Conferences provide excellent opportunities for sharing ideas, networking, strategic thinking and planning. If you are the planner, there is one essential task to do before you start planning: get help! You could form a committee or conference committee. Whatever option you choose, this brief guide will help in planning your conference. Also, check to see if those who came before you have any lists you can follow.
Planning a conference requires considerable effort, and it helps if there are a number of people to share the load. In some affiliates, the conference planning committee is the executive board. In others, it is a committee at the college where the conference will be held. If this is not defined for your affiliate, it may be helpful to form two groups: a committee to do the actual organizing and running of the conference, and a reference group who can advise on different aspects of its preparation. Members of the reference group may be people who have previously been involved in running a conference or who would like to be involved in the conference organization but are unable to because of other commitments.
Form a committee and hold a meeting to:
Tasks may fall into the following categories:
Contact the sites to determine if they can cater to the needs of your conference. Things to consider when choosing a site include:
Check with each venue to ensure that they are capable of meeting all of your needs. Present the list of possibilities to the committee so a decision can be made.
The title and theme may reflect a new direction for your affiliate or our profession. A logo to symbolize and focus attention on the theme of the conference may be useful. This logo can be included in all publications and publicity material to help people quickly identify and associate them with your conference.
The person in charge of promoting the conference is responsible for arranging advertising and providing the media with information (via media releases). Advertising may include mailouts to individuals and other organizations. Don’t forget to let your regional vice-president know as soon as you have a location and date set and a contact person. Most conferences now post information on a web site, and many of these sites allow for online registration. Often early conference promotional materials include a ‘call for papers,’ where interested members are asked to suggest workshops and presentations that they would be able to give at the conference. A due date that allows enough time for conference organizers to complete the program should be included in all promotional material.
A press release can be issued closer to the conference date.
In cases where an annual conference is being planned, a budget from the previous year may be a helpful guide when allocating funds for the conference.
Costs to consider when planning the budget include:
The basic budget should include:
The appropriate affiliate officer should approve the budget in writing. Any alterations to the approved budget should be made in consultation with this officer.
A draft program should be prepared, outlining the general timetable for the conference. This timetable should take into consideration the availability, and suitability for your activities, of different facilities at the conference site. Time should be allotted for workshop and paper presentations throughout the day, with more time generally required for a workshop than for the presentation of a paper. It would be useful to have timeslots that vary in length or the flexibility to allow for double sessions, as some workshops may require more time than usual.
Scheduling of meal breaks and other events should be included, as should time for keynote speakers’ presentations. Keynote speakers’ presentations are often held in the morning of a conference day and act as a focus for the day’s activities. Also include time in the program for participants to browse through poster and/or trade displays (this may be allowed for during the time allocated for meal breaks).
As more information becomes available, the program can be updated.
A widely known and respected keynote speaker can greatly enhance the attendance at your conference. This aspect of the conference may have a significant cost.
Ensure you are aware of all presenters’ requirements well in advance of their presentations so that you can provide any extra equipment.
Presenters of workshops and papers should be organized at an early stage and you should maintain contact with them up to the day of the conference. Consider what you will do if a presenter must cancel at the last minute.
Bags have the advantage of both providing participants with a memento that will act as an ongoing advertisement for future conferences and as a bag keep all the conference material and sponsored fliers together. Currently, AMATYC will provide conference bags when requested early enough. Contact your regional vice-president. Otherwise, the cost of the bags may be covered by one or more sponsors, in return for publicity, such as logos being printed on the satchel. Other forms of conference packages include folders, sample bags, and publications that contain material relevant to the conference.
Sponsorship of your conference will provide you with a large proportion of the income you will need to generate to cover the costs of the conference. A list of sponsors from previous years, and the amount they contributed, can be helpful as a guide to approaching this year’s potential sponsors.
Many sponsors will want to know exactly what they will be getting for their money, and it is a good idea to provide them with these details in writing. Include information on such things as the position in which their logos will be displayed, advertising, position and amount of display area allocated, and any details regarding sponsorship of speakers.
Sponsors who are disappointed with the recognition accorded them may not be so willing to contribute funds in the future. The way you treat your sponsors this year will impact on the chances of sponsorship for future conferences.
Set aside space for exhibits and locate them in a place that makes them readily accessible to conference participants. Companies pay for the opportunity to show their materials. A good location is one where people regularly gather during the conference, such as the morning tea or lunch area, or the main entrance or foyer of the conference center.
A committee member will need to be responsible for organizing any needed transportation and lodging. Things to consider include:
A number of different administrative tasks will need to be performed during the course of the conference. These will include:
It is a good idea to ensure that someone is available at all times in a central location, such as at the registration desk, to coordinate activities and attend to any problems that may arise.
Some conference sites allow outside catering; others do not. This may influence your choice of sites. If you are happy to use the conference venue’s caterers then you may simply need to choose a menu, provide the caterers with the numbers that will be attending your conference, and the times you want to schedule morning and afternoon tea and lunch breaks. Choosing a site that can offer you many different services will probably cost you a little bit more than if you organize these things yourself; on the other hand, it may not be worth the extra time and effort.
Social activities are an important aspect of every conference, as they provide a valuable opportunity for networking. Social events can include informal activities, such as barbecues; or more formal events, such as conference dinners and breakfasts with guest speakers.
All publications and registration forms should include the contact details of the person responsible for registration, so that conference participants can correspond directly with this person. Copies of the conference program should be sent out to allow participants to schedule different sessions and workshops. This should be done as early as possible (send a draft if the program is not finalized). This can also generate more interest in your conference.
Create a database of registrations. Use the database to generate nametags for participants and to ensure that all participants receive the appropriate materials. At the conference, be sure there is a registration table with a list of conference participants and the relevant nametags and handouts. Allow for extra people to register on the day of the conference who will need conference material, such as bags, nametags and programs.
Evaluation is important to gauge the success of each session and the overall success of the conference. This is usually done using a survey through forms that can quickly be filled out at the end of each workshop or at the end of the entire conference. This evaluation is helpful for the persons responsible for the planning of future