Q: We have an annual conference in the fall. Are there any statistics which reveal the best week or days to hold a conference, ie, third week in October?
A: There are a lot of factors to consider in your question. A lot depends on the kind of conference you hold, how many days it runs, how far people have to travel, and where the conference is being held. Other considerations are whether your conference has any significant competition from other organizations who offer conferences or events that are close in time to yours.And finally, the decision is influenced by the workflow for the industry you are serving. At LERN, in our early days, we used to hold our annual conference in October. Many members complained that it was too close to other conferences they wanted to attend, and they did not like having to choose between events.Many organizations do hold conferences in October, so this would be important to check.
We moved our conference to a later date, and members told us that the conference came at one of their busiest time for getting their classes put together for the upcoming term. So. We changed again. The lesson here is to ask your prospective participants about specific months and weeks and make your decision based on their input.
The same is true for days of the week. At LERN we have had conferences that run Thursday through Saturday for many years. But sometimes, when we have had to alter that in order to get a good room rate or to get the hotel we want, we have changed that. Each time, we have surveyed our members to determine whether the changes in days of the week make a difference, and this is what we recommend that you do. Ask your participants which days of the week they prefer,.
Also, if you are going to be holding your event in a place where there are lots of attractions, such as San Francisco or Orlando, you might want to time it so that participants can have a weekend either before or after your event to see the sights. This will not only make your event more desirable, but also help you keep people in the sessions and our of Disney World or wherever.
The answer then, is that you need to communicate with your customers to find out what works best for them, and then base your planning on their preferences.
The other component is getting the best deal. That is where having a detailed rfp comes into play, and something that VERY few meeting planners are willing to spend the time to create. That makes the job of the hotel sales person much easier and helps IMMENSELY to get a better deal. It is also important to find out if the preferred dates are ones that are in high demand (meaning higher costs) or not in demand. Ask sales people to let you know if they have and "holes" to fill. It is a term used in the hotel business to indicate an unsold period of time in between groups that the hotel has not be able to fill with business.
Questions
Best To Hold Conferences
Nov 10, 2018 1:55:25 AM
by
Jordan Kivley
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