How to Explode attendance at your Conference or Event

The 7 stages of Event Design. Tips from Ben Hendman, CEO of Splash. He shares the best practices he has seen from his conference planning clients with Joe Federico, CEO of Qrious, Interview from The Event Tech Podcast series. 2014

Conference Technology – making planning an event easy…

 

I am doing some research at the moment on Conference Technology… Event Elephant seems to tick a lot of boxes when it comes to streamlining the planning and organising of a conference – it offers registration, payment, tracking options – everything that can be a nightmare to do manually.   It all seems to be organised in one easy place and at very reasonable rates too.   Tying into my aim to organise a Conference on a shoe string budget.

No hidden surprises with Conference Rates – get an all in one conference package…

Have you ever arranged a meeting or conference and it ended up costing a few hundred or even thousand more than what you had expected??

Kingsley Hotel Cork - great conference room

Wouldn’t it be great to arrange a conference or meeting and know exactly what it is going to cost?  When presented with the bill there are no hidden surprises such as extra tea/coffee, LCD projector, flip chart etc??  I quote most of my clients a day delegate package which will include 2 tea/coffee breaks, lunch, meeting room rental and lcd projector/screen.   Clients find it is much easier to calculate what the cost will be besides adding up all of the elements individually.  If you are quoted €35 per person and you know you have 100 people attending it makes life a lot easier.

That is what it is all about – making life easier for the client!! That is my aim in life and how I get repeat business.

Rob Hard of About.com/Event Planning has written an article on this– it is an interesting perspective as he writes about it from the US point of view and the European point of view.  I did not realise that most American Hotels still quote individually or a la carte so to speak on all the separate aspects of a conference.

For more tips and ideas on how to arrange a conference or event check out the following posts.  Or feel free to call me directly for my expert advice – 353 (0) 21 4928941.

How to plan a conference – advice from the experts

How to plan a conference – part two.

Negotiating Tips – how to save money when planning a conference

Kingsley Hotel Cork – great conference room

Morrison Hotel Dublin City Centre – main conference room

The Big Deal – Dublin – Hotel specials for conference and meeting space

Get em while they are hot!!!  We leverage our negotiation power to bring our clients  these special offers. 

To book this offers please contact Ciara – FindaConferenceVenue.com

International Corporate Centre, Dublin

Space available from 1 to 20 people!!!

International Corporate Centre, Dublin - exclusive deals for FindaConferenceVenue.com

20% reduction on current rates by booking through FindaConferenceVenue.com

30% for any client who pre books 2 meetings in one month for minimum of ½ day each

Hourly rates from €40.00 (reduced from €50.00)

Half day retes from €140.00 (reduced from €175.00)

The Westin, Dublin

Conference facilities for up to 250 delegates theatre-style and up to 170 for a gala dinner!!!

 

The Westin, Dublin - exclusive deals for FindaConferenceVenue.com

Exclusive to FindaConferenceVenue.com!!!

Day Delegate Rate – € 70.00 per person

(inc. room hire, 3 coffee breaks, working buffet lunch, flip chart)

Guestrooms – Group rooms from €185 B&B

Days Hotel Dublin Airport, Dublin

Capacity for up to 80 delegates!!!

Days Hotel Dublin Airport, Dublin - ecxclusive deals for FindaConferenceVenue.com

All inclusive corporate rate from €89.00

(Overnight rate includes delicious sirloin steak main course, quarter bottle of wine, wi-fi, newspaper, full Irish breakfast, parking)

Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel, Dublin

Conference venue with 11 dedicated meetings and event suites catering for up to 350 delegates!!!

 

Radisson Blu St. Helen's Hotel, Dublin - exclusive deals for FindaConferenceVenue.com

 Day Delegate Rate of €45.00 per delegate

to include:

• Meeting room hire
• Lunch
• Tea/Coffee break

 

 Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin

15 Meeting rooms for up to 400 delegates in theatre style!!!

 

Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, Dublin - exclusive deals for FindaConferenceVenue.com

  Guestrooms – Prices from 110.00 EUR

Compliment your luxurious stay at the Radisson SAS Royal Hotel with a sumptuous dinner for two in Verres en Vers our French Brasserie.

Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Dublin

 

Louis Fitzgerald Hotel, Cork side of the Red Cow Roundabout.

 

The Louis Fitzgerald Hotel boasts 20 highly impressive meeting & conference suites, catering from 2 to 250 people!!!

 Full day hire of Small Conference Rooms (2-6 PAX) – only €90.00 + Tea / Coffee Break free

Guestroom Special – Room sale from €65.00

Old Jameson Distillery, Dublin

Jameson Auditorium – Capacity for up to 80 delegates!!!

Old Jameson Distillery, Dublin – exclusive deals for FindaConferenceVenue.com

Distillers Cotttage – VIP Day Time Package for up to 12 delegates:

• Full day room hire €600.00
• Guided Tour €13.50 per person
• Premium Whiskey tasting €22.50 per person
  To book this offers please contact Ciara – FindaConferenceVenue.com

How to plan a conference – Corporate Event tips from the experts

 

HOW TO PLAN A CONFERENCE – source In Any Evenet UK – http://www.inanyevent-uk.com

Step One – Planning

Decide who is going to be involved in organising the conference. Set up a conference planning committee.  Arrange a meeting to establish what work needs to be undertaken, by whom and set timescales.  Obtain handover notes if this event has been previously organised by other committees.

At this initial planning meeting is essential that you set your event objectives. For example these can be along lines of:

• What is the conference aiming to achieve?  What as an organisation are you trying to achieve by hosting this event?

• Who are you trying to impact?  Define your target audience in terms of delegates and sponsors?

• How do you define success?

Decide on dates for regular planning meetings and produce notes from meetings together with action points.

Step Two – Work in Progress

From the planning meeting draw up an activity schedule together with list of actions, status of actions and deadline dates. This will become your working schedule.

At each planning meeting produce an agenda based on the headings of the activity schedule. Produce meeting notes together with actions.  These together with the activity schedule will be what you use to plan your event.

Step One – Planning

Decide who is going to be involved in organising the conference. Set up a conference planning committee.  Arrange a meeting to establish what work needs to be undertaken, by whom and set timescales.  Obtain handover notes if this event has been previously organised by other committees.

At this initial planning meeting is essential that you set your event objectives. For example these can be along lines of:

• • What is the conference aiming to achieve?  What as an organisation are you trying to achieve by hosting this event?
• • Who are you trying to impact?  Define your target audience in terms of delegates and sponsors?
• • How do you define success?

Decide on dates for the regular planning meetings and produce notes from meetings together with action points.

networking area Hotel Europe, Kilarney, Co Kerry. Great conference hotel.

Step Two – Work in Progress

From the planning meeting draw up an activity schedule together with list of actions, status of actions and deadline dates. This will become your working schedule.

At each planning meeting produce an agenda based on the headings of the activity schedule. Produce meeting notes together with actions.  These together with the activity schedule will be what you use to plan your event.

Step Three – next post

–  source of this expert advice –  In Any Evenet UK – www.inanyevent-uk.com

If you are interested in more tips from the professionals on how to plan a conference or event, check out these links….

Conference Check-list… onsite management of Conferences, meetings and events

Last minute to dos to ensure a successful Conference
For Association Conferences Organisers and Corporate Events Organisers …

20 easy tips

 • Do final arrangement checks with venue contact who will be working the day of your conference
• Get name and mobile no or set up walkie-talkie system with your venue onsite contact
• Set up conference office – ensure front desk at hotel knows where it is and what your phone no is

 
• Set up sponsors and exhibitors – take photos for future event sales
• Provide adequate signage (where permitted by the venue)
• Make arrangements for telephone lines, faxes and Internet access

 
• Provision of photocopy machines and other necessary equipment
• Supply of flowers for registration, dinner tables and conference room
• Provision of table menus, table plans, and places cards
• Provision for luggage storage, cloak room, first aid facilities on site

Clarion Hotel Cork City Centre

And 10 more…..

 
• Arrange rooms for audio-visual set up and speakers rehearsals
• Briefing of chairman and speakers. Collect presentations
• Conference reporting, hearing loops and other delegate aids

 
• Handling question and answer session from the audience
• Briefing of staff and volunteers
• Provision of general information files on conference desk

 
• Handling of delegate queries and messages through-out the event
• Provision of secretarial and administrative assistance
• If parking is free for attendees, ensure supply of paid for tickets
• Hand out evaluation forms and ensure method of collection is clear

The above are some handy guidelines provided by Event Organisers UK.

Conference room set up, Morisson Hotel Dublin City Centre

Resolution for the new year… Attending Conferences to beat the recession!

Thriving not just surving during the recession.

This year I have decided that my new year’s resolution will be to not do something rather than do something which is to not “participate in a recession”.    I have adopted a saying from Dr. Ivan Misner (Founder of Business Network International) as my new motto   “I refuse to participate in a recession”…

In late November I attended an International tradeshow in Barcelona – EIBTM.  I had 1000 badges printed up with this motto and I hired students to wear T shirts with the same.  I have to say I was delighted with the reaction.  I had people running down the tradeshow aisle after me asking me where did I get the T shirt from… in the bathrooms I had ladies ask me if I was the person giving out those great badges — they wanted to fly the flag for me and wear one.  Yeah, it was working.  So my point is that we are ready to be positive about all of this.

Overall the tradeshow was a fantastic experience for me.  I received excellent leads and met people whom I would never have met by staying at home.  There was serious business being done there and a real thirst for companies to discover countries they had not brought conference, meetings or incentive clients to before.   Ireland does not have the reputation abroad yet for having fantastic conference and incentive facilities and it is a constant battle to educate international delegates on the state of the art facilities Irish venues now have to offer.    And believe it or not, the first thing you have to educate most people on is why come to Ireland in the first place for a conference, meeting or event…. uniqueness of our culture, landscape and people, friendly welcome and as a very safe destination.

I took a wander around to compare how other countries were selling their country as a destination and there are some amusing photos to share –

Hungry –

Come to Hungry

 

 

 

 

 

 

Norway –  love this one..

Norway - attractive incentive

Berlin –

Now that's a dress!

Ireland –

Ireland - Kenmare Park Hotel Samas Destination Spa

 Guatamela –

The Quetzal - national bird of Guatemala

Overall it was an excellent tradeshow, with plenty of entertainment and eye candy to keep you amuzed such as this shirmp and lobster that wandered freely throughout the exhibition.

Anyone for Shrimp and Lobster?

 

Ciara and the Queen of Nuremburg

 

Ciara and the recently discovered Dinosour remains in Portugal

I am happy to share my advice and expertise on venues in Ireland.  My service saves hours of time in researching a venue.  Contact Ciara at ciara@findaConferenceVenue.com.   353 (0) 26 21015.

Meeting Room and Conference Venue room set up styles

To continue my conversation about the different set up styles for a conference room or meeting room, I would like to go through a very popular style called Classroom Style Meeting Room Set up –

Delegates are seated at rows of tables, seated along side each other, facing the speaker. Usually 3 conference delegates will fit at one 6 ft or 1.8 metre table. I find when a number of tables are placed in a long row, inevitably someone will get stuck at a place where the table legs are meeting!! It has happened to me before and it is very uncomfortable for the day.

Advantages of Classroom style conference room set up It is comfortable for long sessions and for taking notes, working on a laptop or referring to reading material. I would advise to check with the venue or hotel how much space they leave between each table/chair – there is nothing worse than making delegates squeeze past each other to get to their seat. As I am sure some of you have learned to your dread that some meeting venues will tell you 100 people very comfortably fit in a room, where as in reality no more than 90 people should be put in that room. To avoid these pitfalls, I have a guideline on safely calculating numbers to comfortably fit in a room in the Planning Tips section of FindaConferenceVenue.com. That or call me, as I have viewed the majority of conference venues in Ireland, I can independently tell you what is best suited to a venue.