Conference Planning

It can be used on collaborative planning documents or meeting notes to remind people about the next meeting.

A conference or other large-scale corporate event requires a significant amount of planning. With so many details and logistics to keep track of, it’s critical to have a well-crafted plan in place to ensure all of the steps—from pre-event planning to post-event review—go smoothly.

These conference planning tips will walk you through the process so you can confidently plan and produce your next corporate event. Use our free conference plan template to save time and effort while getting your plan off to a faster start.

The Advantages of Using a Comprehensive Event Plan for Your Conference

If you’ve ever managed an event, you’ve almost certainly created some sort of plan or to-do list for all of the work required to pull the event off. However, perhaps you have never created a comprehensive conference timeline that you can easily track and collaborate on with your team and stakeholders.

Here are just a few of the advantages of having a detailed conference planning timeline:

• Monitor production from start to finish: Determine when each task must be completed and keep track of progress to ensure deadlines are met.

• Keep the scope and budget in mind: Check what the event requires ahead of time to avoid last-minute surprises that cause scope creep and budget overruns.

• Clear communication with stakeholders: Keep stakeholders up to date on progress and establish clear expectations for their role in approvals.

• Improve team collaboration and accountability by clearly defining who is responsible for what and keeping communication flowing among team members at all stages of conference planning.

• Monitor and mitigate risk proactively: Consider inherent risks early on, and identify and address issues before they derail your conference schedule.

• Feel less anxious and more assured about your event: You can relax knowing exactly what needs to happen and when in order for your event to go off without a hitch.

How to Plan an Event for Your Conference

There are no two conferences that are alike. However, even if the specifics differ, most large-scale corporate events share the same core activities.

Let’s go over the five major phases you should include in your conference planning.

Preparation for the event

Yes, even your planning requires a plan. The pre-planning phase lays the groundwork for the rest of your event strategy.

So, before diving into logistics, make a list of essential conference information, such as your target audience, event budget, and overall program. If you need approvals to move forward, make sure to budget for the time it will take to obtain them.

Logistics The logistics phase includes all of the key activities that contribute to the success of your event. It’s likely that you’ll devote the majority of your time, energy, and resources to finalizing event details, negotiating contracts, and securing vendors, entertainment, and services for your event.

Communication during an event

Large-scale corporate events, such as conferences and trade shows, necessitate consistent, on-brand communication. They must also be promoted through a variety of channels, including an event website, social media accounts, email, paid ads, and public relations.

All of these communication efforts can be tracked and managed in your event plan to ensure that word gets out on time. This makes it simple to keep everyone informed so that nothing falls between the cracks.

Want to go deeper into event promotion? Consider using our event marketing and promotion template.

Sales of tickets

Ticket sales will almost certainly be a key success metric for your event (or registrations, if your event is free). It’s critical to properly price tickets and carefully monitor sales (or registrations) so you can adjust your strategy as needed. To meet your sales targets, you may need to extend your early-bird pricing window or increase your ad spend.

Wrap-up and evaluation of the event

A large-budget event will necessitate follow-up with everyone involved. Here are some questions to consider as a group:

What worked well? What didn’t work?

• Was the event within budget?
• How much money did you make?
• What was the total number of tickets sold? How many people actually showed up?
• What were the common themes in the feedback from attendees?

Take down any important notes or make any necessary changes to your plan as you go in Tracup. For example, you could record why something was delayed or went over budget. That way, you can easily refer to takeaways and apply lessons learned to create a more focused plan for your next event.

RELATED RESOURCES

“Trends in Meeting, Event Planning Puts Bloomington in Good Position.” The Herald-Times, www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/local/2022/10/07/trends-in-meeting-event-planning-puts-bloomington-in-good-position/69539305007. Accessed 13 Oct. 2022.