The Conference Planner’s To-Do List

Corporate events are stressful if you don’t have the good approach. A systematic way and some of those key elements will help you to do so.

The venue

The venue is the most important part of you event, therefore, it will be a high part of your budget. The good one will have to answer to several criteria:

• Is it in your budget?
• Can the price be lower depending on the time of year?
• Is it available on the date you want it?
• Does the atmosphere of the place fit with the event and the activities you would like to host?
• Is there a maximum number allowed?
• Is it easily accessible?
• Does the venue provide equipment such as chairs, tables, audio-visual Equipment? If not, you will have to add those items on your budget?

Activities

Timeline should be include in your checklist. It is necessaire to estimate time of each activities of the event. You also need to anticipate unforeseen problems and delays and technical difficulties by including a buffer at your timetable.
For example, If a presentation is estimated for 60 minutes, make it 70 on the timeline.
Consider the following activities:
–Introduction
–Workshops
–Guest speaker lecture
–Breaks and lunch
–After-party

Each of them can be split on different points and have its own mini checklist.
Thereby, a presentation for a launch of a product may have this checklist:
–Opening statement: 5 minutes
–Slideshow and description: 20 minutes
–Questions and Answers: 5 minutes

Guest Speaker

Would you like a guest speaker on your event? Would it be an authority figure of the company or someone known in the industry? Identify the speaker and make a shortlist:
–Where is this person coming from? What will be the cost of making him come?
–Does he need special equipment, such as a comfort monitor?

Advertising

It has to be obvious, for someone coming in the venue that your company is hosting the event. Make this event an opportunity to show your company name by making appear the name and the logo in various mediums.
To commercialize it, you may consider those options:
–Traditional advertising (flyers)
–Digital displays
Sponsors
You must ask yourself what your corporate sponsor will receive for funding your event? This will probably be arranged in advance in a contract. Make a checklist to ensure all the sponsor’s requests are met:
–How will the sponsors be shown?
–Will the logo also appear on giveaways?

Food

Your event must offer refreshments and at least finger foods. Depending on your budget, you might opt for a gourmet catering or a buffet. This must be cleared by a checklist:
–Will you serve alcohol?
–Does the venue have a a place where the food can be kept until service?

Security

Safety is one of the most important point of your event. Especially if there are tremendous legal implications. Be sur those following points are answered:
–Does your event require the presence of security personnel?

Transportation

If you choose a farther out venue, make sur that there are hotels near it and that there is shuttle buses that can take them back and forth between the lodging and venue. Especially if the event is planned on several days.

Pre- and Post-Event Follow-Ups

Checklists must extend beyond the event. It must consider publicity campaign days before the event to sale tickets. Feed-back after the event has to be organise in order to encourage consumer loyalty and retention. Ask yourself how you can engage with your audience outside the event? This could be by:
–Social media contests with prizes
–Discounts after the event