Here at Mindpark we know a thing or two about hosting events and conferences. And while they are a great way to bring a large number of people together for a common goal or interest, there are many ways that things can go wrong. Let’s take a look at the three steps you should do to ensure that your conference or event is a success.

1. Plan and organize – consistency is key

We’d argue the key to anything is planning and organization, but this is especially true for conferences and events. With thorough pre-planning, you can ensure that you are setting up your gathering to be fun, engaging, and go off without a hitch.

Planning and organizing well in advance will allow you to not be stressed over smaller details, and small details make all the difference. Mindpark’s resident events and marketing manager, Rebecka Nilsson stresses the importance of theme and relevance when planning your event: “It’s important to keep it all in a context,” she says.

For example, “if it’s a conference about environmental issues: request that you don’t want paper cups for the coffee, maybe order vegetarian food, have the conference outside, and so on… I think you get the picture. Don’t forget about the small things, the extras. Think about the ‘whole picture’. Be creative!”

By having ample time to give towards organization, you’ll be able to consider and plan for all the things that when brought together, will make your conference or event all that more meaningful.

2. Promote and execute – provide value

By planning and organizing your conference or event thoroughly, you’ll also better be able to promote and execute your vision. If consistency is the foundation for a great conference, providing value and a seamless execution are the strings that tie it together.

When promoting your event ahead of time, be sure that your audience knows what they will be getting out of your event. Things they will learn, opportunities for networking, discussion, or Q&A, and how they can expect to feel when it’s over. By laying out the value of the conference or event – and then making sure you deliver – you’ll be able to easily drum up interest and increase attendance.

If you’ve set the groundwork for a fully engaging and relevant event, the event itself should be a success. Using Rebecka’s example from the first step, if you are having a conference about environmental issues, emphasize those values when promoting the event, and ensure that the content, feel and ‘extras’ of the event are relevant to those values. Attendees will be impressed by your ability to immerse them in a specific topic.

3. Follow up – make a lasting impression

Once your event is finished, and the execution was flawless – we’re sure- you need to make sure that the value and feeling stays with attendees. This especially ensures they’ll be coming back should you host another event in the future.

Rebecka says: “One thing that it seems like people often forget, is to have a plan how to summarize it all afterward – to make sure everyone ‘connects the dots.’ Otherwise, there is a risk that the participants just enjoy the day, go home, go to work the next day, and don’t really reflect on it. And the ‘connecting the dots’-thing can be done in many different ways: to make the participants do something during the whole conference,  gather everyone at the end of the day and summarize it together, or send something out to attendees a couple of days later.”

Interested in our options for hosting a conference or event at Mindpark? Talk to Rebecka to learn about the many solutions we have available.