Everything you need to plan a multi-day conference, from booking the venue 6-12 months ahead to managing speakers, sponsors, registration, and post-event surveys.
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Venue & Date Selection
Book the venue 6-12 months before the event
Conference venues in major cities book up 8-12 months ahead during peak season (September-November, March-May). Sign the contract at least 6 months out to lock in rates before annual price increases of 5-10%.
Confirm breakout rooms and main stage capacity
You need 1 breakout room for every 3-4 concurrent sessions. Main stage capacity should fit at least 80% of total attendees — not everyone attends every keynote, but opening and closing sessions draw the biggest crowds.
Negotiate room block rates at nearby hotels
Book a room block covering 60-70% of out-of-town attendees. Most hotels offer 15-25% discounts for blocks of 20+ rooms and will release unsold rooms 30 days before the event.
Arrange shuttle service or transportation between venue and hotels
If the hotel is more than a 10-minute walk from the venue, provide shuttles running every 15-20 minutes during peak arrival and departure times. Budget $1,500-3,000 per day for shuttle service.
Speaker Lineup & Content
Recruit keynote speakers 4-6 months ahead
Top industry speakers book 6+ months in advance. Offer clear details on audience size, session format, and travel/accommodation coverage. Most professional speakers expect travel, hotel, and a $2,000-10,000 honorarium.
Open and close the call for proposals
Run the CFP for 4-6 weeks and promote it across industry mailing lists and social channels. Expect 3-5x more submissions than available slots — a selection committee of 3-5 reviewers keeps the process fair.
Finalize session schedule and time slots
Limit sessions to 30-45 minutes with 15-minute changeover gaps. Schedule the strongest content at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM — attention is lowest right after lunch and near the end of the day.
Collect speaker bios, headshots, and slide decks
Set a hard deadline 2 weeks before the conference for all materials. Create a shared folder with naming conventions like LastName_SessionTitle_Slides.pdf to keep files organized across 20+ speakers.
Schedule speaker rehearsals or tech checks
Run 15-minute tech checks for each speaker the day before their session. Remote speakers need a full dry run including internet backup plans — about 8-12% of virtual presentations hit connectivity issues.
Registration & Ticketing
Launch the registration platform with early-bird pricing
Early-bird discounts of 20-30% typically drive 30-40% of total registrations. Open early-bird sales 3-4 months before the event and close them 6-8 weeks prior to create urgency.
Set up tiered ticket options
Offer 2-3 tiers: general admission, VIP (reserved seating, speaker meet-and-greet), and group discounts (10% off for 5+ tickets). Group rates drive 20-25% of registrations for industry conferences.
Build the attendee check-in workflow
Use QR-code-based check-in to process attendees in under 15 seconds each. For 500+ attendee conferences, set up 4-6 check-in stations and open registration 60 minutes before the first session.
Prepare attendee swag bags and printed programs
Order printed programs and swag 3-4 weeks ahead. Keep swag practical — reusable water bottles and quality notebooks get used; branded pens and stress balls end up in the trash within a week.
Sponsorships & Revenue
Create a sponsorship prospectus with tier options
Offer 3-4 tiers (e.g., Gold, Silver, Bronze) with clear deliverables at each level: logo placement, booth space, speaking slots, attendee list access. Start outreach 6-8 months before the event.
Reach out to at least 20 potential sponsors
Expect a 15-25% conversion rate on cold sponsor outreach, so contact 4-5x your target number. Warm introductions through your speaker network convert at 2-3x the rate of cold emails.
Finalize sponsor contracts and deliverables
Lock in all sponsor agreements at least 8 weeks before the event. Include exact logo dimensions, booth setup times, and electricity access in the contract to avoid day-of conflicts.
AV, Tech & Signage
Hire an AV production team for multi-room coverage
For a 3+ room conference, hire a dedicated AV company rather than relying on in-house venue equipment. Professional AV teams cost $3,000-10,000 per day but prevent the technical failures that derail sessions.
Set up dedicated Wi-Fi with capacity for all attendees
Standard venue Wi-Fi handles 50-100 connections. For 500+ attendees, budget $2,000-5,000 for temporary dedicated bandwidth. Test the network under load the day before the event opens.
Design and print directional signage and room labels
Place directional signs at every decision point — elevators, hallway intersections, and stairwells. Use font sizes of 72pt or larger for room names so they are readable from 15+ feet away.
Set up session recording equipment
Record every session for post-event content. A basic recording setup with screen capture and room audio costs $200-500 per room per day. Post recordings within 2 weeks to maintain attendee engagement.
Catering & Post-Event
Plan meals, coffee breaks, and evening receptions
Budget $40-80 per person per day for full-day conference catering. Schedule coffee breaks every 90 minutes and keep lunch to 60-75 minutes — longer lunches cause afternoon session attendance to drop by 15-20%.
Coordinate evening networking events or dinners
A speaker dinner the night before builds rapport among presenters. Attendee networking events on the first evening see the highest turnout — 60-70% of attendees show up compared to 40% on subsequent nights.
Send post-event survey within 48 hours
Ask about session quality, logistics, and what topics attendees want next year. Keep it to 8-10 questions. Offering a small incentive like a gift card drawing boosts response rates from 15% to 40%.
Publish session recordings and key takeaways
Post recordings to a dedicated event page within 2 weeks. Conferences that share recordings publicly see 20-30% more early registrations the following year because prospects can preview the content quality.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far in advance should you start planning a conference?
Begin planning 8-12 months ahead for conferences with 200+ attendees and external speakers. Venue contracts should be signed 10-12 months out, speaker invitations sent 6-8 months ahead, and early-bird registration opened 4-6 months before. Conferences with 50-100 attendees and internal speakers can be organized in 3-4 months. International conferences involving travel visas for attendees need 12-18 months.
What is the average cost to host a conference?
Conference costs range from $100-$500 per attendee for single-day events and $300-$1,000+ for multi-day conferences with lodging. The biggest expenses are venue rental (30-40% of budget), catering ($35-$75 per person per meal), AV equipment ($2,000-$15,000), and speaker fees ($1,000-$25,000 per keynote). Registration fees typically aim to recover 50-80% of costs, with sponsorships covering the remainder.
How do I find and book conference speakers?
Start with industry contacts and speaker bureaus (SpeakerHub, BigSpeak) that catalog speakers by topic and fee range. Keynote speakers charge $5,000-$25,000; breakout session speakers often speak for free in exchange for exposure and travel coverage. Reach out 6-8 months ahead with a clear pitch including audience size, topic alignment, and what you offer (fee, travel, accommodation, recording rights). Confirm speakers in writing with a speaker agreement covering cancellation terms.
What technology do I need for a conference?
At minimum: a sound system with wireless lapel and handheld microphones, a projector or LED screen (minimum 8-foot width for 200+ attendees), confidence monitors for speakers, reliable Wi-Fi (bandwidth for 1.5x your attendee count), and a registration/check-in system (Eventbrite, Cvent, or Whova). Live streaming adds $1,500-$5,000 for single-camera setups. Budget $3,000-$10,000 for AV depending on room count and complexity.