Sourcing Speakers And Setting The Programme

Conducting Market Research

You may be given a brief to produce an event based on a general theme. You will then have to decide on the specific subject areas that are to be included in the programme, and the speakers who are going to present them.

It is important to produce an event in which people are interested enough to invest their time, money and energies to attend. Therefore their opinions matter greatly and some market research can be a worthwhile exercise. To begin your search for subjects a brainstorming session with colleagues/superiors can be invaluable. During the session as many different suggestions as possible are called out without discussion and written down for later evaluation. As people bounce ideas off one another, trains of thought can be created and new ideas come to the fore.

Designing A Questionnaire

Having brainstormed possible subjects, put together a questionnaire asking potential delegates from in-house or external mailing lists to indicate which of the subjects they would be interested in hearing about. You can also ask them to suggest other subjects and speakers who may not already be listed. From the responses you will be able to put together a programme that you can feel confident is going to be attractive to those you want to attend.

Getting A Response

Do not expect a high response rate, typically 5 per cent will respond, so ensure your circular goes to enough potential delegates to make it worthwhile. You can encourage people to respond by making the questionnaire as short as possible, perhaps only one side of A4, and as easy to complete as possible, e.g. using tick boxes and a simple layout. Enclose a stamped addressed envelope or fax-back option and include an incentive such as a discount on the registration fee to those people who return the questionnaire.

As with any correspondence that is sent out, be aware of your corporate image and make it as attractive and inviting as possible.

Always ensure your mailings are permitted within the Data Protection Act. Refer to trade magazines and trade associations to keep up-to-date on the latest news and views in your particular industry to be able to ensure that the programme is topical.

Finding Speakers

The importance of good speakers cannot be underestimated. You may have an excellent venue, a large crowd of delegates and have organised it all perfectly, but if the presentations are poor none of it will have mattered. There are certain characteristics to look for in a potential speaker. They should be:

knowledgeable about the subject
articulate
experienced
well prepared
able to empathise with, and enthuse, the audience
respected.

Where To Find Speakers

Your organisation may have contacts with suitable and willing speakers, however, you may be required to look externally for them.

Call For Papers

By notifying appropriate interest groups you may find volunteers who would like to present at the event. The notice can be placed in appropriate journals, sent to university departments, in newsletters, posted on a web site, etc.

The call for papers should include details of the event -date, time, venue – and language of presentation (and whether interpreters will be in attendance) as well as organisers’ details. Guidelines should be included as to how to apply. It is usual to ask for a written abstract of a specified number of words which outlines the presentation, as well as a biography of the speaker.

You will find that you will not be short of volunteers. Many companies may find that this opportunity would suit their marketing objectives very well indeed and will be prepared to cover all speaker expenses. If you get more abstracts offered than you need you may be able to hold on to them for future events. (See Figure 4.)