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From Informed Decisions: Conversations and Q&A
with Randall Craig and
Ronja Francoeur

Conference Planning: Bums in Seats and Minds Engaged

About this episode: 

You are planning a conference and you want it to be as successful as possible. This recording offers fresh ideas and insider perspective to help you create a truly memorable conference. Join Randall Craig, Hall of Fame speaker, who has presented at (and attended) 500+ events, to explore topics such as:

• Effective event marketing strategies, without breaking the bank. 

• No more PowerPoints! New formats that can improve attendee engagement. 

• Speaker selection strategies: Speaker types, and the tough questions you should ask anyone presenting to your audience to ensure value and fit.

• From knowledge to action: Translating event attendance to tangible change. 

• And for associations: Using the event to improve member engagement beyond the event itself: Improved retention, future event registrations, online engagement, etc.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Topics Discussed (with timestamps)

• Tell us the good, the bad, and the ugly of conference planning: What do we need to know? (01:06)

• Who puts on the best conferences and events: Associations or the corporate world? (03:56)

• Which is better: The one-day summit vs the multi-day conference? (07:07)

• Conference Programs: Should focus be on networking or content? (09:38)

• Free Speakers vs Paid Speakers: Why pay when so many will speak for free? (13:13)

• How can we make our conference stand out? (22:38)

• Conference Marketing: How can conference organizers influence registration so a desirable audience attends? (00:11)

• Conference Marketing: Define your target audience with personas (04:28)

• The Panel Discussion: How to make a panel engaging? (08:01)

• The Panel Discussion: The role of the facilitator (10:31)

• Conference Finances: Should conference profits be reinvested into the conference or saved for other purposes? (12:38)

• Conference Speakers: What should you be asking speakers to find best fit talent? (16:07)

• Conference planning risk management: What contingency plans should be in place? (21:24)

• Conference Planning: How long should a keynote be? (00:12)

• Conference Planning: Reinvent the program anew or rinse and repeat what previously worked? (03:26)

• Conference Planning: How do we measure if a conference was a success? (05:39)

• What does a conference post mortem look like for conference planners? (08:52)

• Conference Planning: What if an event falls flat? What went wrong? (11:46)

• What can association conference planners do to offer value to members? (13:45)

• Corporate retreats: How can organizations make space for implementation of new ideas? (18:06)

• Conference Planning: What are the key considerations? (20:54)

Retreat Planning Resources

Here are some resources to help you plan your best-yet leadership retreat.

CHOOSING A FACILITATOR

What should you be asking a potential executive offsite facilitator?
What would a good answer look like? And what would a right-fit-for-your-organization answer look like?

 RETREAT KICKOFF SCRIPT 

Retreat Opening Remarks Blueprint

Gather your thoughts and give yourself the piece of mind that you will kick off your retreat like a pro with this retreat opening remarks outline.

Download the Retreat Opening Remarks Blueprint and don't forget a thing.

DO IT RIGHT

7 Mistakes to Avoid on Your Leadership Retreat

Avoid these common offsite planning mistakes to make sure your retreat investment goes smoothly and has max impact on your organization.

Download the 7 Mistakes to Avoid at your executive offsite .

Keep learning with Randall and Ronja.

Watch the Leadership Retreats: Mistakes to Avoid Q&A session, inspired by our popular 7 Leadership Retreat Mistakes to Avoid one-pager (just ask and we'd be happy to send it to you).

Curious about bringing Randall to your next conference?
Start with a conversation.

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