Photo courtesy of Daniel*1977 on flickr
A clear and concise conference planning checklist will not only contribute to the success of your event, but will also help keep you organized and sane…both definite musts in successful conference planning!
You once thought there was nothing worse than forgetting to schedule a walk through or order the speaker thank you gifts. Until the day you found yourself standing in front of a hotel with 200 attendees (that’s 400 eyes boring a hole in the back of your head) as you realize you never confirmed the transportation that’s now five minutes late.
Why You Need a Conference Planning Checklist
Every event, no matter the size, has an excess of details to contend with. Transportation, accommodation, decor, entertainment, venues, catering and staffing are just a few of the particulars you’ll find yourself dealing with.
Even meeting planners with “A Beautiful Mind” type memories are going to miss a detail or two if not written down. But a scribbled list on the back of a soggy cocktail napkin just isn’t going to cut it. The best way to an organized event is an uber organized event planning checklist.
Staying Organized…The Construction of Your Conference Planning Checklist
Begin with the end in mind.
Photo courtesy of jphilipg on flickr
To start building your conference or event checklist, you’ll need to start at the end. Determine what your end results and needs are going to be. Every facet of your program and every conference planning checklist timeline that goes along with it should be included in your checklist.
You don’t need to start a new conference planning checklist from scratch for every conference. You can use a basic conference planning checklist template that can easily be created on excel and then tailored to suit your needs for each individual event.
Every little detail, no matter how minor, should be on your conference planning checklist. Because a missed deadline, detail or confirmation, no matter how small, can have a negative effect on the overall well being of your program.
What to Include in Your Conference Planning Checklist
Since every conference is different, every conference planning checklist will be different too.
First you must determine what your level of involvement is. Do you have the full contract or one or two components of it? Are you in charge of accommodation? Catering? Transportation alone can be a minefield of details ready to be missed at every turn.
Once you’ve established your responsibilities, determine what the timelines are for both attendees and yourself. Each individual event during the conference and each individual timeline should be included in your planning checklist.
When you’re unsure of what needs to be included on your conference planning checklist, always err on the side of caution. It’s actually a fairly simple procedure to determine what exactly should and shouldn’t be included on your checklist. When considering a party planning checklist, event planning checklist or conference planning checklist, if something needs to be confirmed, ordered, booked, paid, organized, purchased, reserved or approved, it should be that checklist!
When planning an event or conference, utilizing a detailed, organized Conference Planning Checklist will always contribute to the smooth planning and seamless execution of all of your conference events.
Related articles
About Randy Markus
Follow Us!