How To Host a Conference That’s Unforgettable

If your company is going to host a corporate conference, you need to make sure that all the planning and expenses are worth it, not only for the attendees, but for your company’s return on its investment.

To do this, you need to overcome the concept most people have of just another humdrum, tedious conference.

So what can you do to ensure your firm’s conference is one people will be talking and posting about in glowing terms during and afterward? Here are a few tips.

Determine the conference’s goals

Before you begin to make any plans, make sure you know what the company intends to achieve by hosting the conference.

Your company should ask itself:

  1. Are you trying to establish yourself as an industry thought leader?
  2. Do you want to provide various company divisions a chance to interact informally?
  3. Are you planning a new product launch?
  4. Do you want to obtain new clients?

host a conference

Shake things up

Who says conferences must be a series of boring meetings and lectures, punctuated by the usual golf outings and evening parties?

Create an event app to encourage networking. Use a real-time mobile app to moderate and encourage questions from participants.

If you’re trying to get people to interact with each other, try a “speed dating” activity. Give attendees three minutes to introduce themselves to another attendee, then move to another table.

Or try half-hour “campfire” sessions. These allow attendees to create content around a given topic, like the laid-back storytelling that occurs around a campfire.

Jettison the typical swag giveaways, and instead offer attendees experiences. Try prizes as face painting, having their caricature done, or posing for vintage-style photos.

And in place of the evening cocktail party, offer entertainment instead. You could schedule a show, a comedian, a concert, or a murder mystery dinner.

Find a unique location to host your conference

Along these same lines, the best way to ensure your conference stands out is to hold it in a memorable venue, like:

  1. An amusement park
  2. A butterfly preserve
  3. An art gallery

Or how about a historic 1920s bank, such as the richly opulent Alfred I. duPont Building in downtown Miami?

With its elegant Tennessee marble interior and hand-carved motifs, this setting is one your attendees will remember and talk about for years to come. Not to mention that it is highly Instagrammable!

Call us at 305-777-1639 to schedule your corporate conference today!