How to organise a great conference

Throwing a great conference is overwhelming. Take a deep breath…*inhale*…*exhale*…feel better? You can easily take the pressure off of yourself (maybe take another deep breath) by following these three simple tricks!

1. Organisation is key

The key word is “organise.” You must be organised from the get-go to create the perfect conference. By conference day you’ll be breathing easy! List out your conference goals. What do you want to accomplish through holding the conference? Questions like this are key to set yourself up for success.

2. Food & Drinks please

How much coffee do people drink? How many servers are needed to adequately keep up with your guest list? Will people actually eat the lunch served?

A miscalculation can cause the coffee pots to run dry OR you to order too much food and waste money.

Follow this simple rule of thumb…If the event is super professional, maybe lean towards the side of smaller portions and serving sizes. Guests will be more focused on work than their plate in a super professional setting BUT if the conference is laid back, think about serving more snacks or even hosting a cocktail hour, (without the cocktails, sadly) to allow guests a time to mingle and network during the conference. Request for servers to have appetizer platters and trays with a variety of food options.

3. Break Time

Breaks…but the goal of a conference is to get work done, right? Guests will appreciate solid breaks throughout the conference to keep them on task when they need to pay attention the most.

Consider creating a program or organised list of what time speaker’s are scheduled, lunchtime and of course periodic breaks. Guests will be much more apt to listening when they know they will get down time in their near future.

All in all, organising a great conference doesn’t have to be intimidating. Your conference is sure to run smoothly with organisation, planned food and scheduled breaks. Guests will surely enjoy their time!

Thanks for reading Victoria Park’s Functions Blog. Visit our conference venue page for more information.