Conference Venues Blog – Conferences in South Africa

In this series on organizing conferences we looked at the various phases of organizing a conference, how to set up a conference organizing structure, the planning phase of the conference, publicizing the conference and running the conference. The conference is now over, and it is time to evaluate the conference in the following areas.

Evaluating The Conference

Presenters and Presentations at the Conference

Were the presentations clear, coherent and relevant to the topic of the conference? Did the method add or subtract from the effectiveness of the presentation? One exception is at academic conferences where the quality of the presenters work and ideas usually carry more weight than the method of presentation.

Evaluating the presentations also assists in deciding whether the presenter or presenters can be used for future conferences. Successfully evaluating the presenters and presentations at the conference depend on the information gathered from interviews with participants and completed evaluation forms.

The Overall Experience of the Conference

To evaluate the overall experience of the conference, the coordinator relies on the information gained from participants through spoken feedback and evaluation forms. It is, therefore, vital to obtain feedback from as many participants as possible at the conference. The feedback provided will help to evaluate whether the participants feel that they got what they expected. Other questions that may be answered when evaluating the overall experience of the conference include:

• Were there enough opportunities for networking?
• Were the sessions at the conference interesting, helpful and relevant?
• Was the conference well organized, how smooth did it run?
• What aspects of the conference did participants like the most?
• What could have been done differently?

The Conference Venue and Services

The coordinator and others who dealt directly with the conference venue will be responsible for evaluating the venue and the services provided by the venue. They will evaluate whether the conference venue was easy to deal with and if the venue liaison was available and helpful. Some questions that may be asked when evaluating the venue include:

• Did the conference venue deliver on their promises?  
• How was errors and oversights handled?
• What was the quality of the food and was the food available on time?
• Was there any extras made freely available to guests?
• Was the conference venue easy to find?
• Were there enough conference rooms and were they large enough?
• Was the cost of the conference venue reasonable compared to other options?

Conference Coordinator, Conference Staff and Volunteers

A big part of this evaluation will be done by those being evaluated. It is a time to stand back and evaluate what aspects of the conference were successful but also where things could have been done differently. Questions to ask in this part of the evaluation include:

• Were tasks clear and well-defined?
• Did everybody know what was expected of them?
• How well did everyone work together?
• Was there good communication among everyone involved in running the conference?
• Did everyone know who to ask when questions were raised?
• Did everyone know who was in charge of what?
• Were tasks completed in a reasonable time?
• Did the coordinator know who to turn to for assistance?

The Conference Organizing Process

Questions asked when evaluating the organizing process include:

• Were there enough people available in both the initial planning phase and for the running of the conference? 
• Was there enough lead time to organize the conference?
• Did the planning process have enough input and structure?
• Was there a plan that was easy to follow?
• Were the initial estimates of costs and participants reasonably accurate?
• What aspects of the organizing process went particularly well?
• What needs to be changed for future conferences?

All this information gained from evaluating the conference will assist conference coordinators immensely when organizing their next conference.

Resource: Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/

So far in this series of blogs on organizing conferences we have looked at the various phases of organizing a conference, how to set up a conference organizing structure, the planning phase of the conference and publicizing the conference. Today we are going to discuss how to run the conference once it finally gets going after months of careful planning.

Attending to Conference Logistics

The conference logistics can be described as those tasks that make the conference run smoothly. The following are some of the conference logistic that will require attention at the conference.

• Organising the volunteers and staff who will be manning the conference information desk, directing people to the sessions and handing out relevant information.
• Making sure right presenters and speakers are at the right room at the right time.
• Ensuring the conference venue has sufficient space for the meals, breaks and other events at the conference.
• Printing or copying conference materials such as evaluation forms and participant packets.
• Scheduling of conference sessions in such a way that it makes it easy for participants to follow a topical thread.
• Appointing hosts for each session, who will introduce the presenter, make sure the equipment is in place, keep time schedules, hand out materials, distribute and collect evaluation forms.
• Make sure that exhibitors, coffee, hand outs etc. are in their correct places.
• Find the correct place for the registration and information desk.
• Arranging and informing the conference participants of the location and availability of parking.

Registration of Conference Participants

Preregistered participants will have conference packets waiting for them. A table will have to be set up where participants can check in and receive the conference packets as quickly and easily as possible. It makes sense arranging the packets alphabetically, helping the person stationed at the table to find the appropriate packets efficiently. The conference coordinator or the coordinator’s assistant will need to be close by or at the table to answer questions.

Clear procedures need to be put in place to deal with walk-in registrations. The staff at the registration desk will need to know how to deal with money paid on the day and when to stop accepting walk-in registrations.

Taking Care of the Conference Speakers and Presenters

The conference coordinator will have to appoint someone to take care of the needs of the keynote speakers, honoured guests, celebrities and other important people in the field. This person will make sure these delegates get to the right places at the right times and tend to any other needs that they may have. They must ensure that these delegates should have a pleasant experience of the conference and have positive feelings toward the sponsoring organization.

Crisis Management at the Conference

It is highly likely that there will be various crises that will have to be managed during the running of the conference such as presenters who do not show up, weather emergencies and computer errors.

Although it will not be possible to anticipate all of the possible scenarios, try and anticipate some of the most common crises that may occur. Have alternative plans in place and appoint people to deal with any crises that may occur. It is also essential to plan for any medical emergencies that may occur; make sure there is an adequate first aid kit and know where all the fire exits are located. Ensure that all the staff is aware of what to do in case of an emergency. Staff should also be trained on how to deal with angry or irrational participants or speakers.

 Conference Evaluation Forms

For smaller conferences, group evaluations sessions can be set up and the feedback can be obtained directly from the participants. It is more common though to hand out evaluation forms after each session and one form for the overall evaluation of the conference. It is usually the session host’s responsibility to make time for handing out forms, as well as collecting, and depositing the forms at a central point.

Cleaning Up After the Conference

If cleaning up is not included as a service provided by the conference venue, it is the responsibility of the conference organizers, staff and volunteers to clean up after the conference is finished. It is also the organizer’s responsibility to ensure that all forms and materials are returned back to the sponsoring organization. It is helpful to provide a lost and found box and inform the participants of found items.

Conference Follow Up

Make sure all loose ends are tied up and that agreements made in the sessions are initiated. Issue continuing education certificates where applicable and make sure that all involved in organizing and running of the conference are formally thanked in writing. Settle all outstanding payments with the conference venue and suppliers.

Now that the conference is finished the only thing that is left to do is to evaluate the conference. In the next and final blog, in this series, we will take a look at how to evaluate the success of the conference.

Resource: Community Tool Box: http://ctb.ku.edu/