Mastering the essentials of conference production

Today’s conference producer faces more challenges than ever before, both within and outside their organisations. The producer must rapidly master new markets as well as the mechanics of production — research, writing, analytics and marketing — all while building and preserving relationships with internal and external partners. By attending this master class on conference production, you will be able to find solutions to the key pinch-points in the production process. Using winning case studies from the Conference Awards, producers will learn best practice through real case studies and examples.

Online course outline

Session 1: Conducting research to develop timely content | 2pm–3:30pm

• Setting realistic targets for desk and phone research
• Multi-tasking — integrating your research targets with related functions
• Practical Exercise: select ideas for new phone research questions
• Comparing ‘organic’ and ‘one-off’ programme development
• Practical Exercise: map the market for one of your events and set yourself call targets

Regular short breaks, interactive quizzes and polls and time for Q&A

Practical exercise at home: based on learnings, map two more markets, one you work in and a brand new one. 

Session 2: Formats for events and sessions/Add-Ons | 10am-11:30am

• Comparing production cycles for LSE, Annual, Stage 1, Roundtables
• Practical Exercise: view forward event schedule planner and note the impact on your events
• Choosing the right format for the content: talk, panel, interview, discussion
• Developing creative, and profitable, add-ons
• Practical Exercise: what changes you can make to your event format?
• Topic validation & new event validation
• Practical Exercise: complete 10 x 10 topic validation and more detailed validation table

Regular short breaks, interactive quizzes and polls and time for Q&A 

Practical exercise at home: based on learnings, develop two add-ons for your existing events 

Session 3: Writing compelling event and talk titles & Session 4: Speaker selection, invitation, and liaison | 2pm–3:30pm

• Brands vs. titles vs. straplines — what are they for?
• The conference producer’s play-book: tried and tested titles
• Practical Exercise: improve the title and strapline of one of your events
• Sub-points and why they matter
• Practical Exercise: Re-write your talk title
• Setting targets for speakers by seniority, industry, geography, etc
• Practical Exercise: list some new sources of speakers that you will go to for your next event
• Managing the inviting phase to ensure deadlines are met
• On-going management of the relationship — what can/should you delegate
• Practical Exercise: summarise what you will do differently with inviting and managing speakers

Regular short breaks, interactive quizzes and polls and time for Q&A

Practical exercise at home 1: research other events and identify up to six brand new title/strapline styles that you plan to borrow in the future

Practical exercise at home 2: create some cut and paste paragraphs that deliver a compelling message within an invitation email eg: topic based, around area of expertise, around experience, for women only, for diversity, for impact