4 Things the Guarantee a Phenomenal Event or Conference
Everyone wants to host an amazing event. The world is overrun with mediocre events where attendees walk away with an overwhelming sense of… “eh?”
Every event manager or conference coordinator wants their attendees to walk away with a sense of amazement and fulfillment. The honest truth is that the best intentions for a great event are often pushed aside because of the constant firefighting that’s thrust upon you.
Having spoken at and attended 100’s of conferences, let me boil down exactly how you as the event coordinator can ensure your event is AWESOME.
Here are 4 things that you can do so that the people at your event walk away with grateful and impressed:
This sounds scary I know. This is never an easy thing you to do. You have worked countless hours of logistics and coordination. Who could possibly be able to take the same care and have the same attention to detail as you?
It can be hard to trust people with your event, but delegation can save you lots of time and energy. You don’t necessarily need to give up all control, but handing off some of the more time consuming or menial tasks can ease the burden of your role. What are a few things that you could hand off that are non-essentials? By doing this, you are now able to focus on the most important parts of the event. You will never be able to control everything and admitting it early allows you to find someone qualified to take on some of the responsibilities.
One of the best things you can to in preparation is to try and view your Event through the eyes of the people in attendance. Every person that walks through the doors into your event is going to be greatly impacted by your hard work. Just by getting them through the door you’ve had a positive impact on them. One of the greatest ways to ensure an amazing experience is to place yourself in the role of an attendee. What will you see, hear, and feel when you walk through the doors? Registration can often be a pivotal place for conference attendees with regards to their experience. What will their impressions be as they approach?
Putting yourself in the shoes of one of your attendees is a surefire way to see things you might have missed. This will provide you with the opportunity to guarantee an amazing experience for everyone attending.
What’s your singular main objective for this event? Whether it’s education, inspiration, networking, or showcasing you need to approach your planning with that singular focus. It can be easy to get sidetracked worrying about catering, lighting, speakers, or sponsors. You should approach every decision through the lens of your single objective. While details must be managed, it is imperative that you make sure the main focus take precedence. Don’t allow yourself to get pulled into the weeds to point where you lose sight of the event’s focus.
By clearly identifying the main goal of the event at the beginning of the planning it allows you and your team to approach every situation and decision through this lens.
Everyone has an opinion and everyone likes to share it. Don’t allow the few voices of descent to ruin your hard work. While constructive criticism should always be listened to, ignore the critics.
Events and conferences are very hard to put together. The logistics alone are enough to institutionalize someone. When approached correctly you will be able to make the event memorable and engaging for everyone in attendance.