Winding Down
After the busy period arranging and running the conference, it can be easy to lose the impetus to see the event through to the final stage. However, the days and weeks afterwards are very important as it is a time to analyse the conference and your own performance.
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. Did the conference satisfy the needs of the delegates?
2. Did the conference satisfy the needs of the organisers?
3. Did it serve its purpose?
4. Have the delegates taken on board what you wanted them to?
5. If they came to be educated, did they learn anything?
6. If they came to be informed, have they understood?
7. If they came to be entertained, have they gone away smiling?
8. Are the sponsors happy?
9. Are the exhibitors happy?
Newly formed relationships with delegates and sponsors can also now be consolidated, and post-event press coverage may be able to be obtained (see Chapter 10). Ensure that delegate details are passed on to those who may require them, such as sales and marketing departments, membership secretaries, etc, ensuring that data is strictly handled in accordance with data protection legislation.