Choosing the right conference that fits your needs can be a laborious task sometimes. Although good content can make a good conference, merely content can never satisfy the attendees at a large scale.
To identify a good conference we must take a look at a few things that start with a positive opening statement. The opening speaker engages the participants through the opening speech, which mentions and clarifies the key benefits for the attendees.
Watch out for a conference agenda on the promotion page to know what is included in the event. Moreover, getting a clear idea of the track record of the organizers can help you choose the most appropriate event depending on your interest.
What Is a Good Conference?
A conference is a meeting place of intellectuals, where the attendees share innovative thoughts and ideas with industry experts. But only some conferences can turn out to be a good one.
A good conference consists of quality content, interaction among industry enthusiasts and participants, technical support, organized logistics, and a comfortable attendee experience. These are the key elements of a successful conference.
Meanwhile, participants’ feedback can let the organizers know which sectors need more improvement. Having knowledgeable speakers who will maintain relevance with the event theme during their speeches encourages attendees to participate more. The engagement proves to be the key factor for the greater success of the event.
How Do You Identify a Good Conference Following a Few Steps?
A good conference is the result of good preparation by the organizers and the active participation of the attendees. However, ensuring a comfortable environment with quality content can let any participant identify the event as a good one.
Starting from session lengths to uninterrupted technical support, all work as the key conference success factors.
We’ll go through it from the attendees’ perspective in this section.
- Content quality
- Session lengths
- An agenda reflecting meeting goals
- Engagement of attendees from the word go
- Uninterrupted technical support
- Well organized logistics
- Attendees comfort
Content Quality
Whatever you do, make sure to choose an event full of quality content. Content quality is the first criterion to identify a good conference. Contents that will let you gather some information on your interest is key while selecting any conference.
Meanwhile, what can convince you as an attendee about the content quality?
- Check out their website and event agenda
- A detailed note on the topics they’ll cover will be available
- Search the previous similar events
Also, you can look for a successful event on the same theme that you have missed, and check out what they have covered. This particular comparison will let you decide whether the event you’re about to participate in is capable of providing the quality content you expect or not.
Session Lengths
You’ve waited for ages for such a conference, and now are waiting again for the panel discussion session. That’s simply annoying on the part of an attendee.
In the opposite scenario, organizers can provide you with detailed info regarding the sessions to follow.
The event agenda must have detailed info regarding session lengths.
- The entire event’s duration
- Distinctive lengths for each session
- Important sessions are comparatively lengthy.
In such circumstances, the interactive sessions and panel discussions will appear as lengthier segments.
A maintained pre-planned duration for each segment tells you how good the event and the organizers are. Moreover, attendees always remain prepared for the event to come after knowing the detailed schedule.
On the other hand, a poor event structure with no planning for each segment duration turns into a failure ultimately.
An Agenda Reflecting the Event Goals
The attendees must remain informed about the conference agenda. The way to inform is to display the schedule on the big screen on the event day and include it on the event page as well.
Informing about the events is a good way to ensure participants’ engagement. One more thing it does is reflect the objectives. Therefore, it becomes easy to find a good conference when the agenda is available on the promotion page.
For example, a business conference will let the attendees showcase new ideas. So, it must include a session for sharing innovative ideas and thoughts.
Engagement of the Attendees From the Word Go
You may be wondering how on earth it is possible to engage an audience from the very beginning. This is only possible when the keynote speakers can establish a connection with the audience.
Here are a few examples of attendees’ engagement.
- Simple questions relevant to the event theme.
- Interactive sessions with industry experts.
- Showcasing any of their innovative thoughts with the rest of the crowd.
Such things give life to any event and as we already know the attendees are an integral part of any conference. Without their active participation, it’s impossible to make it a success.
Uninterrupted Technical Support
A seamless program is impossible without full-time technical support. A technically sound program is key to a successful program.
- Audio, microphone, and speaker
- Visual support
- Full-time internet connectivity
An unwanted technical interruption disturbs the concentration of the attendees and the speakers too. Reputed organizers are very much concerned with ensuring relentless Wi-Fi connectivity and audio-visual support.
These organizations have earned their reputation through successful and good conference arrangements.
Well Organized Logistics
Starting from the convenience of the registration process to ensuring flawless check-ins of all registered participants, everything defines the greatness of the event.
A hassle-free registration process is what any expected attendee will love to have. Moreover, the ticket price should be fair enough with discounts for the early birds.
Reminders work very well to create more interest among the expected attendees to join the program and prove the professionalism of the organizers at the same.
A professional company will never disappoint you on the conference day and let you begin the day with a seamless, software-based check-in method.
Only these may not let an event turn out successful immediately, but will surely work as the root of the ultimate success.
Attendees Comfort
The organizer is bound to ensure a comfortable experience for the attendees throughout the entire program. Interaction with fellow participants, asking them questions like why they have joined the event or did they have attended any such events before can make an attendee comfortable.
But what is more needed is to have open interaction with the experts and it’s possible when they feel comfortable. Speakers can interact with the participants by asking questions during their speeches.
Keep in mind that the comfortable attendees are the best listeners and they will have engagement to make it a lively program.
How Do You Measure the Quality of A Conference?
Did any member of the organizer team want to take reviews regarding the entire arrangement? If the answer is yes, then they are trying to work on their lacking and uplift their conference quality.
Let’s go through the five following points to measure the quality of an event.
- Update about the progression
- Respect your opinions
- Question & answer during speeches
- Offline surveys
- Online feedback
Update About the Progression
If you examine several quality events, you’ll find out they always connect to their attendees virtually before the event. But how?
The organizers will update you regarding their progress through social media platforms, and you can provide your opinion as well regarding any particular issue.
Moreover, the participants feel engaged in the event through these updates. Attendees’ engagement is another key step for a good conference.
Respect Your Opinions
You may find modern organizers relying on their attendees for a successful arrangement. But not everyone will respect your opinions and work accordingly.
For instance, you may want to hear from any specific speaker at the conference and the organizers offering you to share your opinion virtually. Respecting your opinion means you’ll discover that speaker in the event.
Being respectful of the participants’ opinions any day upholds the quality of any conference.
Question and Answer During Speeches
Questions like “Are you enjoying the program?” in the middle of the speeches can energize you as an attendee. Even if someone is feeling a bit bored, they can easily get a boost with such questions.
Moreover, participants love the fact that the host is asking you questions like, “Who would you like to hear next?” Such simple questions allow even the responsive attendees to identify themselves as an integral part of the event.
Furthermore, simple question answered by keynote speakers relevant to the event topic is another way to engage the attendees,
Offline Surveys
The event is done, but it must work as the start of another one. Want to know how? Quality conferences will have a segment at the end, which includes attendees’ opinions regarding the arrangement.
The survey reports will turn out a key for the organizers’ work on the betterment of the next event. It also indicates they value their attendees’ opinions and try to work accordingly.
Online Feedback
This is the last but not the least way to discover the quality of a conference. Online feedback and reviews are more effective than offline surveys in some cases.
People who weren’t part of the previous event but looking forward to being a part of the upcoming one can drop their opinions as well.
The organizer must have accounts on various social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. Also, make sure you are connected to these platforms, which allows sharing any positive-negative reviews.
All these above steps make it more convenient for any participant to measure the conference quality.
Look out For the Four Features of A Successful Conference
A successful conference always follows the four features to reach the ultimate goal. What you can do as an attendee is to look out for these features while attending the event.
The following four features can turn a barren field into a green field with a good harvest.
- A suitable venue
- Interactive sessions
- Technical support
- Quality catering
A Suitable Venue
Only register for a conference when you’re sure about the venue and its facilities. Even a good conference may not work out in case the selected venue can’t accommodate all the registered attendees.
There are more things you need to consider. If you need a long journey to another state to attend the program, you might think twice before registering for the event.
Moreover, you might feel annoyed as a guest if the internet connection is interrupted, or there is any audio-visual issue.
The security issue is another real concern when choosing the venue. The event premises and entrance must have adequate security cameras to avoid any unwanted incidents.
Interactive Sessions
The most interesting and useful session of any conference is the interactive session on the part of the attendees. This very session allows you to communicate and have face-to-face conversations with the experts in the field.
However, some of you might feel a bit shy interacting with the professionals directly in the sessions. In that case, attendees love those speakers who involve them in the conversations during their speeches through simple questions and answers.
Technical Support
The continuity of a relentless event largely depends on having proper technical support. As an attendee, you might notice if there is any specialized team to solve the technical issues or not.
Organizers must have a specialized team for technical support as it is an integral part of planning a successful business conference.
The technical team will maintain an uninterrupted technical service from the very beginning till the very end of the event. Their ultimate target is to ensure your comfort and the success of the event.
Quality Catering
Serving quality food and beverages is another way to judge whether it’s a good conference or not. Wondering how?
Suppose, you are attending a long-running event and feeling hungry at some point is natural. Can you enjoy the rest of the program without food? No, you can’t.
In that case, food is necessary for letting you sit back and participate in the activities of the rest of the program.
How Would You Identify if The Conference Is Real or Not?
You’re confused about the identity of a conference, let alone proving it good. A conference can only be good when it’s real or has a real identity.
When you see ticket prices are lower than natural, there’s no trustworthy website or organizers are spamming invitations, you must think and try identifying the reality.
- A poorly designed conference website
- Organizers reputation
- Verify the venue
- Authenticity of the committee
- Reputation of the speakers
- Compare registration fees to other similar conferences
- Search for reviews and feedback
- Spam invitations
- Try contacting previous participants
A Poorly Designed Conference Website
Visit the conference website after receiving the invitation. Check out the design, and layout. A professional website looks way different from a beginner website.
Moreover, having no email address, contact information, social media link, or even an empty about section can be a sign that the website is fake or useless.
In addition, fake conference website contents are low-grade with misspelled words, inappropriate topics, and no author information.
Organizers Reputation
Verify the organizer’s reputation through their past works. If you can’t find any trace of their previous conferences, how can you trust them?
Reputable organizers leave their marks to invite attendees to the upcoming conferences. When not, most probably it’s fake.
Verify the Venue
You may find information regarding the venue on their website or in the mail through which they reached you. To verify the venue, you can check if arranging a conference there is valid or not.
Then, if there is a contact number of that venue, try contacting them and verify the reality of the arrangement.
Authenticity of the Committee
Having a committee to arrange a conference is mandatory because a successful conference requires teamwork. If there is no trace of the event committee, then you know how authentic it is.
Reputation of the Speakers
After viewing the speakers list, check out their track record and where else they have participated before. A fake conference will never show the speakers’ information.
Compare Registration Fees to Other Similar Conferences
Authentic conferences offer limited discounts for early registration, but what if the discount is too much? Or what if they are selling the normal tickets for half the price?
Suppose, this event comes with a ticket price of $200, whereas a similar conference is charging $500. So, there is surely something not going right.
Search for Reviews and Feedback
Reputed conferences allow attendees to leave reviews and write any feedback regarding the program on their social media platforms and websites. But you won’t find these when the conference doesn’t even exist or it is fake.
It also helps check the organizer’s track record in arranging such events. If there is not, you must think twice before registering.
Spam Invitations
The organizers will reach their expected attendees through promotions and may send personalized emails once maximum. But the invitation appears fishy when you are receiving emails continuously from the organizers.
Try Contacting Previous Participants
If there is data on the previous conferences on their website, it’s very obvious to find the best presentation and information regarding those participants. But you still don’t know whether this information is valid or not.
Therefore, contacting these participants can be a good solution before signing up or buying tickets for the event.
What Are the Benefits of Attending a Good Conference?
Before attending a conference, you might want to know how this will be beneficial for you. So, here are the top 11 benefits of attending a good conference.
Networking Opportunities
The conference is a platform where you meet like-minded people, industry experts, and professionals in the field which expands your network.
Communication with like-minded people or fellow attendees can introduce you to new visionary ideas. Moreover, experts’ suggestions on your presentation speed up your career advancement.
The interactive sessions, panel discussions with the professionals, and face-to-face interactions with fellow participants provide ample networking opportunities.
A Platform for Sharing Innovative Ideas
If you are attending such an event, it means you have something to share with the professionals in this field.
Events like this allow you to share your ideas through presentations and papers. But what makes it better is receiving experts’ opinions and suggestions. Experts’ invaluable feedback on your presentations encourages you to improve.
Opportunity to Meet Industry Professionals and Experts
A conference always turns out to be a meeting place among the attendees and the professionals. It is a place where you can find experts who can guide you to the path of success.
Through professional interaction, attendees get to know about new career opportunities. Developing new business ideas is also a part of this platform.
Insights from Keynote Speakers
If you are attending a conference for learning, you have to engage yourself with the keynote speakers through workshops and interactive sessions. Engagement with industry professionals helps you find solutions to any of your problems regarding advancement in your career.
The experts inspire the newcomers by sharing their expertise, insights, and experience in the field. It works as a sparkle for the attendees to work on at full pace.
Expand Your Knowledge
This very platform offers you the best ways to expand your knowledge starting from the registration to the end of the event and even after the event. Let’s get inside it a bit.
As an attendee, gather some knowledge on what questions you will ask the speakers and interact for knowledge, ideas, and insights before attending the event.
Therefore, do some research on what you want to achieve from this event and what are the possible questions you want to ask the experts there.
On the other hand, attendees seek opportunities to connect with speakers and industry professionals to solve any of their doubts regarding any particular topic. This does two things at a time, solution to any problem and encourage the attendees for their advancement.
After the event, it’s time to work on the ideas you gathered throughout all the segments. Also, social media allows you to remain in contact with the organizers and the professionals to get more visionary ideas.
Learning New Industry Trends
Learning new industry trends means you can learn new business opportunities and strategies. It is possible through intellectual interaction with industry professionals and fellow attendees.
The keynote speakers often chose platforms like conferences to share any of their latest ideas or trends in the business field. Moreover, the other participants also share their vision on this particular field through their presentations and papers.
Improvement of Communicative Skills
Through the presentations, interactive sessions, and panel discussions, attendees share their innovative ideas with the professional. At the same time, it’s a way to improve their communicative skills through face-to-face conversation.
What impacts their communicative skills more is the interaction with their peers and discussion regarding the conference. The event isn’t mainly limited to learning new insights, but rather helps build a better communicative competence for the participants.
Professional Development
Through knowledge sharing, networking, and skill development, an attendee can enhance his/her professional development.
Moreover, participants with the best presentations can get the opportunity for collaboration with industry professionals, which is a big step in their professional career.
The exchange of ideas and innovative thoughts allows for exploring new paths for the participants’ professional advancement as well.
Leadership Opportunities
Your presentation can let you build a better relationship with the industry leaders. This helps you learn their insights, the way they deal with their attendees, communicate, and everything else.
Always remember, the person who joined the conference as an attendee today may come out as the leader tomorrow.
Personal Development
Although you may not notice, conferences like these can impact your personality as well. Showcasing your skills through a presentation or speaking up with the professionals will surely remove any sort of shyness.
Moreover, it will provide you with a better idea of how to deal with strangers through communication with fellow attendees.
A Good Addition to Your CV
When you are applying for a job in the marketplace, mention your attending the conference. Also, don’t forget to add documents as proof.
Moreover, if you receive any reward for the presentation at the event, never ever forget to add those details to the CV. It will create a positive image for your selection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you now identify a good conference? Well, you should after going through all we’ve discussed here. But this FAQ section can help you get answers to your never-resolved issues.
What Makes an Excellent Conference?
Better content is equivalent to an excellent conference. But only better content can’t do all for you because attendee engagement is key to assessing the quality of any conference.
Organizers have the responsibility to identify the target audience and run the promotive program to reach and invite them to the event. If the attendees have a good experience throughout the entire event, the event will be excellent for sure.
Attendee satisfaction is mandatory to uphold not only the event quality but also the organization’s reputation. Moreover, an excellent conference always provides better networking opportunities alongside taking feedback from the attendees.
How Do You Build a Conference?
To build a conference you need to work for a long time, where the approximate duration is 12 months. The next thing required is building a management committee to conduct the entire event.
Distribution of duties to the team members will make this huge task of event management look simpler. Members will be accountable for their duties as the remaining members will be notified about the work progress.
How Do You Know Which Conference is Better?
To determine which conference is better, start by reviewing the agenda and speaker lineup. Look for industry leaders and relevant topics that resonate with your interests and professional goals. Reading attendee reviews and testimonials from past events can also provide valuable insights into the overall experience.
Additionally, consider the networking opportunities available. Conferences that create connections through interactive sessions, workshops, or informal gatherings often offer more value. By assessing these factors, you can make an informed choice that aligns with your objectives and speeds up your professional development.
Should I Check The Conference’s Past Performance?
Yes, checking a conference’s past performance is vital before deciding to attend. Reviewing previous events can provide valuable insights into the quality and relevance of the sessions, speakers, and overall attendee satisfaction. This research helps you set realistic expectations for your experience.
Additionally, feedback from past participants can highlight strengths and areas for improvement. By knowing what others have gained from the conference, you can determine if it aligns with your professional goals and whether it’s worth your time and investment.
Can The Size Of A Conference Affect Its Value?
Yes, the size of a conference can significantly affect its value. Smaller conferences often create a more intimate setting, creating deeper connections and meaningful conversations among attendees. This environment can lead to stronger networking opportunities and more personalized interactions with speakers.
On the other hand, larger conferences may offer a broader range of sessions, speakers, and resources. They can provide exposure to diverse ideas and innovations within your field. Ultimately, the choice depends on what kind of experience you seek—intimacy and connection or diversity and breadth of content.
Final Thoughts
For your personal and professional development, choosing an appropriate conference can work as a blessing any day. Remember, the better connectivity you can keep with the industry experts, the further you can go in your career.
No better platform allows you to build an interactive connection with business enthusiasts and industry experts than a conference. However, to identify a good conference you must attend first.
The entire experience throughout the event will let you decide whether it was worth attending the conference or not. If the answer is yes, then, stay connected with the organizers through social media platforms to get continuous suggestions regarding your career advancement.
