You’ve been put in charge of your organization’s next big conference or AGM and you need a place to start, or need some tips to get the planning process rolling… We’ve compiled a short checklist to assist you in making your event a huge success and avoid having any embarrassing technical glitches.
1. Choose a Date and Venue
Before going any further with your plans, knowing the “where and when” is a crucial step so that you know what kind of capacity you’ll have and what kind of audiovisual rental needs you’ll have on-top of what the venue may or may not provide. Earlier in our blog, we posted a list of what we think are the best conference centres in Toronto. That might be a great place for you to start, so you can contact them and lock down an available date that works everyone.
Whether your organization is big or small, choosing an appropriate host venue is paramount. Check out the size of their rooms—can their largest room accommodate everyone with proper seating? Do they have a boardroom available for smaller meetings? Do they offer catering? What type of technology is already available, and what else would you need? Is the location centrally located to gather people from different areas? If you do expect out of town guests, consider booking a venue that offers accommodation packages, or has accommodations in close proximity.
2. Plan the Day
Once you know your date and location, begin thinking about how you want the day(s) to look. Create your run sheet to make sure your timeline works for everybody, delegate tasks, hold regular meetings and pin down any speakers you may need. While considering your run sheet, also work on creating a floor plan that maximizes your space. Ensure people are able to socialize, as well as see and hear the content with ease.
3. Arrange Technology
After touring your venue, you will have a good idea of what technology is available to you and what technology you will need to bring in. There are many exciting, engaging things that can be done with technology nowadays, so utilizing state of the art equipment is another key component to a successful conference. The following are some must-have pieces:
- Microphones: If you will have one speaker at the front of the room, utilize a mic with a podium. If you intend on having multiple speakers in different areas, consider lapel mics. For group interaction, portable mics for each table are very effective.
- Speakers / PA System: Ensure that the speakers you use are suitable for the space and offer crisp sound for a wide range of uses- microphones, music, videos, and other applications.
- Projectors and Screens: These are excellent tools to showcase graphs, data, videos, and slides. The use of multiple screens are recommended so that all guests can see, regardless of seating location.
- Laptops and iPads: Ensure that you have the proper device to connect to your projectors. The use of Laptops and iPads can also be utilized to create a more interactive experience for guests with applications that run surveys, for example, or to reach members that are unable to attend in person by webcasting / live streaming the event.
If setting up technology is beyond your scope of practice, our team of technicians are able to everything up for you, so everything goes off without a hitch.
Organizing a conference or AGM is a huge undertaking. Allow us at Metrocom to take some of the stress off, by taking care of the technological end of things. We have a wide range of rentals for the above mentioned must haves, as well as a service team to put it all together for you. Contact us today for a quote.
