How to Plan Stress-Free Conferences

Conference planning can be a stressful job with many details, deadlines and people to deal with. As a planner with over 12 years of experience I have learned, often the hard way, there are simple things you can do to keep things running smoothly and greatly reduce stress and drama. Here are my top five tips:

1. Develop a plan and stick to it - Leave as little as possible "to be determined on site." Your plan should cover every detail of your event. Make changes only when absolutely necessary and base your decision to change the plan on your expertise and experience, not on the whims of others. No one should ever know more about the needs of your group than you.*

2. Eliminate the variables - Keep your plan as simple as possible. Every time you have to reset a room or pull an airwall you add a level of complexity to your conference. From the very beginning make sure the people developing the conference agenda are aware of any space, time or labor limitations.

3. Have everyone's contact information - Always have an extensive list of contact numbers for everyone associated with your conference. Make sure to get cell numbers and email addresses if possible. Keep them on a single piece of paper and program the most critical ones into your cell phone. Make sure you also note their titles. "Now who was my catering manager!?" Scrambling to find a number when you need to resolve a crisis will simply compound one frustration with another.

4. Don't let them see you sweat - No matter how bad things get, never let your emotions take over. Yelling at a hotel employee or temp is not only unprofessional, it is counterproductive. You are in control...act like it! Any great leader will tell you that panic is infectious and it kills. Deal with the problem calmly but firmly. Be decisive because everyone is looking to you for answers. Your goal should always be to keep the attendees from knowing there was ever a crisis in the first place.

5. Keep attendees informed - Establish an effective way to communicate with attendees and alert them to any conference updates. Confused attendees quickly become angry attendees. Never use a single channel to communicate. Multiple high and low tech options should be used together. Sure you can post to Twitter, update the conference web site or send an e-mail alert. Just don't forget to stick an announcement on the bulletin board and have the moderator make an announcement as well.

*It is important to note that high demand clients or bosses often prevent even the best planners from sticking to their plans. Unexpected spikes in attendance or unforeseen events can also derail even the most carefully laid plans. Therefore you should always take into account the personalities and circumstances involved. Anticipate areas where changes are likely to occur and have contingencies in place in advance.