How to Plan a Conference: The Full Production Sequence
A conference is a broadcast operation with catering attached. The content is the product; everything else exists to deliver it without friction. This is the sequence and the technical detail that separates a conference people quote afterwards from one they endure.
Define the content spine first
Before venue, before date: what are the six things a delegate should be able to repeat on the train home? Build the agenda backwards from those, then decide how many rooms you need. Most conferences over-programme breakouts and under-invest in the plenary that everyone actually attends.
Write a technical venue specification
Shortlist on numbers, not photographs. The specification that matters: clear ceiling height under any rig, rigging points and their SWL, floor loading, get-in dimensions and dock access, three-phase power availability and distribution, blackout capability, ambient noise between adjacent rooms, and delegate circulation area per head.
- Clear height and rigging points with stated safe working load
- Get-in width and height, dock access, lift dimensions
- Three-phase power, distribution points, generator fallback
- Blackout, acoustic separation between rooms
- 1.2–1.8 sqm circulation per delegate outside session rooms
Lock speakers 10 weeks out, content 3 weeks out
Speaker confirmation and content delivery are different deadlines and both slip. Contract speakers with a content deadline attached, run a technical rehearsal for every plenary speaker, and appoint one person who owns the master deck. Version control failures cause more visible on-stage problems than equipment failures.
Registration is a data project
Decide before you launch what you will do with the data: session-level attendance, dietary and accessibility requirements, badge scanning, GDPR lawful basis and retention period, and how records reach your CRM. Retrofitting this after registration opens is expensive and usually incomplete.
Run of show and rehearsal discipline
A run of show is timecoded to fifteen-second resolution across vision, audio, lighting, comms and stage management. Rehearse the transitions, not the content — transitions are where conferences visibly fail. Budget a full technical day before doors, and refuse to compress it.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to plan a conference?
Six months for a first-run conference of 300+ delegates, four months for a repeat format with an established venue and supplier set. The binding constraint is usually speaker confirmation, not logistics.
What ceiling height does a conference stage need?
For a standard set with an overhead lighting rig and rear-projection or LED, budget a minimum of 5m clear under the rig. Anything under 4m forces front-of-house lighting positions and limits screen size significantly.
How much of a conference budget goes on production?
Typically 30–45% on AV and production, 25–35% on venue and F&B, 10–15% on content and speakers, and the remainder on registration, staffing, freight and contingency.
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