Three rules to live by…

Tip One: Write the survey first.

The first step in planning any conference should be to write the survey. Yet most surveys are written somewhere near the actual date, when there are far too many things to be concerned about. Writing a survey ahead of time frames the entire conference, and provides its direction. It will also reveal what each stakeholde assumes to be the main driver of success. And, it will force the question of how success is to be measured in hard numbers following the event. Once these metrics are set, the goals of the conference come into much sharper focus

Tip Two: Every event has VIPs.

Often an organization hosting an event will assume it does not have any VIPs attending simply because there are no well-known names. However, there are always VIPs at every gathering. They may be your high-level donors, they may be your boss, or they may be the speaker that you’ve worked so hard to get. Regardless, they will require special attention. Their experience may end up counting more than all the attendee surveys put together, and so their experience has to be carefully planned. In other words, if the president of the board shows up and no one meets him/her in the lobby, it’s not going to bode well, regardless of how well the conference is produced.

Tip Three: Incorporate brand values.

A conference is a real-time experience with your brand. Whether you are a non-profit,or a corporation the event needs to exude the values that you want to promote. The attendeees need to feel that they have had an experience with the characteristics that define your organization. That memory will stay with them long past any logo or slogan.