Planning a conference?

Our good friends over at Trinity Conferences have joined with SVA to help virtual assistants organising conferences or events.  They have set up a specialist team to deal with VA enquiries, just email: VAhelpline@trinityconferences.co.uk

There are plenty of things to consider when organising a meeting or conference. The following will give you an idea of what to think about when preparing an event.

o        Venue Selection

Ask plenty of internal questions – what does the organiser want to achieve from the event and what are the most important factors in the decision-making process.

Ask the about the location – where are the attendees coming from and how are they travelling.  Does the location need to be near an airport, railway station or motorway junction; is parking important and is city centre or a country location better?

Request a profile of the attendees – the venue needs to be appropriate and they should be comfortable there

Is there any flexibility in the chosen dates?

Create SMART goals – Consider how the success of the event is going to be measured and put the steps in place to achieve the objectives from the start.

Invites/Responses – Think about how the audience are going to be invited and how will they reply – the registration process needs to be managed.

Budget – is this fixed and does it match the requirements?

Consider the risk.

o        There are many factors that will affect a venue’s availability of space and pricing as well as influencing the attendance:

Dates – check bank holidays, school holidays, other events, industry exhibitions and what’s going on in the area.

Day of week – Monday and Friday are less popular, particularly if it is a residential event.

Timings of the event – depending on the distance attendees travel, particularly for a day.  Will any accommodation be needed?

Complexity of turnarounds – if the same room is being used for a conference in the day and dinner in the evening

Setup time – how long do you need for audio/visual equipment, will you use a production company, are there any rehearsals?

Layout and Style of your meeting rooms – both the main room and any syndicates.  How many people will attend?  Do they need to make notes, work in small groups or just listen to a presentation?  How much space is needed for projection?

Experience of the team running the event – how many people do you need in advance to plan the event and onsite and what are their roles?

The most important issue of all is communication; if everyone knows what is happening and in agreement then the event will run successfully.

Trinity Conferences is a venue finding and event management company for conferences, meetings and events of any size and in any location.  We take the hard work out of finding a venue, whatever the event!

• Trinity will save you time – while we’re doing the searching, you can concentrate on other things
• Trinity will save you money – by negotiating the best rates available
• The quick response times mean that you’ll receive the best service
• Our relationships with hotels and venue knowledge means that you can benefit from our experience
• The service is FREE, as we are supported by the hotels and venues

So if you’re looking for a venue or need help to organise your next event call your local specialist venue finding agency. https://www.trinityeventsolutions.co.uk/

If you need advice about organising an event or would like to discuss your meeting requirements, just contact the Society of Virtual Assistants helpline.  Our colleagues at Trinity Conferences have a wide range of knowledge and experience about the conference and meetings industry and can help with your queries.