South Africa Event Planning

Conference coordinators and event management companies are hired to handle your corporate occasion from inception to the post-event breakdown. However, not all organisations recognise the value and role of the professional conference coordinator, and prefer to arrange the entire event themselves. To understand the benefits of using such a service, we must first become familiar with the specific role of such a person, team or company.

Conference coordinators are required to:

1. Work with a range of organisations in order to arrange a successful conference, meeting, seminar, conventions, or similar event.
2. Choose the date(s) of the event, depending on the client’s requirements.
3. Ascertain a theme and create a corporate identity and hype around it.
4. Create a schedule that is appropriate to the theme and convenient for the delegates and speakers.
5. Arrange a suitable venue (including pre-event site inspections, sufficient equipment, parking, seating, décor, security, and so on).
6. Source quotes from various caterers, decorators, florists, entertainers, speakers, etc… Present these quotes to the client and confirm the vendors.
7. Work closely to the budget. This will include determining various prices (such as the attendance fee).
8. Organise all marketing and communications for the event (press releases, billboards, advertisements).
9. Produce all signage and banners and have them displayed correctly.
10. Organise the accommodation and transport for delegates and guest speakers.

Even for smaller events, these tasks can become quite overwhelming when not handled by a professional events company. By employing such specialised services, you will benefit in the following ways:

1. Your event is handled by a team of experts, not leaving any aspect in the hands of an individual.
2. A conference coordinator takes a holistic approach to your event and is, therefore, able to tie it together in a unified, liquid way. There will be an undeniable sense of synergy.
3. A professional company tackles your event from inception to completion, taking an enormous amount of planning and pressure off your shoulders.
4. Your coordinator will be present at the event(s) to handle any hiccups with discretion and efficiency.
5. Such companies have good contacts in their network and are able to use their favourable relationships to their advantage. They trust the suppliers they use, giving you a certain amount of confidence.
6. Working with a professional conferencing or events company, you will be required to sign contractual agreements. These protect you and guarantee a certain level of products and / or services.
7. The advice you receive from your events coordinator is based on experience, knowledge and insight into this specific industry. This should be taken seriously and applied.
8. Most conference coordinators and event managers have worked on a variety of events. This makes them more flexible and adept at handling different profiles of events and delegates.
9. They will have a portfolio of past events for which they are responsible as well as a list of references. Do not hesitate to contact their references and enquire about the service they received, so that you are comfortable with hiring the company.
10. Because of the industry in which they work, conference coordinators may be able to negotiate cheaper rates for you than if you were to tackle the project yourself.

Image Credit: The Biometric Consortium Conference