When it comes to conferences, there can be a long laundry list of to-dos and this at times, can feel very overwhelming. What is a conference? It is a formal meeting and discussion that takes place usually over an overarching topic. To make your life easier, we wanted to give you a few recommendations on how to organize a conference and take some of the guessing work out of it for you. 

Conference Event Planning

1. Create a Conference Outline

One of the many benefits of conferences is that they give you an opportunity to showcase your strategic business plan, new technology, your achievements as a business and so forth, so you will first want to start by creating a conference outline that showcases everything that will take place at the conference. This will help keep you organized and serves as a master spreadsheet for you and the rest of your team, so everyone is on the same page.

2. Make a Budget

Next, you will want to create a budget. We recommend starting with an overall budget and then breaking that down into smaller categories such as venues for conferences, furniture and supplies, advertising dollars, tech equipment, and so forth. Not only does this break your budget down in a way that is manageable, it also gives you a starting reference point for the next time you plan an event like this.

3. Choose a Venue

When it comes to conferences, choosing the right corporate meeting space is crucial because it reflects you and the business. It’s not as simple as searching for conference venues near me. You will want to put in a lot of time and effort assessing your wants and needs for the conference, as well as the space that reflects who you are as a company. People will associate you with the space and you want to make sure everything runs seamlessly to have the best outcome possible.

4. Staff Your Event

Not only will you want to consider the space, but conference venue hires as well. Who will you need to run your event? Will you have a wait staff? Someone, to run a coat check? Will you provide a valet service? Will there be an on-site manager in case anything were to go wrong? These are the things you will want to consider when it comes to running the event the day of.

5. Correct Equipment

Another crucial component is making sure you have all the right equipment to make your conference function. Do you need display screens? A projector? Microphones? High-speed internet and Wi-Fi? Speakers to amplify sound? A stage? We want you to envision your conference and use your outline as a reference point to plan ahead on what you will need. This will also help you make an ultimate decision on the venue depending on who can provide you with the correct equipment.

6. Advertise

You will also want to plan out your advertising based on your target audience for the conference. Who are you trying to reach and where can you find them? You will want to plan advertising dollars into your budget to make sure people know about your event, to begin with. There is no point in hosting a conference if no one shows up to it.

7. Follow-Up

Finally, you will want to follow up with guests to receive feedback on what went well and what you can improve upon in the future. A good way to do this is to create a survey for guests. Not only does this help you capture their information for future events, but it allows them to tell you what their experience was like.

At Ovation Square, we are located in the heart of downtown Long Beach and our event space is perfect for hosting any type of conference. With our various spaces within the venue, we can bring any conference to life for you

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What should go into my conference outline?
A: Think of this as your event master plan. You will want the flow of the event and all the important details you want your team to be updated on here. That way everyone is on the same page as each other. 

Q: What is a realistic budget for a conference?
A: That completely depends on the size of your event, what the venue costs, how extravagant and over the top you want to be, and so forth. If you work with an event planner, they can help lay out a budget based on your wants and needs. 

Q: What kind of questions should I ask in the survey?
A: Ask questions where it directly impacts the changes you can make to your event next time. What did they like the most about the conference? What was their key takeaway? What do they think could have been done better? This will help guide your next event.