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Conference & event planning
Event and conference planning can be highly stressful - or extremely energising. Often it’s both. Planning a successful event takes time, cooperation, and an eagle eye for detail. Draw up a detailed activity plan, and get started!
Get help planning your event or conference
Don't try and plan a big event or conference alone. If you can, form an organising committee to develop ideas for your conference planning efforts. If that's not possible, at least recruit colleagues, friends and volunteers to help you. If you can afford it, consider hiring a professional conference organiser (PCO).
Business Events Sydney (BESydney)’s free event planning service, AccessNSW can also take the legwork out of finding venues, services and quotes for your event.
Activity plan - your event planning checklist
Draw up an event activity plan, complete with a ‘to do’ checklist and deadlines, covering every large and small activity that needs to happen in planning your event. If you have already prepared an event or conference timeline, you may be able to use this (or tweak it slightly) as an activity plan.
Ask questions when planning your event
As you’re planning your event and booking venues, hiring caterers and sourcing entertainers, you should be asking yourself a series of questions that will help you make the right decisions. Consider:
- How will you pay for the event? Do you need funding? Can you seek sponsorship?
- Do you need permits for your event? Contact your local council for advice on this
- Do you need permission or licenses to use audio-visual materials?
- Do you need permission to post advertising material – such as posters and banners – in public areas?
- Does your venue need to be accessible to older people or people with a disability? Do you need a sign language or other language interpreter?
More Sydney event planning guide resources
We've created a number of resources to help you in planning your event:
- Building a team
- Setting the date
- Choosing a venue
- Request for Proposals
- Selecting a theme
- Planning the menu
- Inviting speakers
- Booking entertainers
Do you know about our free event planning service?
Business Events Sydney’s free event planning service, AccessNSW can assist you with finding all the event products and services you need.
Just complete a Request for Proposal and we’ll be in contact.
Green events checklist
Want to plan an event that is kind to our environment? Download Business Events Australia’s checklist for 'green' events.
