How to Host a Successful Business Conference

Hosting an important business conference can be a stressful experience! But it can also be energizing and an excellent way to advance your career. The good news is, most anyone can learn how to organize a successful conference. Although there are a long list of details to go over and preparations to make, the planning of the conference is the single biggest factor in determining its success or failure.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Making Initial Preparations

You need to have a clear idea of who you want to attend your conference before you start planning it. If it is too narrow an audience, you won’t find a market for the conference. If it is too broad, you run the risk of a bland theme that will not hold your attendees' interest. Think about the demographic qualities of your attendees, including age, income level, and location. Will attendees be from same organization or industry? Will they be executives, middle management, employees, or a mix? You cannot make proper plans if you do not know whom you are addressing or hoping to attract.
After you know who you are planning your conference for, you'll need to figure out how the conference will be set up. Will it be primarily speaking presentations, panels, interactive presentations, or a mix of those? Think about how many speakers or presenters you will have and how long presentations will be. These decisions should be tailored to the subject matter and to your audience.
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3
Consider the theme. The theme will influence everything else, so you want to decide this issue first.^{[1]XResearch source}^{[2]XResearch source} Your theme should reflect the purpose of the conference. This lets attendees know exactly what they will be hearing, seeing, and doing there. Ask yourself:
- Why would they want to come? Conferences are time consuming and expensive for attendees as well as hosts. There needs to be something you are offering at your conference that no one can get anywhere else.
- Make your theme as specific as possible. The theme can be subject oriented or aimed at a demographic target. For instance, the "Asian-American Law Enforcement Officers' Conference" is a demographic target, while "Marketing Manuscripts to Independent Publishers" is a subject oriented theme.
- For another example, the theme "Awakening the Autism Entrepreneur Workshop" tells a potential attendee everything they need to know about the conference.
4
Define the scope of the conference. The scope of your conference will determine all of your logistical concerns, your choice of speakers, and even the location. Be realistic about the scope. You want it to be as narrow as possible while still having a robust market.
- Think about the location of the target audience. If you have a possible market of 1000, but they are spread out on three continents, you’re going to struggle to get attendees.
- How many would you like to attend? If this is your first conference, don’t try to plan a conference larger than 300-400 people. The learning curve is too steep.
- Consider the geographical location of the probable attendees. Are they local, regional, or national? Consider and plan for possible transportation types used by attendees.
- Will conference be single session, multiple sessions in a single day, or multiple days with overnight stays?
5
Create a project Team. Unless the event is local and limited to a few attendees, the person in change will need help. Build a project team with at least one member assigned to each area of conference planning. The areas to be considered are the agenda, speakers, logistics, budgets, accommodations, refreshments, marketing, and public relations. There may be other area specific to your conference as well.
- While some items can be combined, a planning team usually consists of three to five people with additional staff as required by the scope of conference.
6
Develop a budget. Develop a budget and stick to it. Decide whether the goal is to break even or produce a profit, and then if there is a specific revenue target. Include elements of costs and revenues (attendance sales, underwriting guarantees, etc.) with a specific person on your project team being responsible for purchasing and contracting to avoid confusion. You will need to consider several factors, including:
- Vendors, such as AV providers, hotels/convention centers, caterers, convention bureaus, transportation providers, and travel agencies. Get quotes from vendors in writing.
- Costs of speakers, including fees and expenses.
- Costs for marketing and website development.
- Fees for event planners.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Preparing For the Event

Individuals on your project team should be responsible for specific areas of your conference preparations. Meet to clarify exactly what each member is responsible for and the powers they have (spending, decision-making, etc.). Make sure to address any overlaps in responsibility so that you can leave your project team to their preparations. Give them an easy way to contact you for clarification of any other issues they experience.
2
Develop a project plan. Your project plan outlines the conference preparations, execution, and followup. Include schedules for meetings and guidelines for communication between project team members, both during preparations and after. Then, set up deadlines for conference preparation, such as when to lock in sponsors or speakers. Finally, set up a preliminary schedule for the event itself with dates and scheduled events.
- The extent of your plan will depend on the scope of your conference. A small, short company event and multi-meeting, multi-day commercial event will require different amounts of planning.
The last part of your project plan is the conference agenda. This is effectively the menu of the event, including the who, what, and where for every aspect of the conference. When creating it, you'll need to consider each segment of conference, the length of speeches, rest periods between them, break out sessions, and the possibility of multiple simultaneous sessions. This should also include refreshments or meals served to attendees and when they will be served.
4
Solicit event sponsors. If you can find a sponsor for your conference, you can afford to set ticket prices at a level that just allows you to break even. That way, you can make your profit from the sponsorship.^{[3]XResearch source}
- Seek out relevant sponsors for your conference. Look within the same industry or for a company that serves the audience that will be attending your conference.
- Approach several sponsors. Many sponsors are willing to pay in order to get their message in front of a targeted audience, and all conferences are targeted to specific segments of the population.
- Write a sponsorship prospectus which includes information about projected attendance and ticket sales, demographics of the attendees, and the credentials of your firm. Package these details attractively, with color-coded graphs, charts, and photographs.
- Be sure to also set out the terms of what the sponsor will provide, which might include funding, underwriting, or soliciting attendees for the conference.
5
Determine attendee fees. You want your ticket price to be high enough to make money (or at least break even), but low enough that it still entices people to come. Consider refreshment costs when setting your attendee fees. You should also think about setting early bird and late arrival rates as well.
- Fees should be in line with purpose and likely attendees. An in-house conference usually has no fees, as expenses are paid by company.
- A charitable event might have large fees for tax deductions or small to enhance attendance and spread the message.
- If you're just starting a small conference, you can't count on employers paying the costs, so take that into account.
- Research industry standards to learn about the cost of similar conferences.
- Develop a fair but stringent cancellation policy can ensure that guests who have committed to showing up follow through.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Make a portion of the ticket price non-refundable. Whether you call it a deposit or a cancellation fee, it helps make people who say they will attend actually attend. Just be sure to give very conspicuous notice—you don’t want an irate canceller to give you bad word of mouth.
6
Find speakers. The speakers at a conference are, along with the location, the biggest draw. In terms of attendance, they can make or break the conference’s success. People don’t come for the catering, after all. When choosing speakers, consider the number of speakers, panel members, or hosts needed for conference. Think about what sort of credentials you are looking for, along with whether you want them to be internal or external to your company or industry.
- There are dozens, if not hundreds of services that will find conference speakers for a fee, and even a few that will find speakers at no cost to the conference-holder. Speakermatch is one of the free services, and it operates like a cross between a matchmaking service and cars.com. You can search by price, locality, or subject. The speakers set their own fees, and some will even speak for no fee at all.
- There are several other ways to find speakers. Check out youtube.com videos or question and answer sites like Quora in the subject you’re looking for, hold auditions, create an advisory board, or simply look at speakers at events in your industry.
- Set up a contract with the speaker, nothing their fee payment requirements (if applicable), deposit, cancellation terms, and a limit on reimbursed expenses.
- If you can’t afford to pay speakers (but you want a speaker that demands payment), then suggest a revenue sharing agreement. If you make a profit, they get a portion of it.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Think about the logistics for speakers, including transportation, hotel, meals, AV arrangements, and event participation besides their speech, as well as their potential participation in the promotion of the event.
7
Find a location. Next to the speaker, this is the most important aspect of drawing attendees. A lot of people try to go to conferences just because they’re in a fun or interesting locale. Think about company resources first, especially for company-specific events. The chosen location should be convenient to most attendees depending upon likely mode of travel.
- Figure out the city right off the bat. Take your intended audience and the scope of the conference into account. A conference with a national draw or with a wealthier audience can afford more exotic locations. Regional conferences should pick more modest locations.
- Nail down a specific venue after you’ve developed a budget and found some good speakers. The facilities themselves are probably the most important factor in choosing a venue. You’re going to want something large enough to hold the audience, with enough rooms to handle break-out groups. Hotels, convention centers, university facilities, and reception halls are the most likely suspects. An independent reception hall in a distinct location can really set your conference apart.
- Keep convenience and travel time in mind when selecting a venue. You don’t want the venue to be too far removed from the airport, or in a section of the city that is difficult to navigate on foot, since many attendees won’t want to rent a car.
- Consider parking and ancillary events, especially if attendees are traveling overnight from out of town.
- In addition to the event venue, you need to find a good nearby bar (or three) where people can blow off steam, nice restaurants where you can entertain important guests, and lodging where you will put up the speakers.^{[6]XResearch source}
8
Develop a marketing plan. This should include all efforts to attract attendees, including formal and online invitations, web pages, newspaper and radio advertising, and guest interviews. Include a social media plan that covers Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter posts, and guest blogs.^{[7]XResearch source}
- Aim to have vendors booked at least a month before the actual conference.
- If this is your first conference, begin your marketing campaign early. An exciting marketing campaign can create a definite buzz around the conference, thereby boosting attendance.
- Market to similar groups at similar conferences. Just like sponsors pay to get their message in front of targeted audiences, consider apportioning part of your budget to advertising at other conferences.
- For more, see how to promote a conference.
9
Establish registration procedures. Your registration procedures should clearly outline how and when potential attendees can register and pay to attend the conference. If you're offering online registration, set up a website to receive registrants and their attendance fees. If registration is done through other means, make sure to outline the process for receiving and processing them.
- You can also allow fees to be collected at the conference.
- Craft a plan to send attendance reminders to attendees either through the mail or over email.
- Ask registrants how they learned about the conference. The answer to this question will help you determine where to spend your marketing budget in the future.
10
Create support materials. The support materials are the seemingly minor details that are, in reality, vital to your conference running smoothly. These include:
- Registration and feedback forms, which are easily created in a word processing program.
- Lanyards and nametags, which can be purchased at office supply stores, print shops, and screen printers.
- Any speaker requirements as outlined in your contracts with them.
- Seating charts for reserved seating.
- Handouts,maps, and visitor’s guides, which can be created in-house or through a graphic designer, and printed at an office supply store or a local printshop.
- Signage,which can be designed in-house or through a graphic designer, and can be printed at sign printing companies.
- Sponsor’s items, which can be obtained from sponsors.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Running the Event

1
Develop a staff. A good staff is critical to executing a successful conference.^{[8]XResearch source} You will need people to fill several roles, including:
- A floor manager.^{[9]XResearch source} This is your right hand, the person that makes sure that all the events are executed on-time. When the unexpected arises, you need to be confident in your floor manager to make good spur-of-the-moment decisions without close supervision.^{[10]XResearch source}
- A Wi-Fi manager.^{[11]XResearch source} This is just what it sounds like. Few things will anger conference attendees and speakers more quickly than a spotty Wi-Fi situation. Unless your conference is smaller than 100 people, the Wi-Fi manager should do nothing else.
- A social media person, who keeps a flow of tweets, status updates, and posts going for the length of the conference.^{[12]XResearch source}
- A doorperson.^{[13]XResearch source} This can be the same person who conducts registration at a smaller conference. At a larger conference, it should probably be designated individual who is supervising the registrars.
- Runners and MCs. A rule of thumb is one runner per 100 seats, and one MC per room.^{[14]XResearch source}
- Either the day of the conference or the day before the conference, appoint a head volunteer with good organizational and people skills to assist with any unexpected issues.^{[15]XResearch source}
2
Confirm team members responsibility and communications. Make sure all of your team members are on the same page and prepared for the conference. Go over individual responsibilities for team members. Check that communication channels are ready and working. This meeting should occur in a meeting the evening before or the morning prior to the event.
- Expect to stay busy. Make sure to keep your cellphone on and charged, because you're likely to be the recipient of frequent calls, texts, and emails. At the minimum, you'll be working 10-12 hours days for the duration of the conference.
Consider the appropriate seating arrangement for the type of event. For example, you might have audience-style seating, a U-shape seating plan, or a standing crowd, depending on the type of event. Set up break rooms and dining areas for their intended purposes. Make sure there is adequate room in and between rooms for your crowd of attendees to move around.
Make sure everything works by checking presentations on equipment. Resolve any issues you run into or have someone more tech-savvy do it for you. When you've done so, create a back-up plan in the event of equipment failure.
Work with your caterer(s) to organize their schedule and responsibilities. These might include the set up of dining and refreshment areas as well as clean-up, particularly if there is a speaker presenting during the meal.
Work with your security team to make sure your space is adequately protected and prepared for emergencies. Make sure protection is in place for property, attendees, and cash (if fees are taken at door). Consider potential protestors or demonstrations and make plans to ensure the safety of attendees. Have medical personnel on stand-by in case of a medical emergency.
7
Walk the venue. Right before the conference is set to begin, conduct a walk-through of the venue, making sure that any promised accessories and amenities are in working order.^{[16]XResearch source}
- Take your staff to the walkthrough. They are going to be critical in successfully executing the plan.
8
Make your speakers happy. Happy, well rested presenters give good presentations that make your guests feel like they've gotten their money's worth. They are the stars of this show. Make them feel special, because they are.^{[17]XResearch source}
- Take the speakers out for separate meals, engage them on a personal level. For example, you could say, "I really enjoyed your talk this afternoon. How do you come up with those great interactive activities that you included?"
- Make sure your speakers are completely satisfied with their accommodations.
- You and your lead should be the point people for the speakers. If they have any problems at all during their stay, see to it personally that those problems are solved.
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Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Following Up on the Conference

1
Get feedback from attendees. Collect the comment cards and go over the guests' reactions and impressions. Specifically pay attention to their opinions on the content of the conference, including:
- Did they learn valuable information? In the end, this is how attendees will justify the expense of the conference, and it will play a large part in determining whether they come back.
- Did they enjoy the speakers? Speakers can be a big expense. You want to know how guest’s felt about the speakers because you need to determine whether to invite them back.
- Did it meet expectations? This gets at their global impression of the conference, and allows them to suggest room for improvement.
- Were the accommodations satisfactory? It helps you learn what to emphasize in a venue the next time—amenities, location, convenience—which helps you make adjustments for the future.
2
Get feedback from speakers and sponsors. This type of feedback can be less structured, as you have hopefully developed a good working relationship and developed a rapport with the speakers.^{[18]XResearch source}
- Start off with a thank-you card. Hopefully you’ve already gotten a sense of their feelings about accommodations and the like, but get their feedback about the audience; whether they thought they were well matched to it, what they liked and didn’t like, how they might change their presentations and pitches down the line, and what you can do to make them more effective.^{[19]XResearch source}
- Be sure to verbally follow-up if a problem arose during the speaker's presentation or event.
3
Get feedback from staff. Your staff can give you some of the most valuable feedback with respect to executive functions. Pay special attention to the staff's opinion on the adequacy of plans and the efficacy with which they were carried out.
- Ask the staff for input about what areas needed to be planned in more detail. This can include both logistical plans and training plans.
- What aspects of the planning were satisfactory?
- How well was the timeline followed? Your timeline helps give everyone an idea of not only what needs to happen and when, but which items are prerequisites for the later items. How well the timeline was followed is a good overall gauge of how well organized the conference as a whole was.
- What changes needed to made in the future? This touches on planning, execution, and physical infrastructure.
Once you've got input from all the stakeholders involved in the conference, you can synthesize the information. Use the synthesis to make your next conference more successful. Combine this information with your own documentation and comments on the conference planning and execution process.
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