For me conference planning is about reducing points of uncertainty

Notes on Conference Planning

Published in

Spark Files

2 min readMay 26, 2019

Cannot predict everything but the more you plan and predict event less stressful
Reduce number of scenarios to have to react to in the moment by anticipating as many needs as possible — contingency plans set up
The more options you have, the quicker your team will be able to improvise and adapt to situations as they develop
If you have a decision in a place of a “maybe this or maybe that,” you are reducing ambiguity and everyone knows their roles as well as possible
Along those lines, make sure you make things as intuitive and easy as possible for volunteers and the talent

Experience and empathy and imagination
Imagine all possible outcomes (Side note: that’s really important from an intersectional perspective — if you’re thinking about your audience and their accessibility to the event — are their food options that accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, are hallways wide enough, are the doors heavy to open, are there ramps, are there enough breaks in the schedule)
Make everything explicit — don’t assume anything
Make every decision intentional — create communication structure within your team
Care and goodwill translates into friendliness. If you care, you will think 500 times about how to do something properly — and you will foster goodwill about your event because it is not just PR or marketing for the organization, but designed for the participants (Thinking about your intentions yields different outcomes and caters to different demographics — not always aligned in who is served)
Check 100s of times

Consult the experts — are you consulting only with people who look like you and grew up with you or are you broadening your talent pipeline?
Compensate fairly
More than a performative effort
Demanding help versus requesting help
Are you ticking “democratic representation” off your list or actually trying your best to build your event with your community
Post-conference follow up is important