testThe truth is, even though organising a conference is a demanding endeavour, you’re not the first one to face it. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s all about following a few specific steps. We’ve prepared this top-level guide on how to organise a conference. It’ll walk you through the main steps involved and link you over to valuable tools and articles that will make your job a lot easier. The steps aren’t strictly chronological---you may well start contacting potential speakers before you’ve secured a venue---but they give you a rough idea of what to focus on first. Ready to start arranging that conference? Step 1: Decide on a theme Every great conference needs a theme. What’s the unifying message that your speakers will deliver and what’s the key takeaway for conference attendees? The best themes are catchy, relatable, and trigger an emotional response. You want the conference to inspire and stimulate conversation. Your theme has to enable that. For instance, “Stronger as a team” is probably a better theme than “Achieving improved efficiencies through increased cross-functional collaboration.” The theme is more than just a rallying cry for all participants; it will also guide your branding and promotion, from designing a logo to coming up with social media hashtags to printing your posters, brochures, and other collateral. Further reading & tools A fantastic guide from TED: Create a theme A great idea list to help with brainstorm: 127 themes & concepts for your next corporate event Step 2: Assemble your A-team Chances are, you won’t be organising a whole conference all by yourself. (In fact, we’d be shocked if that were the case.) You’ll need a dedicated team of people to assume responsibility for different aspects of the planning, negotiations, and promotion. Your core team will likely include: Planning team: Conference venue, accommodation, activities, catering. Administration team: Budgeting, attendee registration, ticket sales. This team/person will also be the main point of contact for questions related to the conference. Marketing team: Contacting the media, creating promotional material, managing your website, blog, and social media activities. Sponsorships team: In charge of securing sponsors, applying for grants, and fundraising. (Only relevant for conferences that rely on external sources of finance. Obviously) Volunteers: Helping with all on-site activities on the day of the conference: door management, ticket scanning, keeping track of the guest list, manning the wardrobe, guiding people, etc. Your main job will be to coordinate the team, set priorities, and delegate tasks. Step 3: Prepare a budget & business plan Whether your conference is funded by sponsors or not, you’ll have to put together a budget. You need to know where your money is being earned and spent. Having a budget will also help you set the price for participating in the conference. Here are the most common items you’ll want to budget for: Venue Accommodation Transportation Catering Speaker fees Activities Marketing Team members Preparing a budget with realistic estimates will also come in handy when searching for venues and negotiating contracts. Further reading & tools Quick guide to budgeting: Money, Money, Money: Developing a Budget for Your Conference Ready-to-use template (from Bonjour Events): Conference budget template Step 4: Find sponsors & grants [optional] If you’re financing the conference on your own and are not looking for external sources of revenue, you can safely skip this step. If not, you’ll want to go out looking for sponsors or arrange fundraisers. The key thing to keep in mind is that the sponsors and their values should align with the theme of your conference. (Would you want McDonald’s to sponsor your “Let’s Get Fit” conference?) Start by finding sponsors that fund similar events or are generally associated with your conference’s main themes. Decide how much say the sponsors should have in how the conference is run. Will you allow their branding and logo on every piece of equipment? Will they be able to bring in their own speakers? Remember: It’s a fine balance between getting funded and sacrificing the integrity of your conference. You’re the judge of where to draw that line. Further reading & tools Excellent guide on approaching sponsors: How to reach out to sponsors Marketplace for finding sponsors: SponsorMyEvent Step 5: Settle on a date Now it’s time to decide when your conference will take place. As discussed, that date should be anywhere from six months to a year ahead. You also need to find out how long the conference will last. Industry consensus suggests that a conference with around 300 participants calls for two full days. Larger, more in-depth conferences may stretch for even longer. Here are some great rules of thumb to keep in mind: Pick a date that doesn’t conflict with other major events like festivals. City-wide events make booking flights more expensive and generally hinder transportation to and from the conference. Besides, you don’t want your conference to compete for attention with big events. Avoid summer and winter holiday periods when people tend to go on vacation. It’s best to aim for a date between the middle of March and end of June or from early September to late November. Never plan a conference during the weekend. For most participants, attending a conference is a part of their job, so schedule it during the workweek. Try to aim for the end of the week, so that traveling attendees get the chance to stay behind and sightsee during their time off. The best days for a conference are Thursday and Friday. Setting a date will give you a fixed point to count back from to better plan your preparations. Step 6: Book the venue Once you know the date, you can start looking for available venues that match your requirements. In general, venues might fall into three categories: University campuses: These are best suited for smaller, academic events and are relatively cheap to hire. Hotels: These typically have dedicated conference facilities and own catering. They’re the best all-in-one choice since they offer both accommodation and conference space. They also tend to be the most expensive option. Independent venues: This category includes all other types of venues that can host conferences. Many of these specialise in specific types of events. But the cost of the venue is just one part of the puzzle. Here are a few other factors to consider when looking for the right venue: Size: Booking a too-small venue where everybody has to squeeze into a tiny room is clearly a bad idea. Similarly, securing a giant venue for a relatively modest crowd will not only hurt your wallet but also make the conference feel empty and poorly attended. Location: It’s best to pick a somewhat secluded location so that participants are better able to focus on the conference itself. Even better if the venue has calming, picturesque surroundings to help people relax. Atmosphere: It’s crucial that the vibe of the venue suits your target audience and theme. You don’t want to host a business conference inside a giant gym, for instance. Facilities: Does the venue have the proper layout and the right conference room styles for your needs? Does it have the necessary facilities like e.g. smaller rooms for breakout sessions? Accommodation: Does the venue provide accommodation or are there hotels nearby? Catering: Is catering included or can external catering companies easily get to and work inside the venue? If not, are there suitable restaurants and cafes in the area? (Keep in mind any special dietary requirements: vegan, kosher, nut-free, etc.) Transportation: How easy is it for participants to travel to the venue by public transport? Are there enough parking spots for those who drive? Technical aspects: Does the venue have the right IT, audio, and video equipment? You’ll need projection screens, microphones, plenty of charging spots for participants, and---of course---solid WiFi access. When negotiating with potential venues, try to arrange for early access to the place so that you can do a “dry run” or a walkthrough with your team prior to the conference. You should be able to ensure that every detail is in place before the big day. Quick tip: If you find a great venue that’s just out of your budget, see if you can negotiate a lower fee in return for a multiyear contract (provided you’re organising a recurring conference). If you think finding the right venue is too demanding, consider getting a venue finder to take care of it for you.