|
|
10 TIPS TO MAKE YOUR
CORPORATE CONFERENCE MORE SUCCESSFUL
Planning and conducting a corporate conference is an
enormous task. Here are ten quick tips to help make your
big event an even bigger success.
1. Use BIG NAMES on Conference Nametags:
* Use a bold, sans-serif typeface with the largest
possible letter size. Nametags should be easy to read
from at least 12 feet (3 meters) away. The whole purpose
for a nametag is to make it easy for people to meet,
mingle and say "Hello!". No sense giving out nametags
that require your conference participants to squint and
stare.
2. Keep Participants HOT by Keeping the Conference Room
COOL:
* Keep your conference room temperature set towards
cool. Studies show people are most alert at 62-64
degrees Fahrenheit, around 23 degrees centigrade.
* Have participants move and stay active during the
conference to keep warm. If necessary, advise them in
advance to wear a suit, light jacket or sweater.
* This approach to room temperature is much better than
looking out over an audience that is too warm, too cozy
and too, too close to sleep!
3. Distribute a Participants' Networking Sheet:
* Gather the names and contact information of all
conference delegates. Assemble them into a user-friendly
networking sheet for use during and after your
conference.
* Use a scanner or digital camera to include
head-and-shoulders portraits of each conference
delegate. This makes it easy for participants to find
each another during the event, and easier still to
remember each other
after the conference is over.
4. Use a Variety of Activities:
* Keep you conference engaging and unique. Employ a wide
range of conference activities, including speeches,
conference games, interactive workshops, exhibitions,
panel discussions, question and answer sessions with
presenters, customers and suppliers, theme meals and
social events, etc.
5. Pick a Theme and Promote It:
* Give your conference a distinctive theme and title. If
your event is already known as "The 3rd Annual
Manufacturer's Convention" (or similar), then add a
Sub-Title to the event to distinguish THIS YEAR'S event
from
the ones before, and after.
* Here are some examples of conference events I have
helped design and conduct: "Thriving in the Future",
"Reaching for the Top", "The Winning Team", "New
Opportunities, New Challenges", "Setting the Strategy",
"Putting Our Customers on Top", etc.
* When appropriate, couple your theme with an attractive
logo that helps illustrate the key idea or message.
* Repeat the theme throughout your conference. Ask
presenters to link their content and conclusions to your
chosen theme. This provides continuity and continuous
reinforcement.
* Repeat the theme on all of your conference decorations
and take-home materials: folders, notebooks, nametags,
banners, shirts, etc.
6. "Set the Look" of Conference Presentations:
* Once you settle on a theme and logo or illustration
for your event, encourage presenters and exhibitors to
use them in their displays, take-home materials and
presentation graphics.
* Provide presenters and exhibitors with "camera-ready"
images in hard copy and on diskette. Send these out
early so there is plenty of time for everyone customize
their materials, making your conference "look good".
7. Begin BEFORE the Conference:
* Get your audience participating in the conference even
before they arrive on site. Send out advance mailings
with selected readings, "think-about" assignments,
information gathering responsibilities, a detailed
program agenda, etc.
8. Continue the Conference After It's Over:
* Extend and prolong conference value by sending out
selected materials AFTER the conference is over. You can
send a follow-up article, newsletter, results of a
conference survey, printed version of action plans or
decisions taken during the conference, etc. Put your own
cover letter on top of the mailing with thanks and
congratulations to the delegates, and an invitation to
your next conference event.
* Put up a special page on your World Wide Web site with
photographs from the conference, key ideas and articles
presented at the event, conference survey results, etc.
Promote the post-conference web site page during the
conference itself.
9. Always Triple-Check All Microphones, Audio and Visual
Needs:
* If the first thing your audience hears is "Can you
hear me in the back?", you failed on this key point.
* If the speaker says "Can we have the lights down
please?" and the lights don't come down right away, then
you failed on this key point.
* Make your conference a success. Triple check all
microphones, projectors, screens, music sources, lights,
air-conditioning controls, etc.
* And just in case, have back-up technology ready to go
if needed.
10. If You Start with Tea & Coffee, Schedule a Bio-Break
EARLY:
* Offering coffee and tea during conference registration
isa very nice touch, even nicer if you include muffins,
danish and fresh fruit. But if your conference begins at
8:30am, don't wait until 10:30am to schedule the first
break!
11. Gain 15 Minutes with Salad on the Table at Lunch:
* When conference participants go to lunch, have an
appetizer salad already waiting on the table. This
allows participants to get started with their meals and
saves at least 15 minutes over waiting for the hotel
staff to serve.
12. Avoid Heavy and Fried Foods:
* Avoid or minimize the amount of heavy foods and fried
foods during conference meals and coffee breaks.
Especially in the afternoon, those cream cakes,
chocolate eclairs, and fried dipping quickly convert
themselves into ZZZzzzzz!
13. Begin With a Bang:
* Start your conference with a powerful videoclip,
captivating slides, a stirring song, strong first
speech, dramatic performance, multi-media presentation
or just about anything else that gets the audience
interested and involved. When you start strong, your
conference is off to a very good start.
14. End With a Memorable Finale:
* Make your last impression a lasting one. Close the
conference with a powerful speaker, stirring song, major
award presentation, multi-media event or just about
anything else that gets the audience motivated and
reminds them why they came in the first place.
|
|
- Ron's successful background includes high-impact special events at the
Rose Bowl, the Great Wall of China, St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow and on the Capitol
Mall in Washington DC. His unique approaches to leadership and learning have been featured
in LIFE Magazine, the New York Times and frequently on TV. A graduate of Brown University,
USA, Ron is certified in Applied Neuro-linguistics and is a professional member of the
National Speakers Association. For more information please visit his web site: http://www.ronkaufman.com/
|
|
|
