Conference Planning Made Easy: Tips for Making Successful Arrangements

 A conference is all about 80% planning and 20% executing it right. It is a crucial conference that brings together people from all areas of the industry (academic, technical, and healthcare) such as doctors, engineers, researchers, scientists and more. Often it may go unnoticed by many, but depending on its size, a lot of background work and conference arrangements need to be done before planning an event. This blog will give you a summary of how conference arrangements are done & the key factors that will determine its success.

Create Your Event Plan: The first stage in planning any event, whether it's a one-time academic congress or the annual meeting of a prestigious association, is to describe the objectives. The conference market is active and has become more so because of the significant developments we have witnessed over the past two years. As more companies recognise the benefits of live and virtual conferences for their brand, spending on conferences is increasing.

Your conference will stand out from others on the market if you are clear from the beginning about the goals you have for it. Some of the questions you need to ask yourself are:

• Can you describe what your conference's participants want and need in terms of content? 
• Do you comprehend the driving forces behind your audience? 
• Do you have a central concept in mind for your event?

The choice of whether to go virtual, hybrid, or physical must consider what your audience desires. Choosing an event format and location that best matches your audience is the foundation of a modern event strategy. Therefore, make sure you routinely survey and examine the demands of your organisation members or conference attendees.

Creating A Conference Website: Your conference website will provide information about your upcoming event, respond to visitor inquiries, and provide them with the option to submit, register, and contact you. And it ought to get them as enthusiastic about your occasion as you are.

Visitors should be greeted on your website with eye-catching graphics and the most crucial event information upfront. Consider the topic of your conference, the venue, and the date that it will take place. Put all this information "above the fold" on your homepage, or the area that can be seen without scrolling.

An essential component of planning your conference is getting your website live as soon as you can. Therefore, make some important decisions early, launch a basic website, and add content as needed. You must make it as simple as possible to access your event if it is taking place digitally and allow for late registrations (this is usually the case with online conferences). 

Conference Promotion: Once you have decided about your conference, you will need to ensure that it reaches out to the right participants through social media platforms. You will need to use social media strategies to promote conferences. Some of these include:

• Come up with promotional and engaging conference video bytes that can generate curiosity.
• Using the right hashtag and using it consistently across social media platforms to increase visibility and engagement. 
• Sharing relevant content related to the conference to generate interest. 
• Encourage attendees to share their experiences on social media.

Location Planning: One of the most important factors to consider when choosing a venue is its location. You may want to choose a venue that is convenient for your guests to commute easily. Whether they are taking a long-distance flight to attend the event or coming just from across the town, it's important to consider the venue's proximity to other attractions, such as restaurants, hotels, and entertainment options.

Venue Selection: When selecting a venue for an event, it's important to consider the services and amenities available. If the venue has a kitchen, catering services may be provided along with the rental fee, and it's important to ensure that the food quality is good. It's also important to consider whether the venue provides tables, chairs, and linens that can be used, as this can save costs and effort. A setup and clean-up housekeeping team are also valuable amenities to look for.

Accessibility: It's important to choose a venue that is accessible to all your guests, including those who are specially-abled. This may include ensuring that the venue has wheelchair ramps, elevators, and accessible restrooms.

Parking Facility: The availability of parking at the venue can make a huge difference in attendees' overall experience. A venue with a parking lot or valet parking can be a dream come true for attendees. If parking is not available on-site, it's essential to look for nearby parking lots that attendees can use. You can also reserve nearby parking lots for attendees. Offering valet parking can also be essential, especially for upscale events.

Capacity: The size of your conference will dictate the capacity you need in a venue. You may want to make sure that the venue you choose can comfortably accommodate all your guests, while also leaving room for any additional equipment or activities you have planned.

Amenities: You may want to choose a venue that has all the necessary facilities to make your conference a success, including audio-visual equipment, seating, and lighting. Some venues may also offer additional amenities, such as Wi-Fi, parking, or on-site staff to assist with planning and coordination.

Catering Services: Conference attendees need it to fuel their bodies and their minds. That's why catering services are an integral part of any successful conference. The right catering can transform a conference into a culinary adventure, tantalizing taste buds with scrumptious snacks and beverages. With good catering, attendees can stay fuelled and focused, resulting in better engagement and productivity. So, you will need to make sure that the catering is as exciting as the conference itself!

 Logistics: It involves the planning and coordination of various aspects of the conference, including venue selection, accommodation arrangements, transportation, catering, audio-visual equipment, and other technical requirements. Effective logistics management ensures that all attendees are comfortable, engaged, and able to participate fully in the conference.

Logistics professionals are responsible for ensuring that all aspects of the conference run smoothly, from the pre-event planning stages through to post-conference follow-up. They work closely with conference organizers, vendors, and suppliers to ensure that everything is in place and that any issues that arise are quickly addressed. 

Good communication, attention to detail, and the ability to work under pressure are essential skills for successful logistics professionals in the conference industry. Conference logistics are critical for creating a positive and memorable experience for attendees and ensuring the success of the event.

Audio Visual Team: The audio-visual (AV) team ensures that all visual and audio elements are executed seamlessly. The AV team is responsible for the setup, operation, and troubleshooting of all audio-visual equipment, such as projectors, screens, microphones, sound systems, and lighting.

During the conference, the AV team is responsible for ensuring that all presentations and videos are displayed correctly and that all sound is clear and audible. They must ensure that all visual and audio elements are in sync and that all equipment is running smoothly. If any technical issues arise, the AV team must quickly troubleshoot and resolve them to minimize disruptions.

Additionally, the AV team is responsible for recording the conference proceedings, which can be beneficial for those who are unable to attend the event in person. They may also provide live streaming services to allow remote attendees to participate in the conference virtually. You may also want to check if the venue has audio-visual equipment readily available for use or whether it needs to be brought in separately. 

The Cost Factor: Prices may differ based on location, facilities, catering services, etc. If cost is something, you are not worried about then you may book the best place to plan your conferences. 

However, if you have a pre-defined budget allocated for a venue that you would not like to exceed then you may need to find one that very well fits within your budget, while also ensuring that the venue offers the necessary amenities and capacity. Be sure to ask about any additional fees or hidden charges that may be associated with the venue, such as cleaning or security fees.

 

Technology-Driven Conferences: Online conference software is a prerequisite today when we talk about conferences. It ought to be as important to the planning of a conference as picking a location or dates. It eliminates numerous manual duties, fosters teamwork among your entire staff, and will typically result in long-term financial savings.

You're all putting a lot of effort into planning a conference, but how can you make sure your team can share resources and work together if you can't be in the same room? You can prevent communication issues from escalating into ones that slow down the planning process by using free project communications services and use group video calls.

When you search the internet, you will find plenty of software applications that can help you with project management and task management jobs. Such applications can ease your stress and help you to simplify the complex arrangements involved in organising the conference arrangement process.

You should also keep in mind that it is also essential to use high-quality conference management software to compile and evaluate submissions, create your programme, and register attendees. Most conference software will be expensive, possibly significantly so. However, we cannot emphasise enough how much time (and anxiety) you will save. Furthermore, skipping the printing fee can frequently result in long-term financial savings.

Internet Bandwidth: You want to make sure that the venue you choose has reliable and fast internet connectivity, especially if you plan to stream videos, conduct video conferences, host webinars or virtual events, or provide online access to attendees. 

A lack of internet bandwidth can lead to slow or dropped connections, which can negatively impact your conference experience.

Permissions For Conference: The permissions required for organizing a conference in India would depend on various factors such as the location of the conference, the type of conference, the number of attendees, etc. In addition to the ones listed below, you may need to obtain several other permissions from authorities depending on the type of conference. However, in general, the following permissions may be required:

Conference Visa: If any foreign national is attending the conference, they may require a conference visa to enter India. This visa can be obtained from the Indian embassy or consulate in the country of origin.

MEA Permission: If the conference is being organized with the support of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), then permission from the MEA may be required. This permission is usually obtained through the Indian embassy or consulate in the country where the conference is being organized.

MHA Permission: If the conference involves sensitive topics or if there are many foreign nationals attending the conference, permission from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) may be required. This permission can be obtained through the local Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).

NODAL Permission: NODAL permission may be required for conferences organized by government departments or organizations. This permission is usually obtained from the nodal agency responsible for organizing the conference.

Get Your Reviewers Involved: If peer review is required for your presentations, you must include getting reviewers involved in the planning of your conference. The management of your review process requires a careful balancing act. Peer reviews for conferences typically take place over a few rigorous weeks, with most reviewers evaluating numerous applications. Therefore, evaluating for a conference typically entails devoting a significant amount of time, frequently with a large, inflexible deadline at the end. Therefore, you must invite enough reviewers to your conference.

To sum this up, prior conference arrangements play significant roles in ensuring that your conference is well planned, organised, and executed to deliver a seamless experience to its participants.

If you have any questions or concerns about organising research and academic or technical conference, please feel free to reach out to Mr. Gautam Menon at +9731853344 for information on this & we would be glad to assist you. For other information on the latest happenings, please visit the GHA Conferences website.