Well, it all starts with a conversation, either by email or over the phone. We will discuss your ideas and plans, things like where to host the conference, what time of year, how many delegates, what sponsorship level do you think you want, and a few other details that will let us tease out a plan.
From there, we will go and make you a rough plan and budget. Once we are happy and you want to partner with Conference Connect (we like to call it a partnership as we work together to make it a success) then we will draw up a contract that covers things like our responsibilities, your responsibilities, our management fees, timeframes and key deliverables for us both to sign.
Then we get to the fun stuff! Planning, budgeting, conferencing!
That's perfectly fine. It's what we are here for! With our years of experience, we can guide you through the steps to make sure that every detail is taken care of! We believe in respect and understand that this may be your first conference or symposium, We take the time and care to explain everything needed so that you are not flying blind. We are with you every step of the way.
Great question. There are many costs associated with running a conference or symposium, and it depends on the type of event and the complexity. Some things that need to be considered are the venue and its associated costs (think morning tea, lunch, drinks), the audio visual and technology required, the sponsorship levels, awards, or dinner or networking event. Even the time of year can make a difference. Then there are all the little things that are hardly thought about, like conferences badges, transport, backups and insurances. We are well versed in the little things can have a big impact on making a conference successful. Did you know that most states in Australia have either state based or government agencies that will often provide incentives to encourage you to bring a conference to their state? Things like financial grants and discounts on venues can have real impact on the bottom line. We are used to negotiating and bidding and have all the contacts to assist. We make sure you know what the costs are as soon we know, so no wondering if you are in budget or not!
We are a end to end PCO (Professional Conference Organiser) which means we handle just about everything.
- Location sourcing, bidding and venue management
- Financial services (invoicing, payments, reporting)
- Speaker management
- Sponsorship and exhibition management
- Content planning and management
- Supplier and Vendor management and negotiation
- Registration
- Conference Web Site
- Conference App
- Abstract Management
- Program Management
- Marketing
- Audio Visual
And much more. With Conference Connect, your success matters just as much as our success. We understand the weight that holding a conference can have on you as an individual and for your organisation, as well as the importance of success and the value of not losing your mind while doing it.
Through years of experience, we have seen it all. Inclement weather, sickness and covid, missed planes and transport, technology mishaps, power outages and more. When we manage a conference for our clients, we like to plan ahead and think of all the things that could go wrong. Like asking the venue in the contract negotiation stage if they have backup power and does it have a cost associated? Or ensuring that within the budget we have an amount of "emergency" funds in case a keynote speaker misses a flight, or contingencies and plans in case a VIP is sick and can't attend. on top of exceptional forward planning, we are fully insured with public liability and indemnity insurance. And to help further protect you from sleepless nights, as part of our planning phase, we organise on your behalf specific conference insurance that covers you financially if things were to fall apart. In fact, we won't partner together without it (it's one of the first things we do when we go into partnership). So you can rest assured that where humanly possible, we will have you covered for those unexpected moments.
It's easy 🙂
Send us an email at info@conferenceconnect.com.au
call us on 0466 025 506
Or head over to our 'contact us' page and fill in the 'contact us' form.
Our standard office hours are 9am - 5pm EAST Monday to Friday.
