Sea to Sky Meeting and Association Management Inc.
Planning and management of meetings, conferences, and special events in Canada and Worldwide
In the last post we talked about all the good things that can come out of hosting an international conference and a little bit about how to do it. Well, now that you’ve decided that it’s a brilliant idea and you’re ready to get on with it, here’s a bit more about what’s actually involved.
Ever been to a professional conference or meeting and been underwhelmed? Maybe there was just too much information and you felt like you were being forced to drink from a firehose, or the topics didn’t have much practical application, or there weren’t enough opportunities to network. Perhaps you’ve experienced all of these things.
Picture this: you’re nearly ready to go on a major international conference. The hotel is booked, the exhibition is coming together, the food and beverage have been ordered, and the marketing is in full swing. Then you check the latest numbers and it doesn’t look good. Not enough people are registering.
Careful budgeting is important and, if you’re organizing an international meeting or conference, there’s no excuse for getting it wrong. Your client/boss/CEO is going to want to see some numbers and will expect you to stick to them.
The philosopher George Santayana famously wrote: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It’s hardly the most cheerful of lines. But what if we look at it a little differently? Suppose we were to modify things a bit: “Those who cannot remember how they came by their success will find it hard to be successful in the future.” Not a quote that is destined to become a classic, perhaps, but it allows me to illustrate an important point.
