10 CONFERENCE PLANNING TIPS

Conference planning can come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from a one-day conference to multi-day international seminars. But, if there’s one thing that all successful conferences have in common, it is a great event planner working their magic behind the scenes.

However, even the most seasoned event pros can struggle with aspects like room block management and guaranteeing a positive experience for all participants. So, if you’re looking for ways to streamline processes for attendees, maximize efficiency, and save time (as well as a few headaches), keep reading! We’ll share our top 10 tips for planning a successful conference, as well as provide key takeaways to take your conference planning skills to the next level.

1. Understand Your Audience

At the end of the day, what is a conference for if not for its attendees? Understanding your audience is one of the pillars of creating an event that engages and provides value to every participant.

But, to do that, we have to take a step back and deep dive into who are target audience really is. It starts with demystifying who your attendees are: their interests, professional backgrounds, and what they seek to take away from the conference.

Consider using online surveys or engaging with potential attendees through social media platforms to gather this information. Analyzing past events can also offer valuable insights. Once you’ve gathered this information, you can select the right speakers and conference format, and even design networking opportunities that align with your audience’s preferences.

Actionable Insights:

• • Create Personas: Create attendee personas to visualize your target audience. Use this framework to tailor your event to their specific needs and interests.
  • Segment Your Audience: Not all attendees are the same. Segment them based on their interests, professional level, or industry. This allows for more personalized communication and tailored event programming.

2. Choose a Venue That Aligns With the Event

Choosing the venue is one of the most important aspects of conference planning. The venue you select can either make or break the event. It’s that important.

However, it doesn’t have to be an over-the-top location for it to be amazing. Places like sports arenas, theatres, and historical sites have a certain allure for event planners. But the reality is that your venue needs to align with the goals and theme of your event.

Actionable Insights:

• • Choose a venue that matches your attendee capacity and preferred layout.
  • Consider location for accessibility and convenience.
  • Ensure necessary amenities and facilities are available.
  • Negotiate for the best deal with flexibility in terms and conditions.
  • Prioritize venues with advanced technology support.

3. Create Engaging and Diverse Content

The soul of any conference is its content. Diverse, engaging content not only captivates your audience but also provides them with valuable insights and learnings.

Here’s how to ensure your conference content hits the mark:

• • Variety in Formats: Mix different formats like keynotes, panels, workshops, and breakout sessions. This variety caters to different learning styles and keeps the conference agenda dynamic.
  • Speaker Selection: Carefully select speakers who are not only experts in their field but also engaging presenters. There’s nothing worse than an eminence in X subject that monologues in a monotone for hours on end.
  • Interactive Sessions: Encourage speakers to include interactive elements in their presentations, such as Q&As, live demonstrations, or group discussions. This engagement fosters participation.

Bonus Tip: Gather Feedback: Make the best of the conference by gathering real-time feedback. It will come in handy for making on-the-fly adjustments and improving future events.

4. Effective Marketing and Promotion

Another one of the make-or-break conference planning tips is to market and promote your event. Effective marketing and promotion are key to ensuring high attendance and engagement for your conference.

Everything starts with your event’s website. Some event planners are so caught up with the actual conference planning that they forget about creating a home for their event. A good website can help you attract attendees and inform them about the event.

Other marketing strategies you should use include leveraging social media, launching an ad campaign, creating captivating and informative content, and establishing partnerships and sponsorships.

Actionable Insights:

• • Start marketing early with consistent messaging across various channels.
  • Utilize social media for regular updates and engagement.
  • Implement targeted advertising to reach your specific audience.
  • Form partnerships for broader promotion and added credibility.
  • Create engaging promotional content to build anticipation.
  • Offer incentives for early registration to drive commitments.
  • Continue promotion post-event to maintain interest and momentum.

5. Partnering up With Sponsors

Attracting and securing sponsorships for your event is not an easy feat. Especially because there’s no one-size-fits-all kind of sponsorship. The key here is to partner up with sponsors that align with your event.

Once you’ve identified some opportunities, try to secure the deal by offering strategic activation opportunities. Remember that the deal has to be as enticing for you as it has to be for them. Some good ideas are logo placements and the chance to engage with the attendees directly through branded experiences or workshops.

Actionable Insight: Create custom sponsorship packages to align with your sponsors’ marketing goals, making sure to strike a mutually beneficial relationship.

 6. Fostering Connection Opportunities

Let’s be honest. Connection is one of the key reasons why people attend an event. So, your conference planning must include opportunities for attendees to connect with key players.

Here’s some expert advice on how to create opportunities to connect:

• • Dedicated Networking Sessions: Allocate specific times in your schedule exclusively for networking.
  • Themed Areas: Set up themed areas or lounges around specific topics or industries. This allows attendees with similar interests to gather and engage in more targeted discussions.
  • Interactive Workshops and Group Activities: Fun and interactive activities can break the ice and encourage networking in a more relaxed setting.
  • Social Media Groups and Hashtags: Create event-specific groups or hashtags on social media platforms to encourage online networking before, during, and after the conference.
  • Follow-up Connection Opportunities: Post-event, facilitate ongoing opportunities for connection by sharing contact lists (with permission) or creating alumni groups where attendees can continue to interact and share resources.

7. Leverage Technology

Incorporating technology into your conference planning can help save time and boost the overall attendee experience. Most event planners will use event management software and mobile apps.

Using room block management software like Meetingmax can help increase bookings inside your hotel blocks, minimize attrition, monetize the booking process, and give you deeper insights into your events’ performance. Whereas, mobile apps can include schedules, speaker bios, networking tools, and real-time updates, keeping attendees engaged and informed throughout the event.

Here are specific best practices for registration, housing, and mobile app integration:

Online Registration: 

• • If you’re about to incorporate a new online platform, make sure that it’s user-friendly and secure.
  • Implement a system that allows you to track your attendee’s data and preferences easily.
  • Offer multiple payment options and a clear refund policy.

Room Block Management: 

• • Make sure that your system allows attendees to book, modify, or cancel their hotel reservations easily.
  • Provide real-time availability updates and low inventory notifications to encourage early bookings.
  • Leverage technology like Meetingmax to maximize your room block pickup.

Mobile Apps

• • If your budget allows, develop an app specially for your conference. Ensure the app includes schedules, maps, speaker information, and tools to foster connections.
  • Use your app like a marketing ally and send push notifications for real-time updates and reminders.
  • Include interactive features to help create more engagement, like live polling and Q&As.

8. Effective Budgeting

Managing your event budget is crucial and, oftentimes, one of the most difficult parts when it comes to planning a conference. It involves careful planning and monitoring to ensure that the event exceeds expectations without compromising finances.

Remember to be strategic with allocating resources and leave room for potential unexpected expenses.

Bonus Tip: Create a contingency fund for unexpected costs and negotiate with suppliers to secure favourable rates.

9. Gather Feedback

We’ve touched upon this point very briefly before, but it’s one of the best conference planning tips that we can share. Feedback is essential to make improvements for future events. So, any good event planner needs to ensure that they’ll be able to collect feedback from attendees once the event is over.

Actionable Insights:

• • Use post-event surveys to gather feedback.
  • Keep engaging with attendees post-event to keep up the momentum.
  • Foster a sense of community among attendees for future interaction.

10. Logistics and On-Site Management

Logistics is one of those things in conference planning that’s sometimes overlooked. There are so many aspects behind planning a good event that it’s easy to forget how everything will fit together once the event day arrives.

But, after all the hard work put into planning the conference, it would be a shame if it flopped at the last minute. So, here are key strategies for effective on-site management:

• • Create a plan that includes all logistical aspects, like event registration, seating arrangements, vendor locations, etc. Try to anticipate potential issues and have a contingency plan.
  • Work closely with your team so that everyone is coordinated and informed about their responsibilities.
  • Same with vendors. Make sure they are clear about the conference schedule and their roles.
  • Prepare staff to help attendees with questions or issues they might have during the event.
  • Nobody wants to be faced with an emergency, but if there’s one, you’d better be prepared. Have a clear emergency plan, including evacuation routes and medical assistance.

Your Conference Planning Should Be Ready for Success With These Tips!

In this article, we’ve shared our best tips for planning a conference. If you follow this information closely and use it as a guide, you’ll be very well on your way to planning a memorable conference.

Remember that technology can also be a great ally to help save time and streamline processes, and that iteration is key to making improvements.

If you want to increase your hotel commissions and help your attendees have a better hotel booking experience, check out Meetingmax or contact us!