4 Key Elements of a Memorable Conference
Planning a conference—one that will be memorable—can be nerve-wracking. But when you narrow down your focus and goals into achievable items in your to-do lists, you’ll find that planning can be manageable and even enjoyable.
We have gone to and covered different conferences in our years as photographers. And through our years of experience, we have realized that there really are just four key elements that planners should focus on to come up with an enjoyable, memorable, and insightful conference.
Hope this quick list helps as you put your own!
A great venue
A good venue for a conference doesn’t only mean great technical equipment or comfortable seating arrangements for the attendees. This also means that the place has some added value.
Some helpful questions that may guide your team when deciding on the venue are the following, especially when you’re putting together a conference that will last for more than a day:
What additional activities in the venue can the attendees enjoy without added or with minimal cost?
How can they travel from one venue or one destination to another?
Are there tourist attractions or tourist-friendly places around the venue that the attendees can visit quickly after the conference activities?
When deciding on the conference venue, it is important to keep in mind that the attendees aren’t just there for the conference but that they are spending their precious time in it, too. Therefore, it is vital to make their stay worthwhile.
Interactive activities
Sure, your speakers are important. But when you’re holding a conference for more than a day, filling the attendees’ schedules with nothing but listening activities can really be boring and tiresome.
Make sure you also include fun activities the attendees can engage in. Some activities we have witnessed in the conferences we’ve covered are the following, and they have proven to be quite a hit, too!
Walking photo booth, which gives out instant photo prints to the attendees
Digital photo walls in loop before talks
VR booth allowing attendees to explore the venue and the conference
Make sure to incorporate technology and social media to conference activities to allow attendees participation into the conference. Plus, these activities will also give the conference some free promotion online.
Technical excellence
One thing that really bums out everyone in a conference are technical glitches. In this day and age, we should be well-equipped to address these technical issues and even prepare for them.
Here is a short list of reminders that you can make use of before the conference begins:
Hold a technical dry run (TDR) with the audio and video materials at hand.
Have a sound engineer calibrate your sound system, especially if you’re streaming the conference online, to avoid feedback or blasting audio during the conference.
Test speakers’ presentations if they’re compatible with your chosen application.
Have extra laptops and hard drives on standby that also house your conference’s necessary files and applications to have backups.
Great food
Lastly, how can we miss out on this very, very important element of a conference—or any gathering! A great food menu can instantly lighten up any conference.
When putting up conferences, make sure that attendees are stuffed, full, and happy! We suggest that you give them at least three meals a day and two snacks in between these meal times. Also make sure that coffee, tea, and water are free-flowing throughout the day to keep them alert and hydrated.
Great conferences revolve around these four key elements. Before you start planning, make sure that these four align with the objectives of your conference and will ultimately help your attendees enjoy and learn from the experience.