The process of finding a conference location is long and complex. Planning can start up to a full year in advance. You start thinking about all the things you need to organize from the beginning. How do you choose the right speakers for your event? What venue is available? How many guests will you be inviting? The planning process can seem endless, from securing sponsors and organizing production needs to arranging AV.
Venue is the most important part of a conference. It’s the place where all the action takes place. It is crucial to find the perfect space that can meet all of your requirements. It can be not easy to find the right conference venue. Finding a venue that fits your needs and expectations can be difficult.
While finding the right venue for your conference is important, many other factors should be taken into consideration before you begin your search. This initial planning will give you a better idea of how your conference venue is going to look. This will help you to understand what you need from your platform.
Here’s a list of the steps you need to take in order to find the perfect venue for your conference. Here’s our step-by-step guide for finding the ideal conference venue.
Understanding Why
Understanding why you’re running your conference is key to understanding the purpose of it. You can be a change leader by organizing a conference. It is a chance to bring together some of the brightest and most influential minds in your field to solve a common problem. A lack of technology investment could be the problem. You may have a problem with diversity, representation, or a worrying trend that threatens to shake the foundations of your business. What’s the main cause of concern in your network? What are the conversations you hear over and over again?
This important factor will guide future decisions. The meeting will help you to organize your team. This is why it must be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. A clear vision will make it easier to put together a conference. Conferences are highly competitive. Organizing a meeting is a huge undertaking, so you should make sure that your team and yourself understand the reasons for your event. The ‘why” will guide your entire planning process, and it will affect the venue you choose.
Audience
Understanding your audience is crucial. The event’s elements should work together to provide a positive experience to the attendees.
A conference aimed at people in the real estate industry is likely to be different from a tech conference. Many real estate professionals would appreciate some of the more traditional formats and venues for meetings. It is important to be familiar with these events.
A tech conference is much more daring. All should be cutting-edge and new. The tech crowd is not interested in the old. They want to be amazed and experience something new. They would expect speakers who are innovative and have information that is focused on the latest technologies. The organizer should use technology to ensure that the attendees’ experience is as seamless as possible. The attendees would expect to have lots of interactive activities throughout the day.
Target Audience
Early on, you should identify your target audience. This will help you determine the best venue for your audience. If you are organizing a conference to benefit a progressive or forward-thinking company, they may love an unconventional conference venue. Platforms that are out of the ordinary and challenge participants to be creative. If you are expecting over 1,000 guests, then the biggest conference venues will be required. When planning your conference, you can find the ideal conference venue by considering all of these factors.
Agenda
Your agenda is a guideline for planning your event and also for attendees. The agenda should always be linked to the ‘why’ of the conference. You are halfway there if you already know what problem you’re trying to solve and the conversation that is taking place. You can use this information to plan individual session themes, break-out rooms, and more. Understanding why you want to invite someone to speak will help you choose the right person to engage your audience.
It acts as a concrete plan. You can use it to plan your event. It can also be used as a scheduling and planning system. You can then incorporate ideas and structure your planning better if you already have a wireframe of the conference. You can also start to make backup plans if a problem arises during the meeting by using your agenda.
Agenda: A vision
Agendas should be flexible and based on your vision, not set in stone. You will be able to react and change things if something happens during the event. To avoid disaster, you can make small changes to your crisis plan.
The agenda should be planned to the minute. How many breaks are you planning? When will the speakers appear? It is important to schedule your conference components in a logical order. While timing shouldn’t be rigid, it is important to have a rough estimate of the time each keynote speaker will speak or how much break attendees will get.
Most attendees expect variety. Attendees want to be able to interact with other attendees and take breaks. Your conference will reflect your vision if you maintain a focus and pay attention to the details. Ensuring your event runs smoothly will ultimately make your life easier.
Budget
As an event planner, planning your budget can be a tedious task. It is important to schedule a conference. A budget will ensure that you are spending the correct amount for your event. This will affect your venue selection. Planning how to spend your money, whether it’s a healthy budget or one that is a bit more restricted, is essential.
Create an Excel spreadsheet that lists the major items in your wishlist, such as AV equipment and catering, marketing materials, conference venues, and staff expenses. Create a list of all the things you will need. Do some research to find out how much everything will cost. You’ll have all of these details at hand when you start your venue search. You will be able to find a venue that will meet all of your needs.
Budget management software is useful for dividing budgets into smaller amounts and presenting a clear breakdown of costs. We always use the traditional spreadsheet, but tools like Xero and Quicken can be great modern tools that support your main tracking document.
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