EVENTS MANAGEMENT

SERVICES NC III
 CORE COMPETENCY
Develop an Event Program

Learning Outcome
• Identify conference objectives
• Design conference program
• Finalize program details
 IDENTIFY CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
Identifying scope and overall
context of conference.
• What is a conference?

Conference is a formal meeting in which many people gather in order to talk about ideas or
problems related to a particular topic.
• The term “conferences” can apply to a variety of gatherings from a group of researchers who
meet to discuss scientific results to a group of sales people who are training
Types of Conference
- Academic conference - Training conference
- Medical conference - Internet conference
- Business conference
 IDENTIFY CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
Identifying scope and overall
context of conference
• To creating clear goals and measurable objectives for your event. The key: research and
analyze the needs and interests of the event stakeholders (e.g. event sponsor, potential
participants.) How do you do this?
1. Conduct an Environmental Scan.
2. Research information about the potential event attendees.
- One-on-one interviews
- Surveys
- Focus Group Discussion (FGD)
- Educational programming committees
 IDENTIFY CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
Developing specific conference objectives

3. Develop measurable objectives and overall goals of the event.

• Preparing objectives helps define many areas of conference management, including

marketing, content planning and evaluation. Clear objectives should:
 Enable potential attendees to determine if the activity is appropriate for them.
 Provide focus for the instructors in preparing material and choosing the most appropriate
educational method.
 Serve as an evaluation tool to measure the success of the conference.
 IDENTIFY CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES
Developing specific conference objectives

Types Of Objectives
Process objectives relate to internal operations, and effort and efficiency issues.
Outcome objectives relate to the impact a conference or event has on attendees.
 IDENTIFY CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

Developing specific
conference objectives
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Setting date and time

• The first and most important aspect of running a professional event is starting early.
Before you contact speakers and allure attendees to a conference, you need a time and
place. Book the perfect conference venue for your event before you start developing
your plan. That would be six months prior to the event.
• Important aspect to consider:
 Venues must be reserved months before the event.
 Make scheduling arrangements depending from how far the speakers and attendees may
travel. It is important to let them know the date of the event months before you even start
setting up the conference agenda.
 Considering the events including festivals, holidays and even political campaigns in the
location of venue must also be planned.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Setting date and time

• TIPS ON HOW TO CHOOSE TIME OF THE CONFERENCE:
 Avoid holiday periods. Participants rarely attend conferences during holidays.
 Never plan a conference during the weekend. From organizers to speakers and
contractors, conferences mean work, hence they should happen during the week.
 Set the event on a Thursday and Friday and give attendees the opportunity to play
the tourist during the weekend.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing theme
• Selecting Applicable Theme
Theme is the subject of discourse in every event. A theme offers a condensed
version of what you’re interested in accomplishing. Things you’ll want to
consider when selecting an effective theme:
 Your audience and their interests/needs.
 The host city and how it ties in.
 Something that is in line with your objectives that personalizes them.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing theme
• Once a theme is selected, it should introduce all aspects of your conference.
 A Theme Unifies Objectives and Provides Focus for Events
 Keep Content Interesting with an Event Theme
 A Theme Generates Buzz
 Speakers Feel and Understand Direction with a Theme
 Themes Have a Visual Appeal
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing theme

Sample theme:
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing theme
• In Conclusion
A theme is not a silly party. It is a meaningful reflection and interpretation of
your event’s goals and objectives. It functions as the elevator pitch for your
conference and helps people understand in a very short period of time what your
event is trying to accomplish. You don’t need a theme for your conference to be
successful but why pass up a way to encapsulate your mission to your attendees and
the outside world in such an effective way.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• This section gathers the essential aspects to consider when choosing the perfect conference venue,
from the type of event you are planning, to location facilities and costs.

• Important factors to consider: 

- Type of Venue - Cost
- Location - Technical: I.T. and Audio-Visual Equipment
- Size of the Event - Accommodation & Leisure facilities
- Accessibility - Car Parking
- Availability - Catering
- Suitability
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• Type of venue
The second goal of a professional organizer is to find the venue that suits the
type and overall concept of the event. Generally, there are three types of venues you
can book in your city:
1. University buildings: these are fairly cheap and suitable for small, academic events.
2. Independent venues: these are more expensive and distinctive, but are limited in seats
and availability during the year.
3. Hotels: these are the most expensive venues, ideal for corporate events that benefit
from a large budget.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• Location
Regardless of the type of venue you find to be most suitable for the scale of your conference and
business needs, the location has to be welcoming and serene.
However, the location you choose should address the following questions:
 Conference facilities: where will the event take place?
 Accommodation: where will the conference guests sleep?
 Parking & Transportation: how are they going to get to location?

• Size of the Event

It is no use to book a venue that can accommodate hundreds of participants for a small group of
delegates. Alternatively, it is unprofessional to book a small room for a large-scale conference just to
save money.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• Accessibility
The event should be easy to reached by the attendees. The proximity to airport and
other means of transportation (rail or automobile) is paramount for maximizing event
attendance. Before you book the venue, ensure that transportation needs are taken into
account.
• Availability
Once you check the availability of the venue according to the date you have
previously set, check if other spaces are available too, such as nearby hotels or onsite
facilities like VIP lounge and SPA. These will impact the traffic in general areas, hence
the networking opportunities of the event.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• Suitability
Not only that the venue should complement the event image you want to project, but it should also suit
the profile of your targeted audience.
Don’t forget about sponsors and stakeholders. Make sure there won’t be other onsite events to clash with
your event or branding concept.
• Cost
Even if you do not have a thoroughly built budget plan at the time you book the venue, the implied
financial constrains should be conveyed to the venue from the start.
TIPS:
Consider negotiating with the venue representatives. If you have found the perfect fit for your
conference, but the costs exceed your budget, suggest lowering the venue fee for a multi-year contract.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• Technical: I.T. and Audio-Visual Equipment
All of the above should be part of the ideal conference venue. Additionally, before booking the venue, ensure every
conference room has the necessary audio-visual equipment and tech support.
Technical Checklist:
 Projection screens & cordless microphones;
 Wi-Fi access, heavy duty cables and charging stations;
 Light fittings & power points.

• Accommodation & Leisure Facilities

If the conference is going to run for two days, overnight accommodation with unlimited Wi-Fi facilities and quality
dining opportunities should be at the top of your checklist at this point.
Always check the adequacy of facilities in a venue, as well as the leisure opportunities before you book it, check the
following:
 Conference rooms.
 Meeting and training rooms.
 Gym and sport facilities.
 Coffee lounge & dedicated bar.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

• Car Parking
For minimum hassle, choose a venue that offers free on-site parking. However, if the conference venue
charges for the facility, make sure you include that in your budget.

• Catering
f the location you choose also provides food services, that’s even better. Otherwise, you will need to contract
another service and supervise the coordination of suppliers. 
Still, you will have to decide on a menu and handle any special guest queries. It is essential to:
 Consider the dietary restrictions of each attendee such as allergies or preferences that make planning rather
difficult.
 Order any special ingredients, favor’s, or other necessary items that are not available at the venue. 
Let the venue know about any special requirements in advance so the caterer can create options to suit all needs.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing overall event format

Top tips on how to book a venue:
 Choose a suitable location for the type of conference and number of participants
you have planned.
 Insure that obligations, such as insurance, health, and safety, are adhered to.
 Get involved into venue management if needed. Communicate effectively with the
caterers, stand designers, contractors, equipment hire, and so forth.
 See if the facilities for car parking, security, hospitality, and the media are well
taken care of at all time before and during the event.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Identifying, designing and integrating

relevant components for program
As a conference coordinator you will take major decisions, but you will also need support.
Therefore, before you select the right people for each job, you should call together a conference
committee.
Having more than one person to ensure that you pull everything together and have enough
perspective on the event, will streamline your overall workflow. 
Who’s Who: Team Roles and Duties
 Administration Team: ticket sales, budget, attendee database, main point of contact.
 Communication & Marketing Team: media partners, promotional materials, social media,
website.
 Event Team: venue affairs, hotel, parties, catering.
 Sponsor Affairs: fundraising and contracts.
 Volunteers: registration, on-site preparations.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Identifying, designing and integrating

relevant components for program
Recruit Volunteers
You should recruit volunteer’s months ahead the conference even if they will help out on the event day or
starting with the previous afternoon.
Volunteers are typically young and enthusiastic. That is why they can do a great job with registration affairs,
venue preparations, and attendee queries.
Top Tips
 Don’t act like a manager! Be part of the team. The secret to a well-performing and well-motivated team is to
make everyone feel comfortable with their role.
 Find people with specific skills: publicity, social media, administration, budgeting.
 Make sure everyone is on board.
 Choose a motto to motivate team players more. “Team efforts achieve miracles” sounds great, don’t you think?
 Get everyone’s contact details. If you are planning on organizing an annual conference, you may want to contact
valuable team members for the following year too.
 Learn to say “thank you” more often and reward your team for its achievements.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Identifying and integrating technological

options
Listed below are a few of the technologies to consider using as you plan your next event. Some
are best when used before the event to help you prepare so everything comes together smoothly,
and others are designed to be used during the event.
• Before Your Event
1. Interact with your speakers
2. Use social media to promote the event.
3. Make your event materials mobile-friendly.
• During Your Event
4. Internet access is a must!
5. Videoconferencing/Webcasting can expand your reach.
6. Encourage attendees to use Twitter during your events.
7. Keep smartphones on to promote texting.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing business program

The following guidelines applies to any type of event you plan on organizing.
Important aspects to consider:
 Choosing theme and name
 Look for branding opportunities
 Set a budget
-How to build a budget successfully
 Accomplish tasks

Choosing theme and name

Choosing a theme from early stages is paramount as you will need to create a logo and other themed items about four
months prior to the event. Your conference needs a name too.

Look for branding opportunities

Think ahead branding opportunities. If the budget allows, you should hire a designer to create a brand for the event.
Choose a catchy name and a representative logo for the event theme to use on tickets, posters, brochures, programmers,
and social media coverage.
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing business program

Set a Budget
There is no way you can start implementing a plan without knowing how much money you
can spend. The key is to set monetary limits and make sure everyone adheres to them.
Important things to include into your budget plan: venue and marketing costs, team
members and speakers’ fees.
How to build a budget successfully
1. Set the upper limit of the amount you can spend on the event. This would be the overall budget amount.
2. Decide on what tools you are going to use to actually build the budget plan. There are online budgeting tools you
can use, but you may also stick to the usual spreadsheets.
3. Set up categories such as venue expenses, entertainment, rentals, marketing (event website, advertising materials),
leisure activities (sports, spa), awards (prizes), printing (invitations, name badges, programs).
4. Then put down budgeted amounts for individual line items that fit each category. For instance, Catering may
include food, beverages, cakes, as well as catering staff fees.
Tips: You will see that the budgeted amount may not coincide with the actual costs. Try to negotiate payments and
consider production loss too
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing business program

Accomplish Tasks
When it comes to planning, you will see this is a very detailed ongoing process. Time is precious and
there are tasks to accomplish at different time frames.
Early stages of organization should include:
- Setting a Date - Setting a budget
- Choosing the location - Find Sponsors
- Gathering a committee - Book influential speakers
Two to four months prior to the conference you should:
- Publicize the event
- Engage the Media
Three to six weeks before the conference you should:
- Generate shopping lists.
- Purchase non-perishable items;
- Calculate anticipated attendees;
- Create a photo checklist with group and event photo ideas.
- Consider a suitable outfit: is it a fancy-type of conference or a more formal but less pretentious seminar presentation?
 DESIGNING CONFERENCE PROGRAM

Developing business program

 Accomplish Tasks (Cont.)

Two to four weeks prior to the big event you should also:
- Prepare floor plan. Also plan room layouts too, as well as the entertainment program.
- At this point you will have to schedule workshops or demonstrations too.
- Ask a team member to go through all items, check and double check everything.
- Purchase remaining items and make sure everything is well-stored until the event.
- Confirm with all contracted help, including the photographer, speakers, caterers, etc.
- Check equipment and lighting.
- Start printing out the conference program.
The last-minute tasks you will perform one-two days prior to the conference. Ensure you:
- Have all important phone numbers saved on phone.
- Pick up rental items you have booked in advance.
- Prepare payment for all those involved in the organization and smooth running of the event.
- Begin setting-up early so you will deal with less unexpected situations.
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Presenting propose event program

At this point, you should have a name and a theme for the conference.
Conference come in many types and each industry requires a different approach.
Now it is time to decide how the conference will actually play out.
The event agenda is essential to attracting attendees. The topics and activities
you include on the agenda should address a targeted audience.
Here are a few organizational tips:
 Begin building the agenda four months prior to the conference.
 Identify the profile of the “ideal” attendee.
 Don’t throw away your guest list. Speakers may cancel their engagement shortly before the
conference and you may have to take up the list again.
 Know how large the market is and determine how you can effectively rich it.
 Keep in mind that the type of sessions and activities you include in the program will influence the
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Presenting propose event program

If unsure how to proceed next, stick to the common conference format and norms:
 Begin with a keynote or presentation given by an influential name in the field. Start in the
afternoon and end with a dinner.
 For the remaining day or days of the conference, you should divide the agenda into short
sessions.
 Adjust the length of each presentation according to the proposals submitted by participants.
 You can plan one session at a time or have several sessions running concurrently.
 The type of session depends on the specific of the conference. They can range from workshops to
power-point presentations and open-floor exhibitions.
 Include workshops, film screenings, and other entertaining moments regardless of the type of
conference you organize. High-quality papers should be just the skeleton around you plan the
conference. Playlists, slideshows, or other media will spice up the program.
 Finally, end the program on a high note. Go for a motivational speech or a challenge to the
attendees.
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Presenting propose event program

• Create an Eye-catching Program

Simple invitations are not enough when it comes to attracting attendees and
sponsors. Smoothly designed programs are powerful marketing tools to entice people
to attend your event and one of the essential aspects of conference development.
So, once the agenda is ready, the next mandatory task for your marketing team to
accomplish is designing or ordering high quality booklets and other promotional
materials.

Important things to consider when creating the program:

 The conference theme: the program should give a glimpse into the main topics of the
event agenda.
 The attendee profile: think about the audience and its needs.
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Obtaining the approval of program

details
Once everything is set in event program and all are approved, as an event
organizer you will also need to find marketing and financing solutions. You may
have the opportunity to sell sponsorship space to potential partners.

Advantage of including sponsors in event:

 They are an important source of money, especially if you have a limited budget
and you need to make deposits during the preparation stages.
 Sponsors give you money you can work with as you plan the event.
 They also might have a positive impact on the conference content if they include
industry leaders to touch on the topic you choose.
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Obtaining the approval of program

details
Top Tips:
 Make sure sponsors are suitable to the theme and overall content of the conference.
Offer sponsor stands only if you have the ideal spots in mind after visiting the
venue. Whether the setup is possible depends on the venue.
 Try to set the budget without including sponsor funds just to see if running the
event is possible this way.
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Disseminating and publicizing of

event program
This is the most exciting part of the program, where you will be
announcing an upcoming conference. There are methods into creating
and publicizing the event to obtain numbers of attendees and here are
the some examples:
 Leaflets
 Flyers
 Tarpaulins
 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Create a website
 Promote on social media
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Disseminating and publicizing of

event program
Create a Website
Besides professional advertising materials, digital presence is key to organizing
a conference effectively. These days, creating an online page for promoting your
event is not only mandatory, but also super easy.
Here are the important things to consider when creating a website for your
event:
 Find an available domain to include the conference name or a meaningful
derivative of it.
 Be sure to include all important details for the conference: date, location, name of
influential speakers and industry leaders participating.
 Upload registration information and create a link for potential attendees to access.
 FINALIZE PROGRAM DETAILS

Disseminating and publicizing of

event program
Promote on Social Media
Building a strong online presence is all about using the social media tools
effectively to enhance communication with potential attendees, increase event
awareness and ticket selling.
 Create a Facebook page for the conference, especially if you plan on organizing
the event annually.
 Create a hashtag and begin using it two to four months before the conference to
share event info.
 Invite speakers to blog about and share the event on their social media channels.
This will give a boost to the overall conference attendance.
END
THANK YOU..

Prepared by:
JOHN ELSIR CUARENTAS