BS B A D M 5 0 3 – PL A N

AND MANAGE
C O N F ER EN C ES
 TOPIC 1 – PLAN
CONFERENCE
Confirm purpose, required
outcomes and style of conference
with conference convenor/s
There are two important questions
to ask before considering to
organise a conference:
• What is the conference to
achieve - purpose and outcomes?
• What method will be best used
for the conference to achieve -
how?

(https://pixabay.com/en/hall-conference-effect-picture-828549/)
 The purpose of a
conference may be for a
variety of reasons. Some Co-ordinate Activities Build Morale Secure Agreement
of the more common
purposes are to:

Brief Staff/Clients Solve a Problem Exchange Information Initiate Policy.

Conference Purpose
Deciding on the purpose or motivation for a conference
should serve to enhance your
group/organisation/associations existing business
strategy by adding new ideas and opportunities

If it can be achieved by other means, then a conference Why Hold a

may not be the logical step forward
Conference?
Conferences are very expensive if conducted
professionally and if they are done on the cheap, it is
guaranteed to create bad publicity for your organisation
or association.
Conference style may The reason that a conference
include: is usually ‘formal’ is that it
Most conferences, as involves a large number of
• Formal opposed to just a meeting, delegates and will naturally
• Informal. are formal in structure. need structure and format to
maintain time lines and
/ agendas.

Conference Styles
 Conference Convenor
To convene means to come together usually for an official or
public purpose. The conference convenor is the person/s who
call for the conference to be held. This person/s may be:
• The Board of Management
• A Steering committee
• Supervisors/Team Leaders from different departments.
The convenor, who decides to hold the conference, will do all
the initial thinking, planning, structure or may choose to
engage a Professional Conference Organiser (PCO).
Either way, it is usual to take full responsibility for the idea or
the reason to hold a conference.

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Confirm Conference
Facilities
Requirements,
Budget, and
Preparation Timeline
With Conference
Convenor/s
YOU WILL NEED TO CONFIRM
CONFERENCE NEEDS AND
ENSURE THE VENUE HAS THE
R E Q U I R E D FA C I L I T I E S .
Exhibition Facilities May Include
Budget

The budget will include a provision for

It is practice for a budget to be prepared
for the conference.
the following conference costs:
• Venue costs
• Conference employee wages
• Guest speaker costs
• Transport/Travel expenses
• Administrative costs
• Catering
• Marketing.
The budget will also include
what income you expect to see
generated by the conference:
• Registration fees
• Showcase sales
• Sponsorship.

Budget
Budgets need to be reviewed
and monitored frequently.
Ensuring the costs are
managed within the approved
budget.
Conference
Timeline
E X T RA C T F RO M A N
E X A M P LE
C O N F E REN CE
P L A N N I N G S CH E D U LE
 Identify speakers/presenters:
This task is critical
critical to an Calling for papers:
papers: The call for
organisation or association in
papers is generally used inin
terms
terms of linking to the purpose. academic and similar
This would
would likely bebe the
the decision
decision conferences. The call for papers Presentations would likely be
of the
the convenor or or committee. is
is sent to interested parties, the role of industry experts
If the speakers are to be drawn
describing the broad theme of ensuring the
the presentation is
from within
within an industry group the
the conference,
conference, what relevant to the conference
or body,
body, it would be more formalities are in place such as purpose and style.
style.
logical
logical for the committee to what
what kind
kind of abstract
approach those people to
(summary) has to be submitted
determine availability,
and to
to who, when and where!
where!
relevance, fees (if any) and
exactly what is to be addressed.

Identify Speakers/Presenters and/or Prepare a Call For

Papers in Accordance With Conference Purpose and Style
 In general, there are three types of speakers: Key steps to choosing speakers:

• Industry speakers • Determine meeting logistics and scheduling and

• Celebrity speakers ensure you have enough lead time to identify
• Professional speakers. and arrange a speaker.
• Make your decision reflecting on your audience
needs.
• Find a speaker who is practiced in the topic.
• Define the expectations of the speaker (what is
their objective?)
• Obtain references; recommendations from
other conference planners.

Identify Speakers/Presenters and/or Prepare a Call For

Papers in Accordance With Conference Purpose and Style
Draft Conference Program in Line With Stated Purpose, and Balance Choice
of Program Elements to Allow Outcomes to Be Achieved
 Draft Conference Program in Line With Stated
Purpose, and Balance Choice of Program
Elements to Allow Outcomes to Be Achieved
Your conference program will have various elements of presentation,
these may include:
• Demonstrations
• Plenary (entire/whole) session/s
• Practice session/s
• Small groups
• Video
• Workshops
• A mix of the above.

It is recommended to mix these elements to attract and engage

conference delegates. The conference should be balance with a mix of
elements, appropriate breaks for refreshments and exercise.

(https://pixabay.com/en/chairs-conference-room-long-table-1840377/)
Select, Invite and Brief Speakers in
Accordance With Conference Program

Contact
Give overview of Discuss date and Discuss need for
prospective
conference time speaker
speakers

Find out if the

Include At this point no
Time speaker is
information about party is locking
allocation/topics interested and ask
venue into an agreement.
questions
Select, Invite and
Brief Speakers in
Accordance With
Conference
Program
Once you have made your
decision about who you
would like your speakers to
be, contact them again. If
the speaker agrees to
participate in the
conference, issue a
confirmation letter which
would include:
 Select, Invite and Brief
Speakers in Accordance With
Conference Program
Briefing speakers is usually the responsibility of the PCO or
a nominated person on a committee that takes the role of
speaker coordinator.
Meet and discuss:
• Location of speaker preparation room and facilities
• Technology requirements
• IT assistance required
• Confirm purpose and target audience
• Seek to confirm mutual expectations and understanding
• Program timelines.

(https://pixabay.com/en/press-conference-speaker-media-304776/)
 Identify Participant Target Group and
Project Numbers in Consultation
With Conference Organisers
Confirm your target audience – who do you want to attract to
the conference?
Projected attendance numbers
Previous conference events lessons learned
Target industry sector
Current issues the industry sector is facing; emerging
challenges and changes.

(https://pixabay.com/en/speaker-teaching-training-business-1596210/)
Plan
Conference Conference Administration – Registration Procedures:

Administration
Requirements Either online, which is now preferable, or manually by completing
a form, the requirements of initially gathering the details of a
and Tasks, delegate and making payment are the same.

Processes and See your e-Book for an example of a conference registration

Resources to process.

Ensure Efficient
Management of Online – Contractor software or software you have purchased for
the registration process.
Conference
Data and Conference management software can generally manage every
part of your conference from the initial concept, marketing,
Resources registration and final accounting.
 Budget management is usually
The
The budget
budget will
will be
be monitored
monitored and A budget model can be designed on
handled by the committee or
reviewed frequently an Excel
Excel spreadsheet
through the committee

The
The use of internal or external
accounting
accounting support
/ can be
support be used
depending on the size and
complexity of the conference. In
addition to the competency and
experience of individual convenor
managing the budget process.

Conference Administration – Budget Processes

General tasks are either sub-contracted, shared or the responsibility of the PCO.

The various tasks are many and varied depending upon the nature of the conference.

The administration plan is usually identified by using a conference timeline; or critical path
schedule (CPS), which keeps track of the multitude of tasks needed.

Meetings held weekly or whenever it is deemed appropriate would address changes or

modifications to the administration tasks.

Conference Administration – Tracking Conference

Progress
Conference Gathering feedback from the audience will allow you to be able
to evaluate speaker performance, in addition to overall

Administratio conference outcomes.

n – Evaluation
Forms