Steps to Organizing Successful Conferences

Who among us has not witnessed or heard of successful conferences that dazzle the audience with their distinguished content? And enrich them with their new and useful ideas? Achieve dazzling success, requires careful planning and professional implementation. The conference is an event that aims to spread knowledge, experiences, and innovations, and build networks of cooperation and partnership. Therefore, organizing successful conferences requires a clear and thoughtful plan, whether this conference is in person or virtual.

In this article, we will explain how to plan and organize a successful and distinctive conference. Starting from defining the goals and target audience for your conference, going through how to choose speakers, partners, and sponsors. And how to promote your conference and increase its attendance and engagement, so that you are ultimately qualified to organize a conference that meets all your expectations and goals and satisfies your audience.

The importance of planning and organizing a conference

We cannot deny the importance of planning and organizing conferences, as they determine the fate of any conference between success and failure. Planning helps you determine the goals, audience, topic, program, and budget for your conference. While organization helps you implement the plan effectively and professionally, and deal with partners, sponsors, speakers, and attendees in an ideal way. Let’s get to know together these basic steps that ensure the smooth and effective running of the conference.

Steps to Organizing Successful Conferences

Step one: Determine the goals and target audience

The process of organizing successful conferences begins with determining the goal and target audience of the conference. Without this step, you will not be able to design a conference that meets the needs and expectations of the audience, and you will not be able to choose the appropriate content and format for it. Therefore, you have to ask yourself what message you want to convey to the audience, what value you want to provide to participants, and what results you want to achieve through this conference.

Your goal may be to build a network of relationships with potential partners, spread new ideas or information in your field, or promote your company or organization. Therefore, we can conclude that by determining the main goal, you can adjust the rest of the details and plans that will ultimately lead to the overwhelming success of your conference.

Step 2: Determine the budget for organizing successful conferences

Determining the budget is one of the most important steps in organizing successful conferences. As it includes estimating the money needed for all revenues and expenses related to the conference. Determining the budget contributes to planning, implementing and evaluating the conference in a perfect manner, and helps avoid any undesirable shortage or increase in it. In order to determine the budget accurately, you must follow the following steps:

Determine the sources of revenue:

These are the funds that will enter the conference from different sources, such as registration fees, sponsorship, and advertising, donations and gifts, support from relevant parties, and other revenues (such as selling products or services). Therefore, you must estimate the value of each source realistically and logically, and take into account any conditions or restrictions associated with it.

Determine the elements of expenses:

These are the funds that will come out of the conference to cover all costs related to the conference. Such as the costs of the venue, accommodation, speakers and guests, food and beverage costs, marketing, and media costs. As well as printing and publishing, insurance costs, and taxes. In addition to transportation and travel costs, wages and salaries, and other costs (such as entertainment, gifts, or prizes). Therefore, the value of each element must be calculated accurately and comprehensively. And any possible discounts or agreements must be taken into account.

Preparing the budget table:

It is a table that shows all the sources of revenue and expenditure items for the conference, stating the value of each. The budget table should be flexible and adjustable according to the changes that may occur in the planning or implementation process. Here too, it is important that the budget table be flexible and adjustable according to the changes. That may occur in the planning or implementation process.

Step Three: Choosing the Right Place

The third step in organizing a successful conference is determining the right place to hold the conference. The place plays an important role in creating the appropriate atmosphere for the conference and satisfying the attendees, speakers, and partners. Therefore, you must choose a place that matches the nature, subject, and size of the conference, and provides all the services and facilities necessary to complete the work smoothly and effectively. You must also take into account some other factors when choosing the place, such as:

1. Geographical location: The place should be easily accessible to attendees, speakers, and partners. Whether from inside or outside the city or country. It is preferable for the place to be close to airports and public transportation stations. And to provide transportation and accommodation services for guests. In addition, it is also preferable for the place to be in a safe, quiet, and attractive area.
2. Capacity and design: The venue should be able to accommodate the expected number of attendees. In addition to speakers, partners, and staff. The space should include a sufficient number of halls and rooms suitable for holding public and private sessions, workshops, presentations, and public interactions. This venue must be equipped with the latest technology and audio-visual devices, and do not forget to provide fast internet service, ventilation, and appropriate lighting systems.
3. Cost and quality: It is important to set a specific budget for renting the venue, and compare the different offers from conference service providers. It is also important to choose a venue that offers the best value for money. Also provides the highest level of quality in services and facilities. In addition, it is important to check the reputation and experience of the service provider and request examples of previous conferences that it has organized or hosted.

Step Four: Set a timeline

If you want your conference to be successful, you should pay attention to its date. As it is an important factor in attracting the right participants. Therefore, you should avoid dates that coincide with other events in your field. And you should also avoid times when participants are busy with holidays, vacations, or exams. Do not forget to take into account weather, political, and other conditions.

The city where the conference will be held. Not only that, but you must also determine the duration of the conference wisely and carefully, as it affects the quality of the content and the effectiveness of participation.

In addition, you must be careful to determine this duration according to the content you want to provide and what the participants expect from you. In other words, do not make the conference too long so as not to lose the interest of the participants or make them feel exhausted. And do not make it too short so as not to lose its message or ability. Look for the perfect balance in the duration of the conference. So you ensure that the participants remain excited and committed, and increase the attractiveness and success of the conference.

Step Five: Selecting Speakers and Lecturers

Within the framework of the success of the conference, the true essence and vital pulse of it is revealed through the speakers and lecturers. As they are the ones who provide a rich source of information, ideas, and experiences. That adds value and enrichment to the event. So you have to choose them carefully and carefully based on specific and innovative criteria, such as:

• Efficiency and experience in the relevant field
• The ability to communicate and deliver an attractive and clear presentation
• Their commitment to the goals, vision, and theme of the conference
• Their compatibility with the conference audience in terms of culture, language, and interests
• Their availability on the specified date and place of the conference
• To choose speakers, lecturers, and participants, you can follow the following steps:

Search for potential candidates through the Internet, universities, and associations, or from recommendations and nominations of some people.

• Review their CVs, previous works, certificates, and evaluations.
• Contact the candidates via email or phone to invite them to participate in the conference.
• Explain the nature and objectives of the conference and inquire about their compatibility with the conditions of participation, such as the topic, timing, place, and fees.
• Obtain official approval from the candidates to participate in the conference.

Step Six: Determine the conference agenda and program

After selecting the speakers and lecturers for the conference, the sixth step comes. That determines the conference agenda and program. If you are confused about the difference between an agenda and a conference program. The agenda is simply a list of the sessions, activities, and events that will be held at the conference, specifying the time, length, and nature of each. The conference program is a detailed plan for how to implement the agenda, specifying the responsibilities, resources, and necessary procedures.

We can transform the conference agenda and program into an interesting visitor experience. That attracts the attention of participants and keeps them focused throughout the duration when you follow these steps:

• Divide the conference into appropriate time periods, such as opening, closing, breaks, lunch, etc.
• Determine the number of events, sessions, and workshops that you want to present in each period.
• Choose the topics of events, sessions, and workshops according to the conference goals and vision.
• Avoid conflict or synchronization between different events, sessions, and workshops. To ensure that participants do not miss any part of the conference.
• Be sure to include some entertainment, cultural or creative paragraphs in the conference schedule, to add an atmosphere of fun and excitement.

Step Seven: Marketing and promoting the conference

This step is extremely important because it is a strong factor in the success or failure of your conference. To attract attention to your conference and gain popularity and admiration. You must develop a promotional plan that differs from traditional plans. You can start by launching a website that contains everything participants need to know about the conference. Design advertising documents and billboards that carry the conference’s identity and message. Then publish them in places that target your audience.

Communicate with local or international media channels to cover the conference and publish news about it but do not stop there. It would help if you looked for creative ways to promote the conference. Such as using modern technologies such as virtual reality or providing unique souvenirs for participants.