10 Top Tips For The Perfect Conference
Monday 9 January 2017
Planning and delivering a great conference can be difficult. As well as event attendance, key messages, communications and strategies, you also need to find that all-important venue that will portray the right message to your attendees.
Here are Venue Search London’s 10 top tips for maximising value from your next conference.
1. Plan ahead. With demand for venues at an all time high, securing the right venue and other essential suppliers will be vital to your event’s success. Our recommendation is that you start looking for your conference venue in London at least six months before the delivery date.
2. Allow time for fully researching potential venues. At the heart of every successful London conference lies a great venue that will help reinforce your key messages. (Using Venue Search London’s free London conference venue finding service will save you time and money here!)
3. Location is key. Whatever else you are looking for in a venue, transport links and journey times are critical to attendance levels. Check journey times and transport links and ensure that delegates are fully aware of the various travel options to make sure they arrive on time and in an engaged frame of mind.
4. Check the venue’s quote and terms and conditions carefully. Before you sign any contract check the prices of any extras you may require and ensure that it includes all the elements you need and that you can bring in the suppliers that you wish to support your event’s delivery.
5. Communicate well to pre-engage. Remember that getting people to attend any conference and in the right mind-set is a sales and marketing project in itself. Make sure that you build strong awareness and anticipation via a strong engagement campaign in the lead up to the event. Involving department heads in the sell-in is a strongly recommended.
6. Manage your delegate responses. Gone are the days when an Excel spread sheet is enough to manage your responses, so use one of the many online delegate registration packages to record attendance, accommodation, travel and special diets etc. Tis will save you time and reduce errors in the lead up to the event.
7. Focus on key message retention. Information overload always leads to dis-engagement on the day, so we recommend that you start by writing down around five key messages that you want your delegates to remember and build secondary messages and content around those key points.
8. Break up and break out! Moving people around during the day and changing the dynamic via breakout groups is an essential part of effective communication. Involving smaller teams in delivering their ideas and feedback to the full delegate group will increase engagement and a feeling that delegate’s opinions are valued.
9. Get some laughs. Always plan to have an element of fun and humour within your programme. Whether this is delivered via an entertaining team game a key note speaker or an after party is up to you, but some light-hearted elements go a long way in breaking up the serious stuff and improving message retention and audience engagement.
10. Don’t forget the power of the bar! It is often said that the best ideas at any conference come from networking in the bar. Whether you are staying overnight or just meeting for the day, always allow time for networking and ideas sharing in informal environments. Buffet lunches are better for networking than seated meals.
Start your free London conference venue search now or call our venue experts on 0207 870 9305.