Business isn't just about daily transactions. The facets of business include presentations, seminars, training and other necessary programs. Business seminars for example, can actually be fairly straightforward to put together. All it takes is some good planning and organization.
To the surprise of many professional business organizers, the size of the business seminar has little to do with the actual planning and organizing.
It's possible to plan a business seminar with an attendance of 3,000 business associates as easily as it is a smaller business seminar with just a dozen attendees. The secret is planning and attention to detail. Of these two elements, attention to detail is crucial to a well-organized business seminar.
Organizing A, B, Cs for Business Seminars
For many decades, professional business organizers have provided educational, business and governmental seminars. Each of these has a specific objective and scope. For business seminars, the objective may be to bring together certain business disciplines and/or business professionals.
The scope may be for training, skills and business advancements in sales, marketing, management, human resources or production.
The A, B, Cs of business seminars are comprised of Attendance, Business and Checklist. All three of these elements are a must for a well-
organized business seminar.
"A" is for Attendance
The idea of a business seminar that doesn't first address attendance immediately starts off without proper organization. Attendance depends on the specifics of the scope. For example, there are business seminars devoted entirely to those in the oil and gas, chemical and engineering industries. These are attended annually by professionals in these career disciplines.
Attendance isn't based entirely on petrochemical, chemical and engineering professionals. These business seminars are also attended by vendors of these industries. An attendance roster for a business seminar should include the particular industry professionals, their vendors, well known and recognized industry speakers, contacts in media related to the industry, and honored guests.
The roster can originate from a combination of sources like businesses within the industry, their spokesperson, related vendors, and employees of each business who benefit from the programs of the seminar. Invitations to a business seminar should be sent to all pertinent parties at least three months in advance of the scheduled date of the seminar.
"B" is for Business
The actual business of the seminar includes planning and designing the programs and events that will be featured and securing the seminar location, date and time. Once these details are set in stone, invitations, guest speakers and publicity can go forward.
Since the seminar is about business, there should also be a secondary theme that draws the attention of those who plan to attend. For example, the annual SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) Technical Conference and Exhibition is held in a different country each year and highlights a specific theme.
The main theme of the Conference and Exhibition is focused on the Oil and Gas Industry's technical advancements. There are over 300 exhibitors and 400 professional papers presented by top names in the Oil and Gas industry. Thus, the importance of organizing each detail of a business seminar can't be understated.
"C" is for Checklist
The biggest part of organizing a business seminar is creating the checklist. This can be done in a general outline of the basics to be covered by the seminar. Attendance is the first item that should be organized in order to know the specific number of attendees.
Programs and Speakers should also be organized to present a full picture of the purpose of the business seminar and to support the theme chosen. The checklist should also include details like travel arrangements for honored guests and speakers, room accommodations for participants, booths, audio visuals and any fees or deposits needed to secure a booth or the facility where the seminar will be held.
The third major part of the checklist is publicity. This should include a full saturation of pertinent media sources online and off. Organize all media contacts, like journalists, photographers and videographers who intend to cover the "before" and "after" publicity of the business seminar.
Keep in mind this publicity can have far reaching advantages long after the success of the seminar is publicly announced. A well-organized business seminar can become the basis for employee training, marketing, sales and promotional videos.
Organize a Successful Business Seminar
It's fairly easy to identify a well-organized business seminar. Each booth is sold out early. Attendance exceeds those in prior years, programs and speakers are coordinated to the seminar's theme and honored guests play a large role in the notoriety and media coverage the seminar receives.
Professional organizers can capitalize on their success by emphasizing a seminar that is flawless, detail-oriented, cost-effective and timely. A successful business seminar, from start to finish, is as smooth as silk and as effective as a finely tuned engine.
