A conference is one of the best types of events for anyone looking to attract attendees and expand their ticket sales reach.
That’s because it brings together attendees from a wide range of fields, whether academic or strictly professional.
However, you need to know how to organize it the right way. That means creating the type of conference that best fits your audience.
That’s why, in this article, I’ll help you build your conference, answering all your questions about:
- What is a conference?
- When should you hold a conference?
- The world’s leading conferences
- How to organize a conference
What is a conference?
A conference is a gathering of people aimed at discussing key issues and presenting solutions on a specific topic.
It usually brings together renowned experts to debate the topic covered in that edition, but the discussions happen openly.
That’s why it’s characterized as a formal gathering of major importance to its field, usually of a technical or scientific nature.
Conferences are generally held annually. But that frequency can vary depending on the organizing committee.
Speaking of organizing committees, this type of event is usually organized by:
- Associations and professional organizations;
- Government bodies;
- Coalitions;
- Individual organizations.
In fact, it’s quite common to see some globally known examples, like conferences on climate and social issues. Have you seen any of these before?
When should you hold a conference?
1. A problem needs to be analyzed
As I mentioned above, it’s common to see conferences that address crises or opportunities for certain sectors.
For example, the UN holds the Conference of the Parties (COP) every year to discuss and organize initiatives around the impacts of climate change.
At the event, experts give talks and propose changes for each country, along with reviewing carbon emissions.
There’s also room for political leaders to debate.
2. The main subject calls for a conference
A conference doesn’t always revolve around problems — it can also center on debates that highlight the importance of a given subject.
So it’s quite common for conferences to be created with different focuses, at different times, and for specific needs.
For example, some reasons for creating conferences include:
- A field of work or area of knowledge that lacks cohesion;
- New discoveries in research, methods, papers, etc;
- Building a community;
- Launching new products or technologies;
- Networking within a community, among others.
3. Legitimizing a field of knowledge
A conference can also bring legitimacy and authority to fields of knowledge that need further development.
This makes it important for conferences to be held with the goal of showcasing and tracking a field’s development.
This way, over time, the activity can become legitimized, whether in an academic or professional field.
The world’s leading conferences
To better understand how a conference works, why not get inspired by real-world examples? Check out some of the most famous conferences in the world today:
TED Conference
To start, we need to talk about TED. This is one of the most globally recognized conferences, and today its model is replicated all over the world.
The event stands out for its talks.
The TED Conference is an annual event dedicated to spreading important ideas.
On average, more than 70 speakers come together for presentations, including music, performance, and comedy.
Conference of the Parties (COP)
As we mentioned, COP is one of the world’s biggest conferences on climate change.
The event has been held annually since 1995 and is organized by the United Nations (UN).
Its goal is to make sure member countries commit to the environmental agenda every year.
So the conference brings together representatives from all over the world to discuss climate change, the actions taken by different countries, and outline new measures to be implemented.
The event is usually attended by diplomats, government representatives, and members of civil society.
That’s why COP always sets the climate action agenda for the year and guides the discussion at other, smaller events in the same field.
WWDC
We always keep an eye on the major tech conferences.
After all, they always bring news and set the agenda for the year in the field.
In that sense, each major company usually develops its own conference, like Google with Google I/O, or Apple with the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC).
At WWDC, Apple announces the year’s tech news. This way, the conference tends to bring the audience closer to the product. But it goes beyond that!
It also plays a role in training, instructing developers and running mentorships, talks, and workshops in the field.
Web Summit
Speaking of technology, another hugely important conference in the field is Web Summit.
This event was born in Dublin in 2009, with just around 400 attendees.
But Web Summit kept growing, and today it draws an average of 70,000 attendees from all over the world.
In fact, it moves the market so much that the Portuguese government paid to have Web Summit hosted in Portugal for 10 years!
This way, the country manages to attract tourists who travel just to attend the Summit and stay on top of the biggest tech trends of the year.
How to organize a conference
1. Have a checklist in hand
Like any other type of event, a conference needs to go through several stages to be a success.
That’s why you should have an event checklist on hand.
With it, you’ll be able to map out the entire path to pulling off your event, planning and defining important points like:
- Event venue;
- Date and time;
- Format (in-person, online, or hybrid);
- Check-in;
- Certificates;
- And much more!
And you don’t need to worry about building a checklist from scratch! You can use the free material Even3 created. Just click the banner below.
2. Define the event’s details
As I mentioned above, there are different types of conferences, and your target audience can vary depending on your proposal.
So, after defining your event’s basic requirements, it’s time to narrow down your proposal to attract as many attendees as possible.
At this point, you should define items like:
- Type of conference;
- Main theme;
- Specific topic for debate;
- Event frequency;
- Speakers;
- Promotion channels.
With that, you’ll have a clearer event proposal, which also makes it easier to create future editions.
3. Choose an event platform
Once you’ve defined your event’s foundation and details, it’s time to sell your tickets and attract attendees.
However, a lack of tools to make these tasks easier is one of the things that complicates an organizer’s life the most.
That’s why it’s a good idea to use an online event platform, like Even3. This way, besides convenience, you’ll be able to reach more people, eliminating the need for a physical box office.
For example, on the Even3 platform, you can create online registration forms and sell tickets in a fully secure purchase area.
You can also take advantage of other benefits, like accepting paper submissions, creating a website for your event, automatically issuing certificates, and much more.
So, why not get started for free right now? Just click the banner below and organize an event in under 5 minutes!
