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Running head: PLANNING
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Planning and Organizing an Annual Conference
Name
Professor’s Name
Course Title
Date
PLANNING
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The Annual Conference Meeting: Project Definition Statement
An annual conference is a critical event in the company's calendar. The occasion brings
together all stakeholders in a meeting where they can articulate essential issues affecting the
organization and the society. Organizing the conference, therefore, requires careful planning.
Besides, the conference provides an opportunity to create more awareness about the organization
and give the public a close look at what happens here throughout the year. Therefore, it must
present the organization in the best light to maintain our positive public image. That said, this
proposal outlines the most critical steps that the organization should start implementing to make
the 2019 annual conference a complete success.
Creating a vision and goals
As with other projects in the organization’s portfolio, the conference requires to have a
well-crafted vision to direct each activity around it. The vision defines what the company intends
to achieve with the event. The concept will help in determining the goals and objectives as well
as a suitable theme for the occasion (Schmidt, 2009). With a vision, everything around the event
including the venue, keynote speakers, guest list, and budget falls into place. The vision should
state how many people the company intends to bring together. While developing the concept, it
is crucial to involve all critical decision-makers in the company according to the author.
Listening to the board of directors, managers, and employees alike will produce essential ideas
and help realize complete buy-in so that they own the project.
Formulate a task force
After putting the vision in place, the next step in planning the event is composing a
conference planning committee. Incorporating individuals with prior experience in the area is
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essential. Thankfully, the organization holds the occasion each year, so some staff members have
the expertise required. Also, include new members for continuity as well as to bring a fresh
perspective to the group. This committee will lead the way for other employees and suppliers to
make a success of the conference (Turner, 2016). It is essential the board of management
compose the committee six to eight months before the conference date to give them enough time
to execute necessary activities.
The committee will set the conference date during the first meeting. Industry practice
shows that the best time to hold a conference is in the fall, September and October, which is
when everyone is getting back into business after the summer holidays. Most families go for
vacation in the summer or the winter, so finding participants is an uphill task for conferences
held during those months. Beginning the meeting on a Thursday or Friday comes highly
recommended for a 2 or 3-day conference, to give the attendees a chance to stay behind and
sightsee after the meeting.
Prepare a budget
The committee will develop the budget based on the conference goals, previous budgets,
and current rates in the industry. The planning entity may make changes to the document as
planning continues. The budget will also help in setting the registration fees for participants.
Essential aspects of the budget include the venue, catering, décor, accommodation, labor,
transportation, advertising, speaker fees, materials and supplies, telecommunications, and
contingency. Develop a project within the first few weeks of meeting to give enough room for
other crucial decisions.
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Funding the budget
The committee will then hold discussions about how it intends to support the budget.
Usually, the organization funds part of the budget, a proportion that is fully met by the member
registration fees during the event and enlists sponsors to take care of the remaining percentage.
The committee may decide to go the same route. The planners will choose and contact potential
sponsors. The conference theme and vision should align with their business objectives as well to
capture the attention of all of the sponsors. Communication with potential sponsors should start
at least five months before the conference date to give them ample time to organize their
finances.
Book the venue
The committee will request for quotes from several venues so that they have several
documents to compare regarding prices and capacity. The site needs to large enough to
accommodate the full number of attendees. If not, there should be other hotels within the area to
take in any surplus. Ensuring that the accommodation is in an area with proper transportation,
and communication infrastructure will save the company a lot of trouble. Additionally, because
of the magnitude of the event and the capacity to generate massive income for the community in
the area, people may try to influence the committee towards certain venues for personal benefits.
Some of the ethical issues to consider while making this decision is that each venue
deserves a fair chance to present a proposal so that the committee may go through it and assent
or decline it on justifiable grounds. Giving some sites a priority puts everyone else at a
disadvantage. Secondly, the committee is bound by the organization code of ethics that requires
everyone to behave in a fair, honest, and dignified manner. Any deviation from these rules puts
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the whole organization at risk. Besides, the conference's primary objective is to advance a
course. The venue, therefore, must align with this goal and choosing one without considering the
impact reduces value for everyone involved.
The committee can avoid such issues by ensuring that it receives at least five venue
quotes for evaluation, go through each one to give everyone a fair chance, and make the final
decision together. Our conference will be held in Chicago, so our planners will look at several
quotations from hotels in the area before settling. A few choices we had were the Hilton Hotel &
Convention Center Chicago, the Westin Chicago River North, or Millennium Knickerbocker.
The committee has conducted a secret ballot, as it is harder to influence many people working
and making decisions together, and the venue for our conference will be the Hilton Hotel. This is
a great venue as it is only an hour drive away from our business location and it is located at the
airport for those who decide to fly in for the conference.
Sign contracts with suppliers
As things fall into place, the committee will find suppliers at least four months in
advance. This way, the suppliers will have enough time to prepare their teams about the event.
The committee may appoint subcommittees, as it deems necessary to follow up on issues more
closely. For instance, there should be someone communicating with the venue regularly to
ensure that the company’s requirements are all met. The same goes for the catering, décor, and
accommodation. The prequalification process should analyze several quotations for each
category to ensure that the committee deals with qualified, reliable suppliers. This way, the
committee can compare prices, quality, and experience to choose the best.
Commence Advertising
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Seeing as the budget and the venue are securely in place, the committee will focus on
advertising. A subcommittee with the help of the marketing department will place adverts on the
company website and social media platforms. This strategy helps in creating awareness about the
conference. At first, advertising messages will aim at creating awareness about the theme as well
as tell everyone why they need to participate; such messages build a foundation for registration
call-to-actions that will come later.
Find Key Note Speakers and call for registration
Keynote speakers are the stars of the conference. A good number of people will come to
listen and interact with them. In addition to choosing speakers who align with the conference
theme, the committee will ensure that each potential speaker is contacted officially, whether,
through a call, email, or one-on-one meetings. Speakers must receive the message personally and
commit as early as possible. This crucial step will happen at least three months before the
conference. Once the word is out about the keynote speakers, the committee will start calling
people for registration on call, email, Google forms, and listing forms on the website.
Onsite planning
The committee will visit the site a week or two before the occasion. They will take note
of the venue layout so that the workshops, restrooms, dining areas, accommodation quarters, and
exhibition areas are well labeled. Also notable is that as the committee undertakes this task,
registration, and advertising efforts are at their peak. Make sure that people know the registration
deadline. Also ensure that essential supplies such as name tags, stationery, room labels,
communication equipment, food and drinks, décor, and directional signs are in place at least two
days before the conference date. Registration should end a week before the conference.
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Host the Conference
During the big event, the committee will meet with the venue staff to examine the
sessions as they unfurl, taking time to talk about the following day occasions. They will also
audit the menu presentation and workshop settings day by day.
Follow up after the Conference
Here, the planners will send out thank you letters to all participants, speakers and
volunteers at least a week after the conference. The committee will also conduct a review to get
input from everybody involved in the various stages. This is an opportunity for the committee to
meet and talk about the event in detail while considering contribution from the post-meeting
study (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Audit supplier services and make complete any pending
payments. On the off chance that there are any questions, clear correspondence with the suppliers
will help explain them. This stage also enables the planning of a clear record of the occasion for
the archives.
Conclusion
Planning the conference requires the collective input of stakeholders at all levels in the
organization. The most crucial resources for the planning process include a meeting venue for
the committee, refreshments, stationery, computers, communication method, and transportation
fees when meeting suppliers. The organization can provide these resources comfortably. The
committee will also require a project management software program like Confluence or Active
Collab to help in the management of timelines, budget, and tasks at various stages in the
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planning process. Supporting the committee with these resources will motivate them to complete
each of the planning procedures so that the conference achieves each of its primary objectives, an
achievement that will add value not only to our organization but also to our sponsors and
participants.
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References
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning,
Scheduling, and Controlling. New York: John Wiley & Son Inc.
Schmidt, T. (2009). Strategic Project Management Made Simple: Practical Tools for Leaders
and Teams. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Turner, R. (2016). Gower Handbook of Project Management. London: Routledge.
Gantt Chart
Version 1.7.3
© 2006-2014 Vertex42 LLC
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HELP
[Project Name]
[Company Name]
Today's Date: 10/12/2018
Friday
(vertical red line)
Project Lead: [Name]
Start Date: 1/1/2015
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TEMPLATE ROWS: Copy and insert the entire section, or just the specific sub tasks, depending on which level you want to use (formulas are different for different WBS levels)
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Level 4 task
Gantt Chart Template by Vertex42.com
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Work Breakdown Structure Table
Provide basic information about the project including: Project Title – The proper name used to identify this project; Project Working Title - The working name or acronym that will be used for the
project; Proponent Secretary - The Project Manager who is responsible for the entire project; Other Agency – Other agency that will be responsible for the management of the project; Prepared
by – The person(s) preparing this document; Date/Control Number – The date the plan is finalized and the change or configuration item control number assigned.
Project Title:
Project Working Title:
Project
Manager:
Other Agency:
Prepared by:
Date / Control Number:
Element
Number
WBS Elements
Activity, Task, or Sub-Task Name
Definition of Activity or Task
(Description)
Responsible Person or
Group
Estimated (E) or
Project Phase
Actual (A) Cost (Cross (Cross reference to
reference to budget)
schedule)