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Home > Planning a Conference
Planning a Conference
Budgeting
- If you have a sponsor ensure you have an agreement as to the expenses they are going to take care of and which ones you are liable for. Clearly define expense categories that may be claimed by the attendees.
- It’s a good idea to have a look at budgets and expenses from past meetings and events to estimate costs and plan your budget.
- Devise a balance sheet to account for all expenses relating to your meeting or event e.g marketing expenses, staff time, air and ground transportation, accommodation, food and refreshments, entertainment and recreation, audiovisual equipment and production costs.
- It is essential to build in a contingency fund for unanticipated expenses.
- It’s very important to check that you have adequate insurance and to check if the venue has adequate insurance to cover all attendees
- Make sure you have sufficient funds available to pay all suppliers and set up an account for immediate expenses.
- If possible get your organisation’s accounting department to devise an accounting system that is in line with your internal accounting system.
- Make preparations for and obtain authorisation for any expenditures in excess of what you have budgeted for.
Choosing a location
When choosing a location for your conference or event you need to consider a whole host of criteria to ensure that it is the most suitable destination to fulfil the requirements of the event as well as the needs of the delegates. A short business meeting will have different requirements to an extended conference, large exhibition or event.
Always consider the most convenient location based on where delegates are travelling from, ease of access, their travel time and the cost of reaching the destination. International delegates might benefit from a site near an airport and for local events it may be sufficient to choose a location close to the best network of public transport.
Try to develop strategic partnership relationships with preferred hotels, transport companies and airlines. See our incentives section for a range of suppliers with strategic partnership programmes. Don’t be afraid to ask any of the suppliers on this website to consider a mutually beneficial strategic partnership.
It is important to be aware of any external factors that can impact upon costs when choosing a destination. Festivals, concerts, public holidays, school holidays and other big events can adversely affect the supply of rooms, occupancy rates and ease of access to a destination.
Check public transport frequency and timetables for ease of access. If necessary check to see if there is any major scheduled road repairs, planned detours or other impediments that may affect access to the destination.
See the following useful links:
Finding the right venue
When deciding the type of venue that will best suit your meeting or event needs you will need to consider all the options available to you and narrow down your search to a particular style of venue. Whether it’s an airport hotel, boutique hotel, restaurant, convention and meeting hotel, resort, conference centre, exhibition hall, all-suite hotel or other type of venue.
If accommodation is required, make sure the venue you choose has either close proximity to suitable accommodation or else has the type and number of guest rooms needed on site. You will need to consider the need for single rooms, double rooms, suites, fully equipped business rooms, special needs accessible rooms and family rooms.
It is important to effectively anticipate the number and size of meeting rooms needed. If necessary you could use past events as a guide to base your best estimates on.
Choose a hotel with facilities that meet all your needs, from accommodation and meeting rooms to breakout rooms and workshop space, dining and refreshment options, leisure facilities such as golf course, spa, gym and swimming pool, as well as local sightseeing and recreation options where necessary.
Always consider the services a hotel can provide to enhance the comfort of your attendees – from concierge services to laundry and other services. Sometimes it’s the little touches that make a venue really stand out in a delegates mind.
Check if the venue has its own dedicated events manager who will be committed to your event.
What is a Request for Proposal or Event Specification Form?
Many hotels and venues have a Request for Proposal or Event Specification Form that they like you to fill out to give them an idea of the size of your event and your requirements. These forms will look for a range of information from you such as:
- Request your preferred dates
- The number and types of guest rooms needed
- Layout of the main meeting or conference room
- The number, size and usage of meeting rooms as well as the times they will be needed
- Your maximum budget per person or overall for rooms and meals
- Dining, refreshment and catering requirements
- Any special events or activities such as a Gala Dinner or exhibition
- Any other requirements
Checking out potential venues
If you are planning a major event it is very important to go and visit potential venues, called “Site Inspections” this means you go an see for yourself if the venue is suitable, if you think it has the right standard, if it matches the advertised criteria and is well maintained and has the correct ambiance.
Food & refreshment considerations
In addition to main meals, consider catering and refreshment requirements between meetings and throughout the event and budget for this. It is also important to note any special dietary requirements and make sure all delegates are capable of being catered for.
Small Meetings:
Consider the benefits of private dining in a private section of a restaurant or a specially catered venue compared to dining in a set area of a public restaurant. Agree the guaranteed number of attendees with the venue and anticipated variations to this. Find out if there will be any service charges to be added to the price of the meal and any dedicated exclusive priority service you can avail of.
Large events:
Think about the advantages of having a buffet or carvery as opposed to a sit down meal. Sometimes this won’t be appropriate but occasionally it will be the most cost effective and time efficient option.
Planning the Meals
Time:
Make sure you allow adequate time for delegates to enjoy their meals and have time to network and socialise. The time you allow to refuel depends on the size of the event and number of staff available to tend delegates.
As a guide, you should factor in at least 30 -40 minutes for breakfast, 45 – 1 hour for lunch, and at least 20 minutes per course for dinner – a Gala Dinner should span several hours as entertainment is usually a feature of the evening.
Tea breaks need at least 15 minutes for smaller meetings of up to 100 people, about 30 minutes for up to 1,000 people and at least 30 - 45 minutes for groups larger than 1,000.
Food:
For cocktail receptions you should plan to serve a variety of finger food/h'orderves. The food should be healthy, appetizing and visually appealing. You should offer a selection of non-alcoholic drinks and juices, as well as branded beer, wine and spirits.
Tea Breaks
Make provisions for two cups of coffee or tea per person for morning break and one cup of coffee or tea or one mineral per person during an afternoon break.
Lunch
For small group working sessions it is usual to offer a buffet.lunch which offers faster service and more variety.
Dinner
For formal meals or for VIP tables you should make the venue aware of the status and ask the venue for one dedicated staff member for each table.
Staff:
Servers
For standard 3 and 4 course meals most venues provide one staff server for every two tables. If you think you will need more you may have to pay a supplement – make sure you ask the catering/in-house event manager if they are going to charge you for extra staff.
Bar staff
Allocate a minimum of one barperson for every 50 people.
Meeting Room Setup/Configurations
Conference and Hollow Square:
This set-up is considered most suitable for interactive discussions and note-taking sessions for less than 25 people. Ask if the venue has full audiovisual capabilities, a writing board, cork board and a flip chart.
E-shape, U-shape and T-shape:
This is best for groups of less than 40 people and most suitable for interaction with a leader situated at the top. Audiovisual equipment is usually set up at the open end of the seating.
Ovals and rounds:
Again, most suitable for small group discussions, meals and sessions. A five-foot-round table seats eight people comfortably while a six-foot-round table will seat 10 people comfortably.
Theatre:
This style is best for large sessions and short lectures that do not require extensive note taking and is good to use before breaking into discussion or work-out groups because chairs can be moved around.
Schoolroom or Classroom:
Probably the best setup for medium to large-size lectures. This configuration requires a relatively large room. Tables provide attendees with space for spreading out materials and taking notes.
Audiovisual Planning
Discuss with speakers and presenters to confirm their AV needs. Plan for at least a 35mm projector, an overhead projector and screen. For computer LCD projectors and high-intensity overheads it is important to determine the cost and availability of this equipment.
Ask the in-house event manager and AV supplier to analyse the room space with you and get them to explain how to most effectively use the space - they will be familiar with the space and should anticipate the issues very well.
Analyse everything in the room that can impact upon the quality and cost of an AV presentation - from ceiling height and design, to wall colour, windows, lighting, mirrors, doors, obstructions and fire exits. Scan the room and try to anticipate issues that could reduce the effect of the presentation.
Decide if rooms need sound support and if the in-house system is suitable - not all rooms are equipped with sound systems, and smaller sessions may not need sound support at all.
A useful guide for determining the screen height is usually the distance from the screen to the back wall divided by eight. Chairs should be no closer to the screen than 1 & ½ times the screen's height. Ceilings should be at least 10 feet high. Again, get the in-house event organiser and AV technician to advise.
Getting the best deal
Try to schedule negotiations as early as you can – this will give you better bargaining power. Before you start negotiating, you will need to prioritise what's most important for your event's success.
Make sure you ask about the venue's peak, off-peak and shoulder seasons, and the days of the week on which it would prefer to book business. If your meeting dates are flexible, you might be able to move to a more cost effective time slot.
Consider choosing a venue that's newly opened, or just reopened after renovations or under new management. These venues often offer special rates to encourage business and will be keen to prove themselves.
You could also consider meeting during an off peak time period when the hotel’s business is slow and rates are reduced.
Accommodation considerations
If you are taking accommodation, make sure you view the rooms – either online or in person and assess if the in-room amenities will meet the needs of your group.
Ask the venue what their complimentary to paid room ratio is - most hotels will also offer a special discounted “group rate” on the basis of taking a minimum amount of rooms for a specified period of time.
Don’t forget that room upgrades and special amenities and services can be negotiated as well as costings. If a venue is not able to move on price, they might be open to providing upgrades to executive rooms or suites, or offer complimentary services.
For extended stays, try to schedule arrivals and departures for quiet days of the week when occupancy rates are lower.
If possible make sure your group is the only meeting or event taking place in the venue at the time. This will ensure undivided attention from the venue staff and will reduce confusion for organisers when you don’t personally know or recognise all delegates.
Contracts
Standard contract: Ask for a copy of the venue’s standard contract and take note of their deposit, payment, attrition, termination and cancellation policies. Negotiate a final agreement that uses their standard language, your company's and the negotiated agreement.
Binding contract: To be enforceable, a contract must specify definite terms, be accepted by both sides and be signed by people with authority to enter into the agreement. Make sure you have a binding contract.
Check out your assurances or allowance if you are unhappy with the standards and quality of services supplied – be it accommodation or food and refreshment etc. Determine who is liable for any additional costs that may occur as a result of this.
Look for termination clauses, often referred to as "Acts of God" clauses that apply when a meeting is stopped because of forces beyond the control of the group or the facility. Generally, there are no penalties assessed to either party in these circumstances.
Get your internal purchasing or legal department to review all contracts.
Planning for the unexpected
Rooming list: A rooming list is the list of delegates and which standard of room they’ll be allocated and who they will be sharing with. Make sure you send your rooming list well in advance, at least 7 to 30 days prior to arrival.
Venue snapshot: It’s important that you let guests know about the venues facilities and amenities so they can plan their leisure time if appropriate. Give them detailed travel instructions and full information on the venue’s location.
Meeting specifications: Send a detailed meeting specification document to the venue as early as possible - two to four weeks before the meeting if you can. It is important to list every meeting requirement, hour by hour and day by day.
Briefing room: Don't forget to reserve space for your press room, speaker-ready room or meeting office and make provisions for food and refreshments for this area.
Off-site office space: Make sure there are adequate facilities for delegates to check their email, fax documents, scan or photocopy or make important phone calls. One dedicated room should be adequate. Be aware of billing instructions and list the delegates that may access this area.
Event Orders: The venue will issue Event Orders (EOs) and Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) which you should compare against your specifications. If there are discrepancies you should advise the venue immediately and also confirm your approval.
Pre-event meeting: Try to have a pre-event meeting 24 -48 hours before the event. This will enable you to review event expectations and procedures and also allow you to meet venue staff and key contacts who will be able help you with any problems that may occur.
Double check everything: Don’t ever assume that a request has been taken care of - always check it up. Work with the venue to work out any last-minute changes or additions.
Daily task list:
- First thing each morning get a printout of all occupied rooms and a report of any "no-shows" or cancellations.
- Early in the day, and again in the afternoon, meet with your hotel contact to review any changes in the programme and/or meal counts. Use this time to provide feedback so that issues can get sorted out straight away and not later on when things have time to spiral.
- Every afternoon you should try to set aside time to review the bills from the day before and verify that charges are correct while they are fresh in your mind.
Follow-Up
Post-event meeting:
If appropriate try to hold a post-event meeting with the venue to give feedback on any issues and review the bills.
Delegate feedback:
Ask delegates to provide feedback on the event – its content and format, the meeting facility, speakers, meals and anything else relevant, so that you can use their feedback to plan for the next function. Try to get this information as soon as possible after the meeting while opinions are still fresh. Either have staff on hand to collect the information immediately or else email delegates as soon as they return to work.
Sponsor feedback:
Ask the event sponsor if they are happy with the outcome of the event overall. Ask if their goals were met and evaluate the financial implications of the event. A good relationship will ensure further sponsorship and is mutually beneficial.
Event report:
Write a report outlining all the achievements and issues concerned with the event and send a copy to senior management. Make sure you file this report away for future reference.
Thank you’s:
Finally, write thank-you letters to staff, speakers, hotel staff and other suppliers. Besides being good manners, this will help you to build good relationships in the industry and can only help you when planning your next event.
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