![\"Conference](\"https:\/\/www.wildapricot.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Main-Blog-Thumbnails-2025-11-20T113635.412-1024x717.png\")
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What’s a Good Conference Plan?<\/h2>\n
A good conference plan is detailed, yet highly organized and easy to follow. It includes clear goals, milestones and timelines for achieving them. It covers everything you need to do before, during and after the conference.<\/p>\n
Most importantly, creating a conference plan is not a one-and-done activity \u2014 it’s a collaborative effort that needs to be regularly reviewed and updated as necessary to have successful events.<\/p>\n
Before You Start Planning<\/h2>\n
Before you actually start planning your conference, there are a few essential decisions you need to make and tasks you need to complete:<\/p>\n
1. Assemble a Team<\/h3>\n
Who will be involved in organizing this conference? Who will be responsible for what? If you don’t have enough staff members who can dedicate their time to planning this conference, can you assemble a volunteer committee?<\/p>\n
2. Set Objectives<\/h3>\n
What are you hoping to achieve with this conference? How many attendees, new contacts, or new members are you hoping to gain? How much revenue are you looking to generate?<\/p>\n
Utilize the SMART goal framework (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) and identify KPIs (key performance indicators) to help you evaluate the success of your conference.<\/p>\n
3. Identify Your Target Audience<\/h3>\n
Who is this conference for? Who would be interested in attending and what would they gain from it? Answering these questions will help you better promote your conference and attract the right kind of ticket buyers.<\/p>\n
4. Come Up With a Theme and Format<\/h3>\n
Your conference doesn’t necessarily have to have a theme but it can help you tie everything together and put on a cohesive event. Your theme can be seasonal, related to a current trend, or the general landscape within your industry.<\/p>\n
Also think about the format of your conference. Will it be in-person, virtual<\/a>, or hybrid? How many days will it last and how many sessions will you offer?<\/p>\n Read more: 12 Fundraising Metrics Your Nonprofit Needs to Track<\/a><\/p>\n How much money do you have to spend on this conference? Will you be looking to offset some of your costs with sponsorships? Where can you save money and where do you need to spend a bit more? (For example, a great keynote speaker will be well worth the cost.)<\/p>\n Planning a conference is a big undertaking and can often last an entire year. Your planning committee might feel overwhelmed, stressed, or even burned out by the process. Here are a few tips to help make sure that doesn\u2019t happen:<\/p>\n Now, without further ado, let\u2019s take a look at the 17 steps you need to take to plan a successful conference. These are roughly broken down by when they should be completed. Use this checklist as a guide, but ultimately, your own timeline will depend on the size and format of your conference, as well as the size of your team.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n If you\u2019re organizing an in-person or hybrid conference, finding a venue should be your number one priority. Start with the venue and select your conference dates based on its availability, as opposed to the other way around. This will guarantee you’ll find something that fits your goals and vision for the conference.<\/p>\n When looking for a venue, consider the following:<\/p>\n When booking a venue, be sure to inquire about any additional fees and regulations, accessibility, and possible accommodation for out-of-town attendees.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve selected a venue, work with them to finalize the date(s) of your conference. Do this as soon as possible, as you\u2019ll need to share this date to everyone involved in the next steps.<\/p>\n Starting with Day 1 of the conference, work backwards and list every single task that needs to be done, its deadline, and who’s responsible for completing it. Use this checklist as a starting point and fill it with more details \u2014 no task is too small to be included in the master plan. Share this plan with everyone involved, refer to it regularly, and update it as necessary.<\/p>\n If your conference will be virtual or hybrid, you\u2019ll definitely need a conference platform \u2014 this is where your virtual guests will attend sessions and engage with you and each other.<\/p>\n Regardless of the type of conference you\u2019re organizing, you\u2019ll also need a few other tools, such as:<\/p>\n Inspiring and knowledgeable speakers are in high demand, so reach out to them as early as you can. Great speakers will help you promote your conference and attract more attendees. And it’s not just because people are eager to learn from them, but because everyone wants an opportunity to network with them.<\/p>\n Look for experts in your industry, your organization\u2019s own network, or your local connections. If you need help, the National Speaker\u2019s Bureau<\/a> is a good place to start.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> The 6 Best Ways to Find a Speaker for Your Association Events<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hosting a conference is an expensive undertaking, and finding a sponsor (or a few) can really help keep costs down. Plus, people are more likely to attend a conference if it\u2019s backed by a well-known and trusted company.<\/p>\n For the sponsor, it\u2019s a great opportunity to act on their values, get their brand in front of new audiences, and attract new customers. This mutually beneficial partnership can be the start of a long term relationship, with many more future opportunities for collaboration.<\/p>\n When reaching out to potential sponsors, be sure to look for companies whose values align with yours and who support your mission and vision.<\/p>\n You may also wish to open up your conference to exhibitors \u2014 these are companies who\u2019ll pay a fee or offer you their services in exchange for permission to set up a booth and engage with your attendees.<\/p>\n Read More: <\/strong><\/em>How to Get Sponsorships: The Complete Guide<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Branding affects how potential ticket buyers will feel when they come across information about your conference. It includes things like your conference name, slogan, logo, color palette, messaging and imagery. In order to attract attendees, these things need to be unique, cohesive, and inspiring.<\/p>\n Take time to brainstorm ideas based on your conference\u2019s theme and your goals. You may need to hire a photographer and graphic designer to help you create graphics and other brand elements. You\u2019ll use these on your website, invitations, tickets, event program, and all promotional materials.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> The Ultimate Guide to Nonprofit Branding<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Conference attendees love free stuff and most will expect to receive a swag bag of some sort. When choosing which swag items to order, opt for things related to your industry and that your guests will actually use. Order them as soon as your brand elements have been finalized \u2014 that’s the best way to save money and reduce pre-conference stress.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget to also ask your sponsor(s) if they\u2019d like to include any promotional items in the swag bags.<\/p>\n At this point, you can also order t-shirts for volunteers, lanyards and name badges, signage, and other branded event materials.<\/p>\n Some event venues will provide internal employees to take care of things like catering, security, furniture, A\/V, and Wi-Fi. If not, you\u2019ll need to hire external suppliers and get permission from the venue to bring them in. Find and book them early to make sure they\u2019re available on the dates of your conference.<\/p>\n Figure out how much support you\u2019ll need during the conference with things like:<\/p>\n Recruiting volunteers for these and other small tasks will ensure that your conference runs smoothly and that your guests have a positive experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n To find volunteers, look within your organization\u2019s existing community, advertise at your local post-secondary programs related to your industry, and post open positions on your website and social media.<\/p>\n Be sure to recruit more volunteers than you anticipate needing, as some of them will likely drop off in the days leading up to the conference.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> How to Recruit Volunteers from Start to Finish<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Set up a website and a registration page<\/a> so people can start buying tickets. About two months before the conference, you can start advertising early bird pricing.<\/p>\n Promote the conference on your website, in your emails, and on social media. Send out a press release and try to get media coverage in local papers and on the radio. Consider paying for digital and social media ads that target your ideal audience. And don\u2019t forget to offer special deals, giveaways, and registration prizes to entice more people to attend.<\/p>\n Read More:<\/strong><\/em> 5 Tips For Getting Your Event Message Out<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n At this point, all your speakers and events should be finalized, so it\u2019s time to create your conference schedule. For the attendees, create a program that will be handed out at the start of the event. Make this program available digitally, as well.<\/p>\n For everyone else \u2014 speakers, your staff, venue staff, suppliers, and volunteers \u2014 create a master schedule that\u2019s easy to follow and has all the necessary details. Be sure to include contact information of key persons who would need to be notified should anything go wrong.<\/p>\n In addition to receiving a master schedule, everyone involved behind-the-scenes needs to receive a customized document that outlines their key tasks and responsibilities. This will help ensure that everyone knows what\u2019s expected of them, where they need to be and when, and what they need to do to make sure the conference runs smoothly.<\/p>\n Send out email reminders to all attendees. Publish an FAQ on your website and offer your contact information should they have any questions or concerns.<\/p>\n Check in with your team, speakers, and volunteers \u2014 make sure everyone feels ready and has everything they need before the big day.<\/p>\n The day before the event, check in with the team once again to see how everyone is doing, address any final concerns, or communicate any last minute changes.<\/p>\n As the conference organizer, you shouldn\u2019t have any actual tasks during the entire duration of the conference, other than being available for your team should they run into any issues.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re hosting a hybrid conference, a dedicated team should be live-streaming the events and engaging with virtual attendees.<\/p>\n Someone who\u2019s responsible for communications at your organization should be monitoring engagement at the event and on social media. If your conference is a multi-day event, they can also send out daily recaps via email to help attendees remember the highlights and transition into the next day.<\/p>\n Congratulate yourself for hosting a successful conference! However, the work isn\u2019t done yet. Here are a few things you need to do to wrap up:<\/p>\n Conference planning involves many moving parts, particularly on the technology side\u00a0 \u2014 you need to build a website, create a registration page, process payments, track attendees in a CRM, and send them regular updates and reminders.<\/p>\n Of course, you can look for separate tools that will take care of each of these tasks, but that can get very expensive and very tedious, especially if the different tools don\u2019t integrate with each other.<\/p>\n A much better option would be to invest in an all-in-one solution like membership management software. It\u2019s a single tool that can take care of all of the aforementioned tasks and help you save hours of manual work (not to mention, unnecessary expenses).<\/p>\n Here at WildApricot, we\u2019re proud to be the number one rated membership management software on the market. We regularly help nonprofits plan and execute events<\/a>, as well as engage with their communities well after the event is over.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re curious to learn more, start a free 60 day trial<\/a> and see if WildApricot is for you.<\/p>\n Best of luck with your conference!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"5. Develop a Budget<\/h3>\n
How To Keep Your Team Motivated When Planning a Conference<\/h2>\n
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17 Steps for Planning a Successful Conference:<\/strong>
\nYour Conference Planning Checklist<\/h2>\n9-12 Months Before the Conference<\/h2>\n
1. Book a Venue<\/h3>\n
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2. Confirm Date(s)<\/h3>\n
3. Create a Master Plan<\/h3>\n
4. Choose Your Technology<\/h3>\n
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6-9 Months Before the Conference<\/h2>\n
5. Find Speakers<\/h3>\n
6. Find Sponsors and Exhibitors<\/h3>\n
7. Develop Branding<\/h3>\n
3-6 Months Before the Conference<\/h2>\n
8. Order Branded Merchandise<\/h3>\n
9. Find Suppliers<\/h3>\n
10. Recruit Volunteers<\/h3>\n
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11. Start Promoting<\/h3>\n
1 Month Before the Conference<\/h2>\n
12. Finalize Conference Schedule<\/h3>\n
13. Finalize Tasks With the Team, Volunteers, Speakers and Venue<\/h3>\n
1 Week Before the Conference<\/h2>\n
14. Send Out Reminders and Check-In<\/h3>\n
1 Day Before the Conference<\/h2>\n
15. Last Team Check-In and Kick Off<\/h3>\n
During the Conference<\/h2>\n
16. Conference Management<\/h3>\n
After the Conference<\/h2>\n
17. Follow-Up and Analysis<\/h3>\n
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Make Conference Planning Easy<\/h2>\n