Are you hosting a Conference in Denver?

Conferences are not inexpensive. They can make a big effect and comprehensive planning is necessary. Not only are thecorporate seminars expensive for the presenter, but also for the participants. Participants and companies are not easily parted with their dollars and they want to be assured and reassured that they have vested their time and funds well. Post reviews show that modest details make a major difference. Throwing a conference or convention together without focus to the smallest details can spell failure. So the steps to take as a promoter and host for the conference/convention are to find a great spot. Knowing your prospective attendees is important whether you choose a location that is a short distance for them to drive or choosing a great getaway for companies to see and experience a new city. Check out the cost of the building and ask for details. Do not choose busy times of the year for holidays, family vacations or a busy time for the businesses targeted. For example, as retailers do their buying for summer sports equipment, late spring and early summer or not the time to entice them. They are preoccupied and they have already obtained their items for the year. Next you must analyze the schedule to be sure the timing is good. If you overbook they may not have extra time to enjoy themselves. If you do not offer ample workshops or variable schedules of interest, they will not think they gained anything from the conference or convention. Try to get a key speaker or two to draw a crowd. Promote early to get them to lock into your event first on their calendars. It even works to offer a discount incentive for early signup. Do assign an pro to offer all information the convention goer will need from airport transportation to hotel registration and maps. Of course your important concern will be the conference content itself. So plan to keep it going, keep it efficient, keep it stimulating. It is better to have more short sessions with question/answer free time to chat and connect than to have participants leaving lengthy sessions because they are tired or feel they are hearing repetitive information. The first impact will make a huge difference. Efficiency and getting information to help airport/hotel/conference center logistics run smoothly will set off the tone of the convention. It is also important that when they arrive there are lots of welcome folks available to set that upbeat favorable tone and answer questions. The registration table should include all the info they will need. And you always must be willing to put out the money for freebies. Our company attended a conference in a small city in a mid-western town. It was obvious they were trying to save money and got the conference center and food cheap. We paid a alot for a rental car to drive the 2 hours to the locations and stay in a small 2 star hotel/motel conference center. The pretzels and vats of bad coffee set the tone for a long two days ahead. The next year we chose to go to the Denver Convention Center and what a significant difference. Flying into DIA was so impressive with those beautiful mountains as a backdrop. Our hotel was attached to center and there were all kinds of restaurants, night life, shopping nearby. We found a cool Wine Welcome Gift Basket from a local basket company in Aurora. It was a box with all sorts of Colorado snacks. That convention rocked and we will go again next year.