

Once your conference is over, there are still some things to accomplish to ensure you set up next year for success. It is so important to document and track all the successes you had and any shortcomings that arose during your event. The more you learn, the more you can improve.

Task #13 – Survey your audience.

There is no way to tell if your attendees had a good time without asking them. This is when an online survey can help you learn how your event did. Create an online survey that asks questions about specific topics like location, food, session and speakers, and general feelings about your conference. All the problems in your survey should help you better understand how you can improve your event.

The survey should be distributed no more than a day or two after your conference. You want to ensure that your event is still fresh in everyone’s mind to collect the most accurate information possible.

Task #14 – Share any follow-up resources.

There was a lot of information and resources made available to your attendees throughout your conference, but some of those resources may inevitably be lost or forgotten. Make sure to share any event-specific resources and videos with your attendees through email and social channels shortly after your conference. You naturally want everyone to receive the maximum value from your event, so this extra effort can go a long way.

Now it’s time for you to start planning a fantastic event. This article should simply act as a jumping-off point for your conference planning. Bloomerang Volunteer can help you deliver a specular conference by helping you build an outstanding team of skilled, loyal & committed staff and volunteers. To learn more, click here to take a tour or explore the list of resources below.

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Conference Planning 101 (Plus a Checklist!)

If you’re considering hosting a conference, we say go for it — it’s an amazing way to offer professional development to your community, provide them with networking opportunities, and grow your own presence in your industry.

Every successful conference starts with a well-thought out plan. That’s why in today’s post, we’ll be going over everything you need to know to plan your best conference. From finding a venue to hosting your post-mortem meeting, we’ll cover every step.

Looking for a checklist you can use for your conference planning?

Download our FREE conference planning checklist. Just fill in the form below to grab your copy.

Here’s Your FREE Conference Planning Checklist

What’s a Good Conference Plan?

A good conference plan is detailed, yet highly organized and easy to follow. It includes clear goals, milestones, and timelines for achieving them. It covers everything you need to do before, during, and after the conference.

Most importantly, creating a conference plan is not a one-and-done activity — it’s a collaborative effort that needs to be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary.

Before You Start Planning

Before you actually start planning your conference, there are a few essential decisions you need to make and tasks you need to complete:

1. Assemble a Team

Who will be involved in organizing this conference? Who will be responsible for what? If you don’t have enough staff members who can dedicate their time to planning this conference, can you assemble a volunteer committee?

2. Set Objectives

What are you hoping to achieve with this conference? How many attendees, new contacts, or new members are you hoping to gain? How much revenue are you looking to generate?

3. Identify Your Target Audience

Who is this conference for? Who would be interested in attending and what would they gain from it? Answering these questions will help you better promote your conference and attract the right kind of ticket buyers.

4. Come Up With a Theme and Format

Your conference doesn’t necessarily have to have a theme but it can help you tie everything together and put on a cohesive event. Your theme can be seasonal, related to a current trend, or the general landscape within your industry.

Also think about the format of your conference. Will it be in-person, virtual , or hybrid? How many days will it last and how many sessions will you offer?

5. Develop a Budget

How much money do you have to spend on this conference? Will you be looking to offset some of your costs with sponsorships? Where can you save money and where do you need to spend a bit more? (For example, a great keynote speaker will be well worth the cost.)

How To Keep Your Team Motivated When Planning a Conference

Planning a conference is a big undertaking and can often last an entire year. Your planning committee might feel overwhelmed, stressed, or even burned out by the process. Here are a few tips to help make sure that doesn’t happen:

• Give everyone clear jobs and set expectations
• Set lots of manageable mini-goals and assign mini-tasks
• Regularly remind your team about your mission and vision, as well as your objectives for this conference
• Share wins and celebrate even the smallest achievements in the planning process
• Maintain open communication and make sure your team knows that they can ask for help and guidance at any time

17 Steps for Planning a Successful Conference: Your Conference Planning Checklist

Now, without further ado, let’s take a look at the 17 steps you need to take to plan a successful conference. These are roughly broken down by when they should be completed. Use this checklist as a guide, but ultimately, your own timeline will depend on the size and format of your conference, as well as the size of your team.

Let’s dive in!

9-12 Months Before the Conference

1. book a venue.

If you’re organizing an in-person or hybrid conference, finding a venue should be your number one priority. Start with the venue and select your conference dates based on its availability, as opposed to the other way around. This will guarantee you’ll find something that fits your goals and vision for the conference.

When looking for a venue, consider the following:

• The size of your conference (How many attendees do you expect?)
• The format of your event (How many sessions will be happening at the same time? How many rooms will you need? Where will attendees have a chance to network with each other?)
• Your conference’s theme (If possible, find a venue that reflects it.)

When booking a venue, be sure to inquire about any additional fees and regulations, accessibility, and possible accommodation for out-of-town attendees.

2. Confirm Date(s)

Once you’ve selected a venue, work with them to finalize the date(s) of your conference. Do this as soon as possible, as you’ll need to share this date to everyone involved in the next steps.

3. Create a Master Plan

Starting with Day 1 of the conference, work backwards and list every single task that needs to be done, its deadline, and who’s responsible for completing it. Use this checklist as a starting point and fill it with more details — no task is too small to be included in the master plan. Share this plan with everyone involved, refer to it regularly, and update it as necessary.

4. Choose Your Technology

If your conference will be virtual or hybrid, you’ll definitely need a conference platform — this is where your virtual guests will attend sessions and engage with you and each other.

Regardless of the type of conference you’re organizing, you’ll also need a few other tools, such as:

• A website builder
• Event registration software
• A customer relationship management (CRM) system, where you will keep track of your attendees and communicate with them
• A project management tool for keeping track of deadlines, speakers, vendors, budget, etc.

6-9 Months Before the Conference

5. find speakers.

Inspiring and knowledgeable speakers are in high demand, so reach out to them as early as you can. Great speakers will help you promote your conference and attract more attendees. And it’s not just because people are eager to learn from them, but because everyone wants an opportunity to network with them.

Look for experts in your industry, your organization’s own network, or your local connections. If you need help, the National Speaker’s Bureau is a good place to start.

Read More: The 6 Best Ways to Find a Speaker for Your Association Events

6. Find Sponsors and Exhibitors

Hosting a conference is an expensive undertaking, and finding a sponsor (or a few) can really help keep costs down. Plus, people are more likely to attend a conference if it’s backed by a well-known and trusted company.

For the sponsor, it’s a great opportunity to act on their values, get their brand in front of new audiences, and attract new customers. This mutually beneficial partnership can be the start of a long term relationship, with many more future opportunities for collaboration.

When reaching out to potential sponsors, be sure to look for companies whose values align with yours and who support your mission and vision.

You may also wish to open up your conference to exhibitors — these are companies who’ll pay a fee or offer you their services in exchange for permission to set up a booth and engage with your attendees.

Read More: How to Get Sponsorships: The Complete Guide

7. Develop Branding

Branding affects how potential ticket buyers will feel when they come across information about your conference. It includes things like your conference name, slogan, logo, color palette, messaging and imagery. In order to attract attendees, these things need to be unique, cohesive, and inspiring.

Take time to brainstorm ideas based on your conference’s theme and your goals. You may need to hire a photographer and graphic designer to help you create graphics and other brand elements. You’ll use these on your website, invitations, tickets, event program, and all promotional materials.

Read More: The Ultimate Guide to Nonprofit Branding

3-6 Months Before the Conference

8. order branded merchandise.

Conference attendees love free stuff and most will expect to receive a swag bag of some sort. When choosing which swag items to order, opt for things related to your industry and that your guests will actually use. Order them as soon as your brand elements have been finalized — that’s the best way to save money and reduce pre-conference stress.

Don’t forget to also ask your sponsor(s) if they’d like to include any promotional items in the swag bags.

At this point, you can also order t-shirts for volunteers, lanyards and name badges, signage, and other branded event materials.

9. Find Suppliers

Some event venues will provide internal employees to take care of things like catering, security, furniture, A/V, and Wi-Fi. If not, you’ll need to hire external suppliers and get permission from the venue to bring them in. Find and book them early to make sure they’re available on the dates of your conference.

10. Recruit Volunteers

Figure out how much support you’ll need during the conference with things like:

• Attendee check-in
• Managing speakers
• Managing exhibitors
• Set-up and tear-down

Recruiting volunteers for these and other small tasks will ensure that your conference runs smoothly and that your guests have a positive experience .

To find volunteers, look within your organization’s existing community, advertise at your local post-secondary programs related to your industry, and post open positions on your website and social media.

Be sure to recruit more volunteers than you anticipate needing, as some of them will likely drop off in the days leading up to the conference.

Read More: How to Recruit Volunteers from Start to Finish

11. Start Promoting

Set up a website and a registration page so people can start buying tickets. About two months before the conference, you can start advertising early bird pricing.

Promote the conference on your website, in your emails, and on social media. Send out a press release and try to get media coverage in local papers and on the radio. Consider paying for digital and social media ads that target your ideal audience. And don’t forget to offer special deals, giveaways, and registration prizes to entice more people to attend.

Read More: 5 Tips For Getting Your Event Message Out

1 Month Before the Conference

12. finalize conference schedule.

At this point, all your speakers and events should be finalized, so it’s time to create your conference schedule. For the attendees, create a program that will be handed out at the start of the event. Make this program available digitally, as well.

For everyone else — speakers, your staff, venue staff, suppliers, and volunteers — create a master schedule that’s easy to follow and has all the necessary details. Be sure to include contact information of key persons who would need to be notified should anything go wrong.

13. Finalize Tasks With the Team, Volunteers, Speakers and Venue

In addition to receiving a master schedule, everyone involved behind-the-scenes needs to receive a customized document that outlines their key tasks and responsibilities. This will help ensure that everyone knows what’s expected of them, where they need to be and when, and what they need to do to make sure the conference runs smoothly.

1 Week Before the Conference

14. send out reminders and check-in.

Send out email reminders to all attendees. Publish an FAQ on your website and offer your contact information should they have any questions or concerns.

Check in with your team, speakers, and volunteers — make sure everyone feels ready and has everything they need before the big day.

1 Day Before the Conference

15. last team check-in and kick off.

The day before the event, check in with the team once again to see how everyone is doing, address any final concerns, or communicate any last minute changes.

During the Conference

16. conference management.

As the conference organizer, you shouldn’t have any actual tasks during the entire duration of the conference, other than being available for your team should they run into any issues.

If you’re hosting a hybrid conference, a dedicated team should be live-streaming the events and engaging with virtual attendees.

Someone who’s responsible for communications at your organization should be monitoring engagement at the event and on social media. If your conference is a multi-day event, they can also send out daily recaps via email to help attendees remember the highlights and transition into the next day.

After the Conference

17. follow-up and analysis.

Congratulate yourself for hosting a successful conference! However, the work isn’t done yet. Here are a few things you need to do to wrap up:

• Send a follow-up email to all attendees to thank them for attending and invite them to complete a survey .
• Follow up with sponsors, speakers, and volunteers to thank them for their help.
• Analyze attendance numbers, revenue, engagement rate, and other metrics to see whether or not you met your goals.
• Host a post-mortem meeting with your team to discuss what went well and what you would do better next time.
• Keep in touch with all attendees to remind them about any other upcoming events, services, membership, etc.

Make Conference Planning Easy

Conference planning involves many moving parts, particularly on the technology side  — you need to build a website, create a registration page, process payments, track attendees in a CRM, and send them regular updates and reminders.

Of course, you can look for separate tools that will take care of each of these tasks, but that can get very expensive and very tedious, especially if the different tools don’t integrate with each other.

A much better option would be to invest in an all-in-one solution like membership management software. It’s a single tool that can take care of all of the aforementioned tasks and help you save hours of manual work (not to mention, unnecessary expenses).

Here at WildApricot, we’re proud to be the number one rated membership management software on the market. We regularly help nonprofits plan and execute events , as well as engage with their communities well after the event is over.

If you’re curious to learn more, start a free 60 day trial and see if WildApricot is for you.

Best of luck with your conference!

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How to Plan a Conference: 12 Steps for a Memorable & Successful Conference

With so many moving parts to juggle, planning a conference can seem like a daunting task. But pulling it off can be incredibly rewarding–both for your organizations and your attendees! 

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through how to plan a conference from A to Z. We’ll cover everything from budgeting and marketing to finding sponsors and speakers to reporting and analytics. 

What Does It Take to Plan a Conference?

The first key to success is to start early! But how long does it take to plan a conference? That’s like asking “How long is a piece of string?”–the answer varies in each unique case. 

Consider the size and scale of your conference to help you determine how much prep time you’ll need. A good rule of thumb is to begin planning a simple conference at least 6 months out and to give yourself a year to plan a large-scale conference with thousands of attendees. 

Now let’s look at the fundamental elements you need to consider when planning a conference:

A clear goal

What do you want to achieve with your conference? For example, conferences can provide attendees with valuable knowledge and networking opportunities, but they can also be a great way for your organization to promote your brand and generate leads.

So define whether the purpose is to educate attendees, provide networking opportunities, promote your brand, or generate leads. Start with a well-defined goal and the rest of your plan will unfold more easily.

Knowledge of your audience

Who is your audience, what are their needs and how should you tailor your conference to suit those needs? Answering these questions is critical to the success of your conference! 

For example, knowing how to plan a business conference is quite a bit different from knowing how to plan an association summit. Focus on communicating the benefits of your specific conference in a way that’s relevant to your audience, so you can maximize attendee registration and participation. 

A reliable team

Planning a conference is not a one-person show. Rather than attempting to plan an event on your own, bring together a team of professionals and volunteers you can rely on. 

Having a competent and diverse team is critical to your conference’s success. Make sure you understand the skills and experience of each member, assign tasks accordingly, and regularly keep each other updated on your progress!

A strong brand

Ensure your conference aligns with your organization’s branding—this includes your brand elements like logos, colors, and fonts as well as your messaging. A strong, consistent brand image immediately sets the tone for your conference and helps build confidence and trust in your brand among your attendees!

An event tech stack

Whether you’re hosting an in-person, virtual, or hybrid conference, tech’s going to play a crucial role. Choose the right event tech tools to help you streamline different aspects of planning and executing your conference, like registration, check-in, networking, panel discussion, and more.

How to Plan a Successful Conference : 15 Things You Need

Now that you’ve set up a good foundation for your conference planning,  Here’s a list of the 15 things you’ll need to pay attention to when planning a conference:

Your budget will dictate many of the other decisions you make about your conference—remember to establish a budget early on!

Marketing plan

Your marketing plan outlines how you’ll reach and persuade your audience to attend your conference. This might include digital marketing channels like email marketing, paid ads, or content marketing on your website.

Event apps and tech can help you with everything from registration, check-in, networking, and more!

Choose a venue that is the right size for your event and has the amenities you need, like A/V equipment and catering facilities. Make sure to have a venue map on display at the event (or in your app!) so attendees can find their way around.

Relevant sponsors can help offset the cost of your conference and provide value to attendees in the form of discounts, free products, or exclusive content. 

Exhibitor booths allow companies to show off or demo relevant products and services to attendees. 

Speakers are one of the biggest draws for attendees! Invite speakers who are experts in their field and can provide attendees with valuable insights. 

Workshop, panel, or breakout sessions

These are a great way to provide attendees with in-depth knowledge on specific topics while allowing attendees to interact with each other and network. 

Your agenda should outline the schedule of events, including speakers, workshops, and discussion panels, plus time for breaks and networking.

Event management system

An event management platform like EventMobi brings together many of the steps and tools you’ll need to pull off a successful event. This includes everything from designing a custom event app and simplifying attendee registration to post-conference surveys and analytics.

Registration system

Make sure you have a smooth and easy registration process set up! If you have a website for your conference, the registration form can be embedded on the event website. 

Badging solution

Whether you want a DIY badging solution, on-demand printing at your event, or pre-printed badges delivered in advance, it’s important to figure out badging logistics and choose a solution that fits your budget, event size, and timeline.

What type of check-in experience do you want to create for attendees when they arrive for your event? With the right technology, you can offer a range of hassle-free check-in solutions that get your attendees in the door in a flash–like self-service check-in kiosks or QR code check-in .

Foster attendee engagement with networking tools, gamification , live polls, surveys, and appointment booking.

Make sure you always look into post-conference analytics and reporting to know what’s working and what should be improved. 

Now that you have the overview, let’s take a look at the breakdown of these steps to planning a conference!

Step 1: How to Plan a Conference Budget

According to Knowland’s 2023 State of the Meetings Industry , increasing event expenses is one of the biggest concerns for event organizers! Effective conference budget management is essential to prevent financial surprises. Here’s a simple process to plan your conference budget.

• Set financial goals for your conference . Prepare a profit and loss budget and predict as accurately as possible if the conference will result in a profit, loss, or break even.
• Determine your fixed and variable costs . Fixed costs do not change based on the number of attendees and are calculated as a total amount. Variable costs change based on the number of attendees and are calculated on a per-person basis.
• Identify your sources of revenue . Examples include advertising, management fees, registration, sponsorship, etc.
• Create a conference budget proposal . This is a document or presentation you’ll put together to convince your stakeholders to sign off on. 
• Review and track your conference budget . Meet with your company’s accounting or financial officer to review your conference budget. 

For more details on planning a conference budget, check out our ultimate guide to event budgets . 

Step 2: How to Develop a Marketing Plan for Your Conference

With a strong marketing strategy, you can get your audience to not only take notice of your conference, but to actually register, attend, and participate! Here are a few tips for developing a successful marketing plan for your conference:

• Identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? Once you know your target audience and where they hang out, you can develop marketing messages that they’ll see and appreciate.
• Create a website for your conference. Your website is a central hub for all information about your conference! Be sure to include information about the speakers, agenda, venue, and registration process.
• Consider organic content marketing. Social media, blog articles, email —these are great ways to reach your audience and get them excited about your conference! 
• Run paid ad campaigns. Paid advertising can help you reach a wider audience and generate more leads for your conference. Consider running ads on social media, search engines, and other relevant websites.
• Measure your results. Keep an eye on which marketing channels are getting the best results. Which marketing campaign worked best with this audience? What should you do differently next time?

If you’re organizing a conference for your association, you can always fold your conference marketing plan into your association marketing strategy !

Step 3: How to Find & Secure a Memorable Venue 

Conference event planning always involves a choice of venue, ideally a memorable one! Before you start shopping around, make a list of your must-haves and nice-to-haves—that way, you know what you are willing to compromise on, and what needs to be available. This could include:

• Capacity to fit your expected attendee numbers
• Space for speaker sessions, breakout rooms, exhibitors, and social space
• Location, such as proximity to transportation and hotels
• Technical capacity and support
• Bookable equipment 
• Accessibility requirements, like ramps and accessible bathrooms
• Food and drink 

Not sure where to start looking for venues? Take inspiration from conferences held by other organizations in your space, or look at event listings in your area. Once you’ve narrowed down your options, reach out to your most promising options and compare quotes. Remember to ask about the following: 

• Whether the venue is available on the dates of your conference
• Whether they can fulfill all your must-haves
• Quotes for venue rental, as well as any additional costs for equipment or staff
• Any booking requirements, such as using their caterer or insurance 

That’s how to plan for a conference venue that meets all your needs! 

Oh, and if you’re wondering how to plan a virtual conference? Think about how you use your branding and event virtual space to make sure even your virtual venue makes an impression on your attendees!

Step 4: How to Secure Event Sponsors

Securing the right sponsors can make or break your event — and the right sponsorship levels can exponentially raise your chances of success!

To secure amazing sponsors for your conference, follow our tips:

• Come up with sponsorship levels . These provide potential sponsors with options to support your conference depending on the associated perks. You can even catch your sponsors’ attention with unique sponsorship level names !
• Create a sponsorship deck . This deck should outline the benefits that sponsors will receive, such as branding exposure, speaker opportunities, and access to attendees.
• Target the right sponsors . Identify companies that are relevant to your target audience and that would be interested in sponsoring your event.
• Reach out to potential sponsors early . This will give them time to budget for your event and give you time to develop a sponsorship package that suits them well.
• Follow up . After you have reached out to potential sponsors, be sure to follow up with them regularly to check in and answer any questions they may have.

Step 5: How to Find Speakers for Your Conference

Having the right speakers at your conference will captivate your audience’s attention and make your event truly memorable! Here are a few tips to help you book amazing speakers in no time:

• Be active in your space . By staying in the loop, you’ll know who’s making waves and who would make a fantastic addition to your conference.
• Look at past events . Review the speakers who performed exceptionally well at previous conferences. Past success could be a good indicator of a repeat performance!
• Survey attendees and members . Ask your attendees who they want to hear from. Not only does this generate ideas, but it also builds excitement for your event.
• Network, network, network . Never underestimate the power of a solid network. You never know where your next great speaker recommendation might come from.
• Post a call and advertise it . If you’re open to applications, post a call for event speakers and advertise it widely! 
• Local and industry publications . These sources often feature thought leaders and influencers. Plus, they could offer a wealth of topics and issues relevant to your audience.
• Partner recommendations . Partners can offer valuable insights and suggestions. They may know of great speakers who align with your event’s goals.

And if you’re still wondering how to secure a great speaker,  check out these tips on how to successfully find a speaker for your event ! 

Step 6: How to Plan a Conference Workshop, Session, or Panel

Conference workshops or breakout sessions are key to facilitating important conversations, networking, and skill-building! They break up the pace of the conference day and diversify the attendee experience. 

So how do you organize a conference session? Follow our tips: 

• Provide a framework or outline . This helps you share your goals for the session with attendees. Make sure participants know what’s expected of them—and how to time the components of the session.
• Appoint breakout leaders . Identify leaders before breaking into groups, or ask the groups to elect one amongst themselves. 
• Facilitate introductions . This is a great time for an icebreaker question, or even an activity if time permits! 
• Dive into the activity . The reason everyone’s here!
• Wind the session down . Provide some light guidance on how groups should wrap the session amongst themselves before returning to the main room.
• Reunite and share findings . Everyone will be eager to share what they learned! Have a plan for how best to discuss the conference breakout session once everyone’s come back together.
• Ask for feedback . Find a way to collect feedback efficiently (like through live polling) and implement those suggestions in the next session you host.

For more tips on how to plan a conference workshop that works for your audience, check out this list of 36 conference breakout session ideas .

Step 7: How to Plan a Conference Agenda

Your conference agenda , or your conference schedule, helps guide your attendees throughout the event. To create a conference schedule, make sure you include the following:

• Your organization’s name and details
• Conference topic and theme
• Agenda 
• Conference venue details
• Day, date, and time
• Speaker details
• Breaks and/or networking sessions

Consider the balance of your conference program and include a mix of keynote speakers, workshops, or panel discussions. Always remember to be flexible and test your agenda beforehand, including running it by your hosts ! Things don’t always go according to plan, so be prepared to make adjustments to your agenda as needed.

Step 8: How to Choose an Event Management Tool

The right event management tool can take a ton of pressure off your shoulders! Here are a few factors to consider when choosing an event management platform:

• Features : What features are important to you? Do you need a tool that can help you with registration, check-in, scheduling, and more?
• Budget : How much are you willing to spend on an event management tool?
• Onboarding and support : Does the tool offer onboarding and support? This is important, especially if you are not familiar with event management tools.
• Ease of use : How easy is the tool to use? You want to choose a tool that is easy to learn and use for both yourself and your team.
• Integrations : Does the tool integrate with other tools that you use, such as your CRM or email marketing software?
• Onsite/hybrid capabilities : Does the tool have the capabilities to support onsite, hybrid, or virtual events?
• Great reviews : Read reviews from other users to get their feedback on the tool. This can help you to make an informed decision!

Looking for an easy way to plan on-brand, on-budget conferences that your attendees will love? 👀 Book your personalized demo of EventMobi today! Book a Demo

Step 9: How to Run Event Registration Smoothly

A smooth registration leaves a great first impression on your conference attendees. Here are a few tips for running event registration smoothly:

• Choose a user-friendly registration platform . There are a number of event registration platforms available. Choose a platform that is easy to use and that offers the features that you need.
• Make it easy for attendees to find the registration page . Promote the registration page on your website and social media channels. You can also send out email invitations to potential attendees.
• Collect the information that you need . When attendees register, be sure to collect the information that you need, such as their name, email address, and affiliation.
• Send out confirmation emails . Once an attendee has registered, be sure to send them a confirmation email. This email should include important details about the event, such as the date, time, location, and agenda.
• Offer multiple payment options . Make it easy for attendees to pay for their registration by offering multiple payment options, such as credit card, PayPal, and invoice.

Step 10: How to Manage Conference Badging and Check-in

A smooth and efficient conference badging and check-in process helps you maintain a professional impression in your attendees’ minds. 

Here are a couple of tips to ensure your badging and check-in process is as smooth as possible:

• Create the ideal check-in experience.  Prevent long lines and wait times at the check-in desk with a check-in app or branded self-service kiosks!
• Set up multiple check-in stations . This will help to reduce wait times for attendees.
• Test your badging and check-in solution . Before the event, be sure to test out your badging and check-in tool to make sure that it is working properly.

One of the simplest ways to manage badging and check-in is by integrating with your event management platform! For example, EventMobi’s drag-and-drop Badge Designer lets you create custom, branded badge designs that you can choose to print yourself, send to a third-party printer, or have printed and shipped right to your door.

Step 11: How to Foster Engagement

Nobody likes a boring conference. With an all-in-one event management platform like EventMobi, there are endless ways to foster attendee engagement at your conference! Some examples include:

• Interactive tools and activities like live polls and surveys to keep attendees engaged and involved
• Group sessions to help attendees participate and network effectively
• Appointment booking for 1-1 meetings among attendees
• Live session chat and activity feed to keep everyone up-to-date
• Gamification during speeches, workshops, or breakout sessions to create a fun, exciting, and memorable experience for your guests

Step 12: Use Reporting for Your Event

Track and analyze your event data so you can measure the success of your conference and improve future events! 

With an event management platform like EventMobi, you can track data on attendance, interest, and action. Gain insight into which elements—video sessions, booths, networking activities, or games—were most valuable to your audience and use that knowledge to run future successful conferences.

Planning the Perfect Conference Starts Months in Advance

Conference planning is a complex yet rewarding journey. The strategy you choose and the decisions you make months in advance will shape your success on the event day. By following the tips in this conference planning guide, you can run successful conferences that inform, engage, and impress your attendees!

From huge conferences to smaller meetings, EventMobi makes event management simpler than ever. 🪄 Book your demo today! Book a Demo

9 Free Conference Planning Templates for Your Next Big Event

By Joe Weller | August 14, 2023

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It’s a substantial commitment to plan a conference — and plan it well. Planning a big event with proposals to approve, speakers to schedule, and advertising materials to create and promote can feel overwhelming. By utilizing our library of conference planning templates, event organizers can prepare for a conference of any size without letting important details slip through the cracks.

In this guide, you will find various conference planning templates — from proposals to evaluations — along with tips on how to use conference planning templates, the benefits of using them, and what to include in them.

1. Conference Proposal Template

Download Conference Proposal Template Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

Speakers, vendors, suppliers, and organizational partners matter at a conference. Members of a brand’s target audience may agree to attend upcoming conferences or participate in conference activities if brands they are interested in or associated with decide to partner with the conference’s organization. This conference proposal template helps organizers analyze and choose the best organizational partners for their conference’s goals and target audience.

• Use: This template is best for client and speaker proposals.
• Benefits: This template allows potential clients and speakers to propose their services or partnership to an organization holding a conference.
• Key Elements: This template includes space to outline services, performance expectations, pricing and payment terms, estimated fees, event information, and work scoping.

2. Conference Budget Template

Download Conference Budget Template Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets | Adobe PDF

While planning the budget for a conference, there are plenty of moving parts to account for, including venue, entertainment, and marketing costs. A conference budget template can help coordinators track conference costs, budget for expected and unexpected expenses, and account for conference budgeting restrictions.

• Use: This template is best for calculating projected and actual conference subtotals.
• Benefits: This template provides users with categorized sections for calculating individual item subtotals and overall conference budgets.
• Key Elements: This template includes sections for projected subtotals and actual subtotals for each item across various categories.

3. Conference Agenda Template

Download Conference Agenda Template Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Smartsheet

Organizers can use conference agenda templates to keep track of potential conference facilitators and attendees, schedule presentations, and provide attendees, presenters, and other conferencegoers with detailed presentation descriptions. This template can also help organizers estimate presentation times and session durations.

• Use: This template is best for scheduling conference presentations and calculating their duration.
• Benefits: This template allows coordinators and creators to schedule agenda items and describe their contents, presenters, and possible attendees.
• Key Elements: This template includes spaces for a conference’s call-in number, call-in code, and web link, as well as the attendees requested, conference schedule, description of the agenda items, and the event’s presenter, start time, and duration.

4. Conference Call Agenda Template

Download Conference Call Agenda Template Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

Whether on video or by phone, a conference call agenda template can help coordinators plan schedules and deliver agenda item descriptions to attendees before a conference starts. This clear agenda can help keep conference calls on schedule and provide attendees with additional information.

• Use: This template is best for scheduling conference call agendas.
• Benefits: This template allows conference call coordinators to schedule agenda items, create item descriptions, and account for attendees.
• Key Elements: This template includes space for the meeting title, subject, facilitator, attendees, description of agenda items, presenters, and event duration.

5. Conference Planning Checklist

Download Conference Planning Checklist Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

It’s no secret that people love checking items off a list — with this conference planning checklist, you can organize and complete essential conference planning tasks. This template can help you visualize your progress while planning a conference and help organizers understand what needs to happen 3 to 24 months before it begins.

• Use: This template is best for all stages of conference planning.
• Benefits: This template provides users with a checklist of items to consider when planning any type of conference.
• Key Elements: This template includes planning sections for every stage of the conference, from  24 months pre-event to immediately post-event, with each stage including a separate checklist of items.

6. Conference Planning Worksheet

Download Conference Planning Worksheet Template Microsoft Excel | Google Sheets | Smartsheet

A conference planning worksheet can help organizers estimate projected expenses, complete conference purchases, and track pending items needed for a conference. This template also allows users to organize conference items by category, gauge the amount allocated and spent per item, and provide the difference between a projected and actual conference subtotal.

• Use: This template is best for tracking the purchases — both pending and completed — of all your must-have items. 
• Benefits: This template provides a variety of conference item categories for tracking your expenses and having your conference needs in one place.
• Key Elements: This template includes sections for venue, decor, food and beverage, event programming, entertainment, travel, guest services, registration, communication, public relations, marketing, social media, advertising, sponsors, logistics, and other items.

7. Conference Workflow Template

Download Conference Workflow Template Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

Conferences that frequently launch marketing campaigns have a variety of digital assets that need to be created pre- and post-event. These assets — blog posts, social media campaigns, email campaigns, press releases, and more — must be assigned and executed by specific dates. Conference workflow templates help conference owners organize these projects and approve their completion.

• Use: This template is best for conferences with a marketing campaign.
• Benefits: This template allows conference organizers to create workflows covering a project’s pre- and post-event items.
• Key Elements: This template includes sections for different categories and tasks related to the campaign, along with each one’s respective manager, deadline, and approval status.

8. Conference Sign-in Sheet Template

Download Conference Sign-in Sheet Template Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

Not all conferences require attendees to check in, but a conference sign-in sheet template can be a helpful tool for organizers hoping to track conference attendance. Organizers can use this template for conferences of all sizes to list observations or write comments during a conference’s duration.

• Use: This template is best for conferences where tracking attendance is necessary.
• Benefits: This template is a streamlined organizational sign-in sheet for conferences of all sizes.
• Key Elements: This template includes sections for conference information, including its organizers, location, and attendee names and their signatures.

9. Conference Evaluation Form

Download Conference Evaluation Form Microsoft Word | Google Docs | Adobe PDF

When a conference is complete, there’s no time to sit back and relax. Instead, conference organizers should send follow-up communication to suppliers, vendors, and speakers and post-conference evaluations to attendees. This conference evaluation form can help organizations discover strengths and weaknesses in their events and help organizers get a jump start for new conference preparations.

• Use: This template is best for post-conference evaluations.
• Benefits: This template allows conference organizers to collect post-conference data about attendants’ experiences and recommendations.
• Key Elements: This template includes post-conference survey questions covering attendant demographics and backgrounds.

What to Include In a Conference Planning Template

What you should include in a conference planning template depends on which template you choose to use, if you plan an in-person or virtual conference , and what your conference needs to succeed.

It’s best to include some general information in all conference planning templates:

• Conference Description: Include a conference description on each planning template to ensure each document gets completed according to its specific event.
• Conference Goals: A conference’s goals are the core of the event. Outlining these goals can consistently keep all investors aware of their expectations and collaborate on goal-specific ideas.
• Budget: You must account for many conference expenses — big and small — during every stage of the conference planning process.

How To Use a Conference Planning Template

Like any good template, a conference planning template is a great place to start when diving into the planning process for a big event . To best utilize any type of conference planning template, you should also use a project management system to organize your planning documents.

Share your conference planning templates with others involved, including marketers, advertisers, content creators, web developers, sales managers, and more. Conference planning should be a collaborative process, so keeping templates updated and shared across teams is the best way to use them.

Additionally, you should use conference planning templates along with other process templates. Organizers can use our library of conference templates in tandem to create a structured, organized planning process from start to finish — no matter the size or theme of a conference.

Benefits of Using Conference Planning Templates

During the pre-planning, duration, and post-planning stages of an event, conference planning templates can produce many valuable benefits:

• Conference planning can occur virtually and asynchronously.
• Updates are easy and quick to share across teams.
• All data, including attendants, vendors, suppliers, and speakers, are accounted for and tracked in a central location. 
• Calculate budgets before purchasing begins.
• Organizers and staff are assigned expectations in advance of due dates.
• Streamline timelines and task assignments.
• Checklists allow organizers to visualize the planning progress.
• Automatic status updates are available, and plans are shareable across wider teams.
• During a conference, tasks can be managed, assigned, and finished.

From simple task management and project planning to complex resource and portfolio management, Smartsheet helps you improve collaboration and increase work velocity -- empowering you to get more done. 

The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done. Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed.

When teams have clarity into the work getting done, there’s no telling how much more they can accomplish in the same amount of time. Try Smartsheet for free, today.

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The Ultimate Conference Planning Guide: 10 Steps for Success

Planning an annual conference can be a daunting task, especially with the challenges presented in a post-pandemic world. It's a big event with lots of challenges and stressors.

However, with the right strategy and planning, you can host a successful event that attendees will remember for years to come.

In this article, we'll provide you with the ultimate guide to planning a successful annual conference, with a few tips to ensure your conference runs smoothly.

Conference Planning Checklist

Here's your conference planning checklist to ensure a successful event:

• Establish your goals
• Create your budget
• Determine the format of your event
• Select your location and venue
• Identify your speakers and topics
• Plan your activities
• Choose your vendors
• Promote your conference and manage attendee registration
• Manage onsite experiences
• Evaluate your performance

Let's dive into each step in detail so you can be confident when planning a conference.

1. Establish Your Goals and Objectives

Before you start the conference planning process, you need to establish your goals and objectives.

• What do you hope to achieve with your event?
• Are you looking to increase attendance, generate leads, or educate attendees?
• How many people do you want at your conference? You'll want to determine here your target audience as well.
• Are you hoping to gain new business? Spread brand awareness? Kick off a new product?
• Is this a new event that you're hoping to host each year?

Clearly outline these goals and assign key performance indicators (KPIs) to each one. Make sure to communicate these to your stakeholders as well so everyone is on the same page about the event's purpose. It's even worth agreeing on one main point or focus for the conference so you can keep that as your north star throughout the conference planning process.

In this stage, you'll also want to determine your planning committee. These committee members should be a dedicated team made up of stakeholders across the organization, from marketing to finance to events. Setting this up early will also give you a rough idea of whether you need to be recruiting volunteers or hiring an events agency to manage your event.

Once you've identified your goals, you can start planning your event with these objectives in mind. Let's look at the next steps in the conference planning checklist.

2. Create Your Event Budget

Your budget will dictate everything from the venue to the catering, so it's important to establish your budget early on. This should be relatively flexible understanding that factors like time of year, location, and scope of your event will all affect how much money you'll need to spend.

Inflation and other recent factors have also made events generally more expensive than in the past, so you'll want to keep that in mind as you build your budget.

You'll also want to keep in mind that there are often last-minute expenses that you'll want to account for in your overall budget.

Budget Categories

Determine a topline budget and then allocate how much you need to spend on the big buckets, like:

• Travel expenses (flights and ground transportation)
• Hoteling (rooms + taxes)
• Meeting space
• Food & beverage
• Audio & visual
• Staffing & management
• Materials such as agendas and signs
• Registration and conference management software

Revenue Considerations

Also, consider if you plan to make revenue from this event. Determine if you want to sell tickets, ask for sponsorships, or do a combination of both. Add those buckets into your budget, including:

• Ticket prices (including tiers like early bird)
• Sponsorship packages
• Exhibitor packages

Balancing these two will help you understand how many people need to attend, then allocate the amount of effort you need to put into things like marketing and sponsorship recruitment.

Having your budget broken down into different buckets also allows you to compare pricing of different venues, locations, and more, so you can find the right combination for your event.

Keep this budget top of mind as you go through the rest of your planning process.

3. Determine the Format of Your Event

Before you even begin searching for the right location or perfect entertainment, you need to determine the format of your event.

This includes the number of days, general agenda, and how many people will be attending the event. Plus you'll need to determine if the event is going to be virtual, hybrid or all in-person.

Maybe your conference is 5 days with 3,000 attendees and multiple workshop sessions. That's going to look very different and require different options than a 3-day inspirational conference for 250 attendees.

You don't need to determine your conference theme or specific topics yet, just get a general outline and idea of what each day might look like, how many breakout rooms you need, and if you'll need offsite spaces for evening events. This will help you map your event program and also determine many of the following steps.

Considerations for the Format of Your Event

Make sure to take into account:

• Number of days (and nights)
• Preferred conference dates
• How many potential attendees
• What is your target audience?
• How many general sessions
• How many professional development sessions
• How many breakout sessions (and sizes of these)
• How many special events (and whether they're onsite or offsite)
• Will you have any virtual attendees? What is the balance of your virtual audience to in person?
• Do you want to have an official conference name?

It's also helpful to look at other conferences that are similar to yours or in the same industry to see how they're structuring their agendas. Or if you held a conference in the past, look at the agenda of that last conference to give you some inspiration for this year's conference.

Once you have your conference schedule outlined, you can move on to the more specific conference planning aspects.

4. Select Your Location and Venue

The location and venue you choose will have a significant impact on the success of your event.

From attracting attendees to staying on budget, these two factors are some of the biggest when it comes to planning a conference.

Consider the size of your event, the types of participants, and the amenities you need.

Do you need an entire convention center or will meeting spaces in a hotel work? Maybe you want to host in a non-conventional space. 

Consider the format of your event and compare the number of meeting rooms, hotel rooms, and other amenities to the options you're considering.

Also consider whether your attendees are located in specific areas. If they're all on the west coast and attending in person, does it make sense to host the conference in Orlando? If your budget is constrained, maybe you'll want to consider Tier 2 cities instead of top conference destinations like Orlando or Las Vegas.

Taking all this into consideration, select a top three and compare these across multiple factors like cost, location, and appropriateness of space for your event. Then make sure the venue has availability for the dates you need, work through contracts and negotiations on rates, and select the best option for your event.

Don't forget to do a site visit as well. This is an opportune time to learn the venue, try the food, and build out a plan for sessions, trade show floor, and more.

5. Identify Your Speakers and Topics

Your speakers are the backbone of your conference. They should be experts in their field and able to engage your audience.

Consider what topics you want to cover at your conference, and then identify speakers who can speak on those topics. Maybe you want to keep everything within a theme for the conference. Or maybe you want the speakers to choose their topics based on their expertise.

Whatever the case, make sure you consider the format of your event when selecting speakers. If you want the event to be mostly workshops, make sure you're selecting people who can effectively lead those sessions.

Also make sure when you're selecting keynote speakers that they can adequately engage a large crowd. Your main speakers will be the biggest draw for your event, so choose wisely.

When selecting speakers, consider whether you need to attract attendees with large, well-known keynote speakers, or if internal speakers or lesser-known speakers will be effective. This will depend on your budget and goals listed above.

6. Plan Your Activities

In addition to speakers, you'll want to plan activities that will engage your audience and keep them entertained.

This can include workshops, team-building activities, volunteer events, and networking opportunities.

Think about what your attendees want to get out of your conference, and plan activities that will meet those needs.

You'll need to think about whether these events make sense to host onsite or offsite, and whether you'll want everyone involved or just small groups.

These activities will likely be a large draw for your event, so make sure there are enough to satisfy your attendees and that they're well-promoted when you get to the invite stage of conference planning.

7. Choose Your Vendors

From food and beverage to A/V, choosing vendors is incredibly important for a successful event.

Food and Beverage

With F&B, you may be more limited in what you can select. If you're hosting at a convention center or hotel, you'll most likely need to work with the caterers provided by the venue.

In any case, make sure to have a food-tasting session while on your site visit so you can select the best options for your event. This can also be a chance to work with the venue to come up with custom drinks or menu items for the event, such as your signature cocktail.

Also make sure to consider any dietary restrictions and check with the caterer that they can accommodate, and how.

Other considerations to make when choosing F&B:

• How many meals do you want to provide versus having attendees do meals on their own?
• Do you want to provide buffets, boxed lunches, or sit-down meals? Cost will help determine this to some degree.
• Will you need food for every attendee for every meal? Most likely, some attendees will skip out on things like breakfast, so you can adjust down to save cost and reduce waste.
• Will you need morning and afternoon breaks? Maybe you just need to serve coffee or maybe your attendees will need snacks.
• What are the dietary preferences of your attendees? Are they more health-focused? Prefer comfort food? Have a sweet tooth? Make sure you're selecting menus that fit those preferences (or at least cater to multiple).

Audio and Visual

Next, you'll need to choose your A/V vendor. It's vital here to pick a well-reputed partner, as your A/V is a pivotal part of your conference -- especially if you have a large mainstage presentation.

Determine what services the company offers, from rigging to lights and more. Also, determine whether they will have a manager onsite at your event who will help keep everything running smoothly.

Make sure to get cost comparisons from venue-provided A/V vendors and outside vendors. You may find better rates with outside vendors, though they will need to bring in all their equipment.

Other Vendors to Consider

Lastly, consider any other vendors you may need to plan and run your conference, including:

• Registration
• Technology (event app, conference website, polling, etc.)
• Gifting and giveaways
• Photography and videography
• Graphic design

You'll want to go through a similar cost, services, and quality vetting process that you did with the other vendors.

8. Promote Your Conference

Once you've gotten all the planning pieces in place, it's time to start promoting it.

Promotional Materials

Use social media, email marketing, press release, and other advertising channels to get the word out. Consider offering early bird discounts to encourage attendees to sign up early.

You can also consider sending promotional invites in the mail, including welcome boxes when someone signs up. This is a great time to get people excited about your conference themes, speakers, and everything they're going to learn at the conference. You can also provide a QR code for them to access the conference platform and get key details, general tips, and even presentation files or further reading prior to the conference.

Make sure your conference website is up and running, and is easy to navigate.

Also make sure your conference schedule is clearly presented on your event website and contains all the details your attendees need to know. Encourage them to download the conference app, learn about all your speakers, and post their attendance on social media.

Attendee Registration

Managing registration and attendee communication can be a time-consuming task, but it's critical to the success of your event.

Use an event management company to manage registrations, send out reminders, and communicate with attendees. This will help you stay organized and ensure that your attendees have a positive experience.

Sponsorships

This will also be the stage where you work to find sponsors. Have a tab on your event website for sponsors to learn about their options, including branding opportunities, exhibition booths, and attendee lists.

You'll want to promote your sponsorships in the same way you send out registration: social media, email, advertising, and more. It's also worth leveraging your account managers to reach out to customers and partners for sponsorship opportunities.

9. Manage Conference Experiences

Pre-conference .

As your event approaches, you'll want to make sure to host a pre-conference meeting with all of your staff so you can debrief about each day and their responsibilities. Also make sure to cover any emergency plans, communication structures, and more.

We recommend hosting multiple of these meetings the weeks before the conference so you can iron out any issues and address everyone's questions.

Now is the time to refer back to your conference planning checklist and make sure you've hit all the key pieces. Compare your goals to your actuals, consider whether you have enough staff onsite, and evaluate any last-minute items you need to take care of.

When the conference starts, make sure to host an additional meeting with your staff each day.

Some important things to make sure you take care of onsite:

• Meet with all of your vendors prior to attendees arriving to make sure everything is in place and everyone is on the same page
• Make sure all conference attendees are registered, have received their nametags and goodie bags, and understand where and what they're supposed to do
• Review the conference agenda with attendees
• Hold practice sessions with your keynote speaker and other speakers
• Review food and beverage each time it goes out to make sure the right items and amounts have been put out
• Take pictures and videos for social media posts
• Communicate consistently with staff throughout and monitor for any issues, disruptions, or emergencies
• Monitor for anything that might become unforeseen costs in your budget

Most importantly, have fun. Make sure to interact with attendees, gather real-time feedback, and enjoy the event you worked so hard to put together.

10. Evaluate Your Success

After your conference is over, it's important to evaluate your success.

• Did you meet your goals and objectives? 
• Did attendees have a positive experience? 
• What could you have done differently? 

Consider sending an online survey to your attendees and staff, and use the feedback you receive to improve your future events and continue to provide value to your attendees.

Then start to put together a plan for the next conference. What would you keep? What would you change? What would make planning easier? Start to gather those ideas right after your event, because those fresh ideas are often the ones that you'll forget a few months away from the event.

Conclusion: Host a Successful Conference with a Comprehensive Checklist

Creating a successful conference requires a lot of planning and hard work, but it can be incredibly satisfying.

Having an effective conference planning checklist will make all the difference between a subpar and a great conference.

From making sure you stay on budget to enticing attendees to come to the event, you'll want to make sure you check off all the boxes in your planning process.

By establishing your goals, budget, and event schedule early on, choosing the right venue, speakers, and activities, and promoting your event effectively, you can create an event that attendees will talk about for years to come.

Plus, you'll be able to ensure that next year's conference will be a successful conference, too.

Put Together a Successful Conference Plan with GoGather

Ready to start planning your next conference but overwhelmed with all the things you have to accomplish? Let's brainstorm on how GoGather can help you accomplish your goals without pulling your hair out. Schedule a meeting with us today.

Katie Moser

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How to Plan a Conference: 10 Steps for a Memorable & Successful Conference

• May 29, 2024

Conferences are events that bring together people passionate about like-minded things. However, organizing an incredible conference that attendees will treasure forever takes work. A truly captivating event requires a lot of effort and imagination to produce through the efforts of event planners.

This thorough guide will take you through the entire process of organizing a truly remarkable and memorable conference. You will learn valuable information to create a conference strategy that exceeds expectations, whether you are a passionate advocate for a non-profit , a dedicated member of an association, or a seasoned event planner.

Planning a conference is similar to planning a massive party but on a bigger scale. Prepare to dive in and discover all the insider secrets for creating innovative conferences that your audience will vouch for years to come. Make conference planning an art form!

What Does It Take To Plan A Successful Conference?

A keen eye for detail is required for effective conference management because every factor in shaping the event experience, from venue selection to agenda curation to marketing efforts to on-site event management , is crucial. Unwavering dedication, creative problem-solving, and the capacity to adapt to constantly changing circumstances are required for this journey.

Conference planning fundamentally involves bringing together a variety of components, including engaging speakers, seamless logistics, and a setting that encourages networking and learning. Anticipating attendees’ needs while focusing on the finer details can be challenging.

Experiential Conference Planning and the Conference Life Cycle

The conference life cycle serves as a structured roadmap for effectively planning and executing a successful conference. To ensure a comprehensive and well-planned approach, each stage of the life cycle aligns with crucial elements of the event planning process. The conference life cycle provides a systematic framework for organizers to meticulously plan and deliver a memorable event that accomplishes the desired objectives. From concept and goal definition to marketing and promotion to on-site management and post-event follow-up, event organizers can ensure a seamless and impactful conference experience by coordinating planning efforts with the stages of the life cycle.

A Typical Conference Life Cycle: A Chronological Guide

The conference life cycle and conference planning go hand in hand. Each stage in a conference’s planning process is crucial to the success of the event. Event organizers can streamline their efforts and ensure that every aspect of the event is meticulously planned and carried out by understanding the conference life cycle. The key stages of creating a memorable and impactful conference are covered in detail below:

Concept and Goals

Define the conference’s purpose and desired outcomes to establish a clear vision. Identify the target audience and understand their specific needs to tailor the event. Determine the scope, theme, and focus areas to ensure coherence and relevance.

Feasibility Analysis

Conduct thorough market research to assess potential demand and interest. Evaluate the necessary resources, including budget, venue, and sponsorship opportunities. Analyze competitors and define a unique selling proposition to stand out.

Planning and Organization

Form a dedicated conference committee and assign specific roles to streamline tasks. Select the date, venue, and format, whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, to suit your audience. Develop a detailed program and agenda, and invite speakers, presenters, and exhibitors.

Marketing and Promotion

Create a comprehensive marketing plan with compelling promotional materials to generate interest. Leverage various channels, including email, social media, and advertising, to reach your audience. Engage with potential attendees to build excitement and anticipation for the event.

Event Registration and Logistics

Establish an efficient event registration process , whether online, on-site, or a combination of both. Manage accommodation, transportation, and other logistical arrangements to ensure a smooth experience. Coordinate with vendors, sponsors, and exhibitors to integrate their contributions seamlessly.

On-Site Event Management

Oversee the setup, registration, and coordination of sessions to ensure everything runs smoothly. Provide necessary audio-visual support and assistance to attendees for an optimal experience. Facilitate networking opportunities and organize social events to enhance attendee engagement.

Post-Conference Follow-Up

Collect feedback from attendees, speakers, and stakeholders to gather valuable insights. Analyze data and metrics to measure the conference’s success and impact. Share post-conference materials and resources with attendees, and evaluate areas for improvement for future events.

Continuous Improvement

Implement the feedback and lessons learned to refine processes and strategies. Continuously improve for subsequent events to enhance their success and effectiveness. Maintain relationships with attendees, speakers, and sponsors to foster a strong community for future conferences.

Benefits of A Great Conference

Innovative conferences provide a powerful platform for knowledge sharing, networking, and industry growth.  These events catalyze brainstorming, studying the latest trends, and making lasting connections by bringing together professionals, experts, keynote speakers, a great audience, and thought leaders. They enable attendees to gain insights, learn best practices, and stay ahead of the curve in their respective fields as they act as innovation catalysts. Conferences give businesses unmatched opportunities for brand exposure, allowing them to showcase their goods, services, and expertise to a select group of people.

10 Ways to Plan a Memorable Conference

From setting clear objectives and choosing the perfect venue to engaging speakers and utilizing event management technology, let us look at 10 steps to plan a memorable meeting :

Set Clear Objectives

Start by establishing concisely your conference’s objectives and goals. Determine your goals for networking, education, or product launches. These objectives will guide every step of your planning and ensure that the event achieves its desired outcomes. A clear vision aids in the coordination of your team and resources for a successful conference.

Choose a Fantastic Venue

Choose a location, accessibility, and amenities that are appropriate for the size and style of your conference. Check out other websites to make sure they offer the best deals and meet your requirements. A suitable setting for your event can enhance the event’s experience for attendees. Make sure all logistical requirements are met at the venue.

Choose a date that avoids major holidays and competing events to maximize attendance. Consider the availability of your target audience and speakers when selecting the date. Setting the date early allows ample time for planning and marketing. Confirm the date with key stakeholders to avoid conflicts and ensure smooth scheduling.

Set a Budget

Develop a detailed budget that covers all aspects of the conference, from venue and speakers to marketing and catering. Include a contingency fund for unexpected expenses. Track expenditures closely to stay within budget. Having a well-planned budget ensures financial control and prevents overspending.

Engage Major Speakers or Presenters

Identify and secure knowledgeable, engaging speakers who are relevant to your audience. Get a keynote speaker on board. Approach them early and provide clear expectations and benefits for their participation. A strong lineup of speakers can attract attendees and enhance the conference’s credibility. Diversify your speakers to offer varied perspectives and insights.

Find Your Sponsors and Exhibitors

Seek out sponsors and exhibitors who align with your conference’s theme and audience. Create attractive sponsorship packages that offer value and visibility. Building strong partnerships can provide financial support and enhance the conference experience. Engage sponsors early to secure commitments and foster collaboration.

Publicize the Event

Develop a comprehensive marketing plan to promote your conference. Use social media, email campaigns, partnerships, and traditional advertising to reach your target audience. Generate buzz with engaging content and early bird discounts. Consistent and strategic publicity efforts drive attendance and create anticipation.

Set Up Event Registration and On-Site Event Badge Printing

Implement a seamless registration process that is easy for attendees to use. Offer various ticket options and event payment methods. Set up efficient on-site badge printing to streamline event check-in and reduce wait times. Clear and organized registration enhances the attendee experience from the start. Event management software providers like Eventdex offer the best On-Site Event Registration and Badge Printing services .

Learn More: https://www.eventdex.com/event-badges/

Choose the Right Event Management Technology

Select reliable event management software to streamline planning and execution. Use technology for registration, scheduling, attendee engagement, and feedback collection. The right tools can improve efficiency and enhance the event experience for attendees and organizers. Ensure all tech solutions are user-friendly and well-integrated. As a comprehensive event management software , with Eventdex , you can easily manage attendee registration, create detailed agendas, and handle on-site event check-ins with badge printing . Its mobile event apps , networking tools , B2B business matchmaking software , lead retrieval software , and on-site event management software provide a seamless and integrated solution for all your event needs.

Learn More: https://www.eventdex.com/event-management-software-features/

Your Event Follow-Up

Gather opinions from conference attendees, speakers, and sponsors to assess the success of the event. Analyze the data to identify areas for improvement in upcoming events. To keep attendees engaged, distribute conference materials and thank them. Post-event follow-up aids in fostering long-term relationships and enhances planning for the future.

Passing Thoughts!

In conclusion, careful planning and strategic planning are necessary to create a memorable conference. You can achieve your event objectives while achieving the ten steps outlined in this guide and making the most of the appropriate event management tools . Remember that thorough planning, efficient execution, and ongoing improvement are key to a successful conference. Hosting a conference that surpasses and leaves a lasting impression is a top priority!

For more insightful blogs and valuable resources on event planning, visit www.eventdex.com . Ready to elevate your event management game? Reach out to us at [email protected] for a quick sales demo. Alternatively, you can book a quick demo directly on our website: https://calendly.com/eventdex/30min . Let’s make your next event a resounding success together!

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Corporate Event & Conference Planning Template

Planning a conference or other large-scale corporate event is a huge undertaking. With so many details and logistics to keep track of, it’s important to have a well-crafted plan to ensure all the steps come together smoothly—from pre-event planning to post-event review. 

These conference planning tips will guide you through the process so you can plan and produce your next corporate event with confidence. Use our free conference plan template to save time and effort and get your plan off the ground more quickly.

Benefits of using a detailed event plan for your conference

If you’ve managed an event before, you’ve surely created some kind of plan or to-do list for all the work needed to pull off the event. But maybe you never built out a comprehensive conference timeline you could easily track and collaborate on with your team and stakeholders. 

Here are just a few ways having a detailed conference planning timeline benefits you:

• Track production from pre-planning to post-event: Accurately determine when each task needs to be done and stay on top of progress to ensure deadlines don’t fall behind. 
• Keep scope and budget in check : See what the event calls for ahead of time so you can prevent last-minute surprises from causing scope creep and budget overages.
• Communicate clearly with stakeholders : Keep stakeholders informed about progress, and set clear expectations for their role in approvals.
• Improve team collaboration and accountability : Clearly define who’s responsible for what so there’s no confusion, and keep communication flowing among team members at every stage of conference planning.
• Proactively monitor and mitigate risk : Account for inherent risks up front, and spot and address issues before they throw your conference timeline off track.
• Feel less stressed and more confident about your event : Rest easy knowing exactly what needs to happen when for your event to go off without a hitch. 

How to create an event plan for your conference

No two conferences are the same. But most large-scale corporate events share the same core activities, even if the specifics differ.

Let’s break down 5 major phases you’ll want to include in your conference plan.

Pre-event planning

Yep, even your planning needs a plan. 😊 The pre-planning phase provides a solid foundation you can build the rest of your event plan on. 

So before diving into logistics, nail down core conference info, such as your target audience, event budget, and general program. If you need any approvals to move forward, be sure to account for the time it may take to secure these in your plan. 

The logistics phase includes all the key activities that essentially make your event. It’s likely where you’ll spend the bulk of your time, effort, and resources as you lock in event details, negotiate contracts, and secure vendors, entertainment, and services for your event.

Event communications

Large-scale corporate events like conferences and trade shows require consistent communication that’s on point and on brand. They also need to be promoted across a variety of channels, such as an event website, social media accounts, email, paid ads, and PR. 

You can track and manage all these communication efforts in your event plan to ensure word gets out right on schedule. This makes it easy to keep everyone in the loop so nothing falls through the cracks.

Want to dive even further into event promotion? Check out our event marketing and promotion template .

Ticket sales

A key success metric for your event will most likely be ticket sales (or registrations, if your event is free). It’s important to properly price tickets and carefully monitor sales (or registrations) so you can adjust your strategy as needed along the way. For instance, you may need to extend your early-bird pricing window or beef up ad spend to hit your sales goals.

Post-event wrap-up and review

A big-budget event will require follow-up with everyone who had a stake in the event. Here are some questions you’ll want to discuss as a team:

• What went well? What didn’t? 
• Did the event stay on budget? 
• What was the net profit?
• How many tickets did we sell? How many people actually attended?
• What were the common themes in attendee feedback?

Capture any important notes or plan adjustments as you go. For instance, you might document why something got delayed or went over budget. That way, you can easily reference takeaways and use lessons learned to build a tighter plan for your next event.

Free conference planning template

We created a free conference plan template you can use to plan your next big event. It’s a perfect base to build upon if you want to get a quick start on planning. 

Feel free to customize the template to fit your event’s unique needs. It’s flexible enough to adapt to any large-scale corporate event, whether you’re planning a conference, trade show, or festival. You can use this template to: 

• Easily schedule event tasks with simple drag and drop functionality
• Create new tasks and milestones specifically for your custom event
• Track progress on your event tasks

Let’s dive into some other helpful ways to use this corporate event planning template.

Sample conference plan

A conference plan is your first step to event planning success. Let’s look at a few examples of how you can use our conference planning template to plan and manage corporate events in TeamGantt.

View your conference plan as a gantt chart

Get the most out of your conference plan by viewing it as a gantt chart—a visual timeline of the tasks in your plan. This format is great for scheduling out tasks and making sure everything comes together correctly across your plan.

Create dependencies between tasks

Sometimes one task needs to happen before the next can begin (like preparing an event proposal before it can be approved, as shown in the example below). Dependencies ensure tasks always happen in the right order, even if you move things around. 

Assign tasks to users

Invite team members to your conference plan, and assign them to the tasks they need to work on. It’s an easy way to keep everyone in the loop on their role in making the event a success. 

Task collaboration and document storage

With TeamGantt, your important files and conversations can live in a single place. Attach documents such as quotes, proposals, budget spreadsheets, vendor contact info, and more! Use comments to communicate updates and collaborate with team members on all the hard work that goes into a corporate event.

View your conference plan as a calendar

Want to transform your event plan into a calendar? Simply select Calendar in the top navigation bar of your plan. This format allows you to get an intuitive look at how tasks stack up on any given day, week, or month. 

View your daily My Tasks list

This simple view makes it clear to see what you need to work on each day. It pulls in all the tasks you’re assigned to across projects, which can be super-helpful if you’re running multiple corporate events. No more digging through emails or Excel spreadsheets to plan your daily to-do list!

Plan your next big conference with TeamGantt

Ready to start planning your next corporate event? Use our conference planning template in TeamGantt, and save time on project setup!

Customizing the template is quick and easy, thanks to TeamGantt’s drag and drop simplicity. And since everything’s online, your whole team can collaborate on activities in real time.

Sign up for a free TeamGantt account today , and get access to event planning templates—plus many more helpful project templates—in our library . 

The Ultimate Conference Planning Guide: A Roadmap to Success

Accelevents

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Planning a conference, whether it be on a venue or a virtual event , is no small feat and requires meticulous planning and attention to detail in order to pull off. Once your team has decided that they would like to host a conference, there are numerous steps to turn your initial concept into a reality. This guide is here to ensure that you don’t miss any of the critical steps when it comes to planning a successful conference.Conference planning can take anywhere from three months to three years depending on the size and complexity of your event, so you'll want to start the planning as soon as possible.We've put together this comprehensive conference planning guide to help you through the meeting planning process, from coming up with an original idea to crafting your post-event follow-up.

Determine Your Purpose

If you're planning to host a conference, be sure to identify a concrete theme and then see if there is a demand for that theme from your target audience. You may be involved in certain communities on social media, for example, where you can start to gauge the need/ demand for the type of conference you're proposing. Once you've established the purpose of the event, you can also start to get a rough estimate of how many attendees you can reasonably expect.

Assemble a Team

Having a solid planning committee is one of the most important factors in the success of any event. There are many moving parts and it's essential to have committee members in place to handle the different aspects of the planning process and ensure that no one member or planner has too much on their shoulders.

Be sure to outline specific tasks and positions, so that everyone is clear on their role and no details fall through the cracks. Some examples of teams that you'll want to include are logistics (venue setup, travel arrangements, etc); marketing (website, social media promotions, etc.); and finance (budget management, etc.).

Estimate Your Budget and Pricing

Before going any further in the event planning process, be sure to outline a realistic budget for the conference. This will help guide your venue research and gauge whether the proposals you receive and their associated costs will be feasible. Take into account your revenue, such as what you will charge for conference registration fees and exhibiting space as well as whether you will sell sponsorships. These revenue streams will help you to determine the costs you'll be able to incur.

Find a Venue

As soon as you've nailed down your conference theme and have set a realistic budget, you should start your conference venue research . Decide where and when you'd like to hold the conference (it's a good idea to have several alternative dates) and look for venues that may be a fit based on factors like size, meeting space, exhibit hall, A/V, location, availability, and cost. It's also a good idea to consider what services are offered by the venue. For example, a hotel and convention center may have an in-house banquet team that will streamline the catering for the event, but other venues may require you to bring in an outside caterer, which means additional research and a potentially higher expense for you. If you're planning a virtual conference , then it's going to be easier for you because you don't need a venue, all you need is a proper back drop, lighting and audio for your event speakers. This may even be more cost effective both for organizers and attendees since you won't have the allot a budget for a venue and attendees won't need to book flights or hotel rooms if they're coming from afar. It will even give you a larger reach because it will be more accessible to people across the country and even the whole world. Check out this article on how virtual conferences work to give you an idea of the pros and cons whether you should shift to a virtual event.

Build Your Website

In order to promote and sell tickets to your conference, you'll need an event website. When it comes to picking the right online ticketing software make sure that they have event website building functionality. For example, Accelevants offers custom websites for conferences and trade shows that will help you increase attendance and sell more booth space while also keeping your breakout sessions and keynote speakers organized. This is also a great place to market your conference agenda. Using a ticketing software to set up an online registration page will allow participants to easily access the registration form and submit their payment, and you can set different ticketing tiers if you are giving attendees the option to register for specific sessions or if you're including a separate registration for exhibitors. An online platform will also allow you to track registration progress and ticket sales, as well as streamline the check-in process at the venue. Pro-Tip: When considering event ticketing systems, make sure that the ticketing provider will pay out your proceeds before the event ends. Receiving your ticketing revenue as the ticket sales occur will help you to cover expenses such as the deposit on your venue.

Solidify Your Program and Speakers

Speakers will be the backbone of your conference. Without them, you will not be able to hold meetings or sessions and capture audience interest. Reach out to potential keynote speakers up to a year in advance and be sure to follow up regularly to confirm their attendance and send regular updates in advance of the event.When researching speakers and building your conference agenda , be sure to schedule the sessions and presentations in a way that makes sense and allows them to build off each other to give your attendees the most enriching experience possible. Otherwise, you will end up with somewhat random sessions that may be connected to the overall theme but that don't necessarily complement each other. Once you've confirmed your program and speakers, you can start promoting them along with the rest of the event details on your event website , social channels, and any other promotional materials you will be using. Pro-Tip: The best way to find speakers it to attend other events in your niche. This gives you an opportunity to see how the speaker performs on stage and how engaged the audience is. You can also introduce yourself to the speaker after the presentation and get their contact information.

Promote Your Event

In order to generate interest in your event and increase registrations, you'll need a promotion strategy . Be sure to include all relevant details on your conference website , including the conference program and keynote speakers for the event. You can ask other conferences to help promote yours, set up social media pages for your event and actively post to get the word out and consider email marketing to reach as many people as possible. Don't neglect your event ticket pricing strategy as a promotional tool too. Incentivising attendees to register early with discounted pricing will help generate demand while bringing in some early revenue to cover conference costs (eg. Early Bird, General Admission, Last Minute).

Confirm Final Details

As your event date gets closer, make sure to revisit all the items on your to-do list and confirm every last detail. This includes the food and beverage, the venue setup, and speakers. You'll also need to get delegate badges ready and have your registration plans firmly in place. The most common complaint from attendees is slow check in so do a dry run with you check in staff to ensure they are ready to go!

Thank Everyone

Following your event, it's important to thank everyone involved, from the conference attendees to the speakers to the volunteers. Doing so will help maintain a relationship with those who supported your event and will be useful for any future events you host down the line. This is your opportunity to collect feedback from the attendees. Common questions to ask in your post event questionnaire include:

• What was your favorite session? Who was your favorite speaker?
• What did you think of the venue? Are there any venus we should consider for the next conference?
• What could we improve upon for the next conference?
• Did you feel like the conference was worth the cost? Would you have paid more?
• How was the length of the conference? Should it be longer or shorter?

Review Analytics

If you used an online registration software, you will be able to review the data it compiled before and during your event. If your registration software also supports registration for the breakout sessions this can be a great tool for seeing which sessions or speakers were the most valuable so that you can invite them back. Understanding the time range of when people purchased tickets leading up to the event will help you structure your marketing effort for the next event. Even for seasoned meeting planners, organizing a conference is a stressful undertaking. With so many conferences being held each year , it is a competitive environment and requires a lot of time and stamina to get to the end. Using this conference planning checklist, you'll be well-equipped to get started.

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