About a month ago, I shared what a supportive care conference was and why you might consider hosting one at your hospital or health care organization. OSF hosted its 7th annual conference this year, and having been on the planning committee since the beginning, I have learned a few things over the years.
In the spirit of sharing that knowledge for anyone looking to start their own event, I offer the following list of things I wish I had known from the beginning, in no particular order. Some of these apply in all conference situations and some may be unique to the supportive care audience only.
Invite Speakers Early
Most of the popular speakers are booked well in advance, especially those who are well-known nationally in supportive care. A year or more in advance is not too soon. Your local teams and experts may have a bit more flexibility, but it is worth inviting them early as well. Remember to get it on their calendars and give them time to prepare!
Have a Backup Plan
The most common issue here is travel problems, but sometimes there are family or work issues that cause a last minute change or cancellation. Even though we hold our conference in the spring, we have had speakers’ flights cancelled due to weather or other unforeseen events. There is no worse feeling than having an unexpected hole in the day. You are sure to lose folks if that happens. Have something or someone ready to present just in case. You may never need it, but if you do, you’ll be forever grateful.
Use a Planner
This could be someone from your department or organization, or someone from the venue you are using, but there is a lot more to an event like this than reserving a room and contacting presenters. Set-up, transitions, breaks, audio/visual and all the little details can make or break an event. Even if everything is perfect, but the room is uncomfortable or the audience can’t hear the speaker, it will not work. If every attendee has the same comments on your evaluations, you didn’t pay attention while you were there!
A committee to review the agenda, budgets, marketing materials, etc. is critical as well, and the meeting planner should be an integral part of that committee.
Expect No-Shows and the Non-Registered
Even if the brochure says registration is required and due by a certain date and you put it in bold, underlined, capitalized text on every page, there is always someone who shows up and expects to be able to register at the door. It is up to you whether you let them come in or not; you might consider who they are (don’t turn away one of your own executives!), how much extra space you have, etc.
Know that even if you are at capacity, there are some who won’t come anyway. Also know that some will only come for part of the day. Try your best to accommodate, but if you can’t, use that as an opportunity to invite folks to sign up early next year. In that same spirit, expect that participants will sign up late… very late… like, the week before the event late. If you aren’t getting folks signed up, reach out and encourage, but don’t let yourself become discouraged!
Make Sure There is Good Parking Available
If attendees have to walk two blocks to the event, they are going to be tired and cranky before the event even kicks off. If they have trouble finding a parking spot, they are coming to the conference with a pebble in their shoe (or worse) right from the start.
Adequate parking in a convenient location is a must-have for any event.
Last Updated: November 6, 2018
1 Trackback