You've decided to organize a conference. It's quite a task!
At least six months before the event, you should begin planning. For larger conferences, planning may begin a year ahead. There will be many moving parts.
There are a million things you want to know. How do you begin? How do you choose the right speakers? What venue is best suited for your needs?
Don't worry.
Even though organizing a conference can be a difficult task, it is not impossible. You don't have to invent the wheel. Follow these steps.
This top-level guide will help you organize a conference. This guide will walk you through all the steps and connect you to useful tools and articles that will help you make your job easier. These steps don't necessarily follow a chronological order -- you may start to contact potential speakers before you have secured a venue. But they will give you an idea of where to focus your attention first.
Are you ready to organize that conference?
Step 1: Choose a theme
A theme is essential for any conference. What is the conference's unifying message? And what are the main takeaways for attendees?
The most effective themes are relatable and catchy. They also trigger emotions. The conference should inspire and stimulate discussion. This is what your theme should do.
For example, "Stronger together as a team" might be a better theme that "Achieving greater efficiency through cross-functional collaboration."
It is not just a rallying cry for everyone involved; it will guide you branding and promotion, from designing your logo to creating social media hashtags to printing posters, brochures and other collateral.
Additional reading and tools
Step 2: Assemble your A-team
You won't likely be the one organizing a conference. We'd be surprised if that was the case.
To manage different aspects of promotion, negotiation, and planning, you will need a core team. The following people will be part of your core team:
Planning group: Conference venue and accommodation. Activities, catering.
Administration team - Budgeting, attendee registration and ticket sales. This person/team will be your main contact for all questions regarding the conference.
Marketing team - Contacting media, creating promotional materials, managing your website, blog and social media activities.
The Sponsorships Team is responsible for securing sponsors and applying for grants. Only relevant to conferences that depend on outside sources of funding. Obviously)
Volunteers : Helping with all activities on-site on the day. This includes ticket scanning, door management, managing the guest list, maintaining the guest list, dressing, guiding people, and so on.
Your primary job is to coordinate the team and assign tasks.
Step 3: Create a budget and a business plan
You will need to create a budget, regardless of whether your conference is sponsored. It is important to understand where your money is going.
A budget can help you determine the cost of attending the conference. These are the most important items that you should budget for:
Location
Accommodation
Transport
Catering
Speaker fees
Activities
Marketing
Members of the team
When searching for venues or negotiating contracts, it is a good idea to prepare a budget.
This course takes you step by step on how to choose a topic, locate the venue, produce, market and sell out your event. The instructor has 25 years’ experience in the creation, marketing and production of conferences and events. Putting on an event takes meticulous planning. This course provides a checklist from beginning to completion taking your profits to the bank.
What is your passion?
What do you love to teach others?
Hundreds if not thousands of people want to learn from you. Are you a dynamic speaker? Do you like telling stories? What are you an expert in that other people seek your advice?
If you are a therapist or life coach teaching is another way to expand your business. But all businesses have people in them who do product demos, seminars and more.
If you are one of them then this course is for you!
Register today!
