We’ve all been there before. An idea gets tossed around, and it’s so exciting that suddenly, your brain is going a thousand miles a minute. We could make this happen, you’re thinking, already testing out slogans and CTAs in your head.
This is especially true with conference planning. It’s the highlight of your association’s annual calendar, and you can’t wait to dig into the marketing strategy and get everyone as excited as you are for the event. But before you get too carried away, have you evaluated your association’s tech stack to determine if it’s ready for all of the facets of organizing a successful conference?
In this guide, we’ll walk through a checklist of the types of tools to consider for conference management. With the right tech foundation, you can be confident in your ability to carry out all of your association’s plans without a hitch.
Notes on Conference Tech Stacks
Before we get started addressing the tech needs of specific conference operations, let’s think through a few overall guidelines for reviewing the current software capabilities and future needs.
- Integrations: All of the time-saving benefits of tech can be quickly diminished if your different tools aren’t “talking” to each other. While there are workarounds, first check that all of your current tools and any new tools you’re evaluating can be easily integrated.
- Data Hygiene: To get the most out of your tools, you need the right inputs. Standardizing data entry protocol across your organization, scheduling regular clean-ups, and eliminating data silos are all best practices for maintaining clean data. Your software providers (especially for member management) may already have checks built in, like alerting you to potential duplicate entries, but it’s still useful to create internal policies and procedures to keep everything in order.
- IT Infrastructure: Check that you have enough storage, capacity from your support team and your chosen tools’ customer service departments, and internet connectivity bandwidth to support any additions to your tech stack.
- Reported Gaps: Anecdotal reports from your members and staff are often the best place to start when assessing your tech stack, especially for conferences. What are the common pain points your staff experiences in organizing a conference? What would elevate the member experience to make it the best event they’ve ever attended? With that information, determine if a software tool can help support closing those gaps.
With these foundational components of building and growing your tech stack in mind, you’re ready for conference-specific software evaluation.
Conference Planning
The best element to start with when thinking about your conference tech stack is event management capabilities, which your current member management software may already include.
A few features you’ll want to look out for include:
- Mobile and online registration
- Flexible registration pricing based on membership
- Customizable event microsite
- Agenda management
- Event sponsor management
- Attendee tracking and data reporting
- Automated communications
Even if your association isn’t ready to plan a conference yet, finding a management system that can support events will lead to a more cohesive experience for your members, so keep that in mind during the software procurement process.
To future-proof your event management process, also consider leveraging AI. From using large language models (LLMs) for first drafts of conference communications to analyzing data, it’s worth researching what AI tools might also support your association’s conference planning.
Conference Content
Dynamic speakers and engaging sessions are essential for members to have a positive conference experience. But sourcing, reviewing, selecting, scheduling, and communicating with those speakers is a huge job. That’s why you’ll want to plan for tech support with your conference’s abstract management process to reduce the administrative burden.
You’re looking for abstract management software that can:
- Create a customized abstract submission site
- Support a multi-round review process
- Schedule speakers into timeslots that fit their presentation format
- Report on progress and metrics
- Integrate with your membership management tools
With those listed features, your abstract management will be a breeze.
Marketing and Communications
Getting the word out about your conference is another area where your tech stack can make or break your success. You’ll need the tools in place to support a multi-channel approach and reach members via email, text messages, social media, and print communications.
With AI-powered personalization in your email strategy, you can customize every member’s newsletter to include conference announcements at the right time for each unique member. You can also include calls for abstract submissions for relevant members.
Alongside your association’s regular newsletter, you’ll want to initiate a dynamic email campaign that builds anticipation and drives conversions. AI-enabled tools can customize campaigns to the individual recipient, highlighting speakers they’ll be excited about and other sessions they won’t want to miss.
Running the Conference
Once you’ve finalized your conference schedule, which you can share among your team, attendees, and marketing materials using your event management platform, you should also create a run of show.
A run of show is your team’s script for the moment-by-moment orchestration of the conference. It includes all the information (e.g. WiFi network name and passwords, primary event planner contact information, locations and times for all sessions, operational breakdowns, etc.) needed to make sure your conference schedule unfolds smoothly. Clowder cites centralized scheduling, improved internal communication, more engaged event attendees, and increased production value as the benefits of creating an event run of show.
This may not necessarily be part of your association’s tech stack, but you’ll require A/V support for in-person and hybrid events. Not only will you need the tools to ensure speakers can communicate in the room, like microphones and presentation clickers, but also livestreaming capabilities for hybrid audiences. Your conference venue may have all of this already set up, but ensure your team and any speakers are comfortable using the equipment, and that support is easily accessible if necessary.
Member Engagement
A conference is an opportunity to supercharge your member engagement. Bringing everyone together generates new ideas, connections, and collaborations. You can support that even further with a couple of key features in your tech stack.
- Association app: By putting the conference schedule at your attendees’ fingertips, you’ll make sure they don’t miss any activities that interest them. Apps can also support member-to-member messaging, which can cement relationships forged during conference networking events. And association apps aren’t just for conferences! Your organization can leverage an app throughout the year to support digital engagement.
- Awards management: An awards program is a great way to highlight member achievements and inspire your community with their accomplishments. OpenWater’s guide to awards management recommends announcing winners at events, like your annual conference, to give winners the recognition they deserve. Having awards management capabilities in your tech stack will make this a win-win addition to your conference.
Final Thoughts on Conference Software
When your association is equipped with the right technology, your conference planning, organization, and day-of running will be a breeze. Just remember, as you’re identifying needs and researching solutions, whether they’re for email marketing, abstract management, or event production, to ensure the platform aligns with your organizational and conference goals.
