Guide to Organize an International Conference Successfully

Organizing a conference from scratch is no small feat. It can be a daunting task even for experienced personnel. Without any experience, you can lose a lot of time thinking over various aspects while overlooking the important issues totally. Following are some simple steps to aid the first-timers in organizing a conference. These steps describe a systematic approach to conference organization.

Develop a vision: Your role as the conference organizer is the most vital of all. Besides taking care of the conference logistics, you are also responsible for the big picture. What it means is you need to define the vision of the event and decide on the target audience. Start with asking the basic questions- who, why, where, how, when, etc.

Delegate: Get help as you cannot do this alone. Divide the duty of organizing the conference into smaller tasks and assign suitable personnel to each of them. You will need an effective team to make the event a success, so allot wisely.

Set a Budget: Once the team is ready, you would need to establish your budget. It is the most crucial aspect. Decide on your fixed costs like rent of the venue and speaker’s fee, and variable costs, such as hotel accommodation and souvenirs for the delegates. You can use technology to help you here. Develop a website with all the details of your conference. You can also order souvenirs online. You can also check out Giftstalk.com for a mighty nice collection of corporate gift items and taking benefits of the fair deals.

Decide on deadlines: Have a fixed timeline and follow it. Your timeline should clearly indicate the overview of tasks to be completed along with the duration allotted to them. As a conference manager your role would be to make sure the deadlines are met. It will keep you on the track and also help you avoid any last minute amendments.

Market your event: Use the power of internet to promote your event. A separate committee can be set up or professionals can be hired for it. It all depends on how much your budget allows you to spend on this segment. You can develop a promotional website, send out press releases, mass mail the expected guests, lure the media by providing them with the opportunity to interview your keynote speaker(s), etc.

Get a brilliant Keynote Speaker: Before hiring a speaker ask for his audio-video sample file. Once you finalize the keynote speaker, make sure his presentation meet up with the objectives of the conference. Please note that the keynote speaker is a vital element for attracting the right crowd to your event, so choose wisely.

Post Conference Activities: Once the conference is successfully wrapped up, do not forget to send a letter of appreciation to your team members and delegates. Such small gestures go a long way in forming long-term business relationships and help you climb the ladder to success.

A well planned conference has the power to put life into any dormant issues. It can have great influence on a field or an area. The above given steps if followed smartly are bound to help first time conference planners to achieve the expected outcomes.

Author Box:

James Patrick builds a checklist for you before organizing an international conference of your requirement. To make stationery purchases and buy other items he suggests visiting Giftstalk.com that can keep the expenditure well within your budget.