What's the best way to plan conference sessions?

1 Choose your theme and format

Before you start inviting speakers or drafting your schedule, you need to have a clear vision of what your conference is about and how you want to present it. Your theme should reflect the main purpose and message of your event, and appeal to your target audience. Your format should suit your theme, your speakers, and your attendees. For example, you can choose between a single-track or a multi-track conference, depending on how broad or focused your topic is. You can also decide on the length and style of your sessions, such as keynote speeches, panel discussions, workshops, or lightning talks.

3 Organize your sessions logically

Once you have your speakers confirmed, you need to arrange your sessions in a way that makes sense for your conference. You need to consider the flow, the timing, and the balance of your sessions, as well as the transitions and breaks between them. You want to create a logical sequence of sessions that builds on your theme, avoids repetition or contradiction, and keeps your attendees interested and engaged. You also want to allocate enough time for each session, without making them too long or too short, and allow for some flexibility and contingency. Moreover, you want to ensure that your sessions are well-balanced in terms of content, level, and format, and that they cater to different learning styles and preferences.

4 Engage your audience

Your conference sessions should not be passive or one-way communication, but rather interactive and participatory. You want to involve your audience in your sessions, and encourage them to ask questions, share opinions, and network with each other. You can use various methods and tools to engage your audience, such as polls, quizzes, surveys, live chats, Q&A sessions, social media, gamification, or icebreakers. You can also provide opportunities for your attendees to connect with your speakers, such as meet-and-greet sessions, roundtable discussions, or online forums.

5 Evaluate and improve your sessions

Your conference sessions are not finished when they end, but rather when you measure their impact and learn from their feedback. You want to evaluate how well your sessions met your objectives, satisfied your attendees, and delivered your message. You can use different metrics and methods to evaluate your sessions, such as attendance, ratings, reviews, comments, testimonials, or surveys. You can also collect and analyze data from your sessions, such as audience behavior, engagement, or learning outcomes. Based on your evaluation, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses of your sessions, and make improvements for your future events.

6 Keep the conversation going

Your conference sessions should not be isolated or forgotten, but rather part of a continuous and meaningful conversation. You want to keep in touch with your speakers and attendees, and maintain their interest and involvement in your topic. You can use various channels and strategies to keep the conversation going, such as newsletters, blogs, podcasts, webinars, or social media. You can also share the highlights, the recordings, or the slides of your sessions, and invite feedback, suggestions, or ideas for your next event.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?