Matt Davies Stockton Discusses How to Plan a Tech Conference

Introduction

According to Matt Davies Stockton, it is never too early to start planning for a tech conference, especially when you have to host a large group of people. You have to juggle a lot of responsibilities such as selecting a suitable venue, creating a budget, organizing a team, and more. However, there is no need to feel overwhelmed

The Steps

Here are a few steps you can follow to plan a tech conference:

1. One year before the tech conference – This is the ideal time to set a date for the conference and announce the event since it would allow you ample time for planning the little details. First, you should establish a budget and use that as a guideline to create a list of suitable event venues, caterers, and other large expenses.

The event venue you select will depend on your budget, the number of guests attending, and more. You also need to consider whether you need to book hotel rooms for people attending from across borders. Finally, create a list of people who might serve as the keynote speaker for your event.

2. Six months prior – This is the perfect time to start paying the deposits, delegate some of the tasks, confirm whether the speakers are still onboard, and flesh out the minor details. During this period, it is important to begin the event promotions and start early-bird registration.

Meet with the planning committee whenever required and hire a company to set up the dynamic audio-visual system for the main stage.

3. Three months ahead of time – During this period, it is important to organize details on the speakers, such as on which days they will talk, their bios, and more. Order supplies, such as signs, badges, promotional canvas bags, flowers, centerpieces, and more.

Communicate with the caterers to confirm whether everything is still as scheduled and planned. Update conference details and offer the final early-bird discount to create a big push for registrations.

4. One month before – With only a month left, it is time to appoint workers to handle registration and direct people from one event to the next. You have to finalize the schedule and create a printout for the attendees too. Stay in touch with the caterers, suppliers, and vendors to ensure they don’t back out at the last moment. It is also a good idea to brainstorm how to keep the attendees engaged throughout the day.

5. Two weeks until the big event – Push out the final promotions to capture last-minute registrations and send reminders to all the attendees. Confirm the timing with the caterer and any deliveries and touch base with all the speakers.

Conclusion

Matt Davies Stockton suggests you create an online task management group to monitor the progress of the event and ensure everything gets completed on time before the big day. Ensure you always remain focused and don’t get overwhelmed even when things don’t run as smoothly as you expect. You can work with the venue manager to navigate emergencies and handle any unexpected situations.