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. http://www.trinityconferences.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.

About Caroline

Co-founder of Society Of Virtual Assistants and owner of Virtually Sorted. Caroline lives in Glasgow and enjoys the virtual lifestyle allowing her the flexibility to wear jeans to the office every day!
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