Organizing a conference can be quite overwhelming. But with proper planning, you can easily keep track of all the moving parts. You need to start planning at least five months before the date of the conference. A lot of questions certainly come to mind. How do you start? Which venue can best accommodate your needs? Where can you find guest speakers for the event?
Although organizing a conference in Kenya can be demanding, you can get it done with the right planning. Here are some of the steps you should follow. However, these steps aren’t really chronological but give you an idea of the key areas to focus on to make your event successful.
Step 1: Find a theme
A great conference should have a theme. What is the message that you want your speakers to communicate at the conference? You should find a theme that is relatable, catchy, and can trigger interaction among your audience. Your conference should stimulate conversation and the theme has to help enable that.
Step 2: Collaborate with a dedicated team
It’s highly unlikely you will be organizing the entire conference on your own. That means you need to find a dedicated team to help you manage all the various aspects including promotion, negotiation, and catering. For example, your planning team can help you choose the conference venue, activities, and accommodation.
On the other hand, your administration team can help with budgeting, attendee registration, and ticket sales. Your marketing team can create promotional material to advertise the conference and manage your blog or website. Your main task is to delegate tasks to your team and ensure they meet their targets.
Step 3: Create a budget
To ensure you plan your conference the right way, it is essential to create a budget. You should know exactly how much you intend to spend. A budget can also guide you on how to set ticket prices for those interested to participate in the event. Some of the key areas you need to budget for include accommodation, venue, transportation, marketing, speaker fees, catering, activities, etc.
Step 4: Look for grants or sponsors
You can arrange fundraisers or look for sponsors in Kenya if you need external funding to make your event a success. An easy way is to find sponsors who are closely connected with the main theme of your conference. Also, ensure the sponsor’s values match your conference theme. More importantly, are you comfortable allowing them to use their logo and branding on all the equipment?
Step 5: Remember to stick to your budget
If you have a budget in place to help you plan for the conference, it is important to ensure you don’t deviate from the budget. You can still negotiate better prices for some of the items that you may be hiring for the event. As a suggestion, you can compare bids from several providers and then choose the one that best fits your budget.
Step 6: Promote your event
The best way to promote the event is by first considering your target audience so that you can find the most effective channel to reach them. You can promote the conference on social media to reach a wider audience.
