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Sample Conference Planning Timeline
Prepared July 2015 by Amy Stark
Director of Conventions, National Council of Teachers of English
Planning a conference requires a lot of work and responsibility. It’s also a great way to get involved with
your organization, meet new people, and produce an event that will provide valuable information to
your attendees. This timeline is a basic outline of planning a conference, but every event has its own
personality. Think about past events and be open to making updates and trying new ways to get
attendees talking and learning.
Attendees will remember the education, keynote speakers, and new friends much more than the food
or the décor in the meeting room. Put the focus on the education and trust the venue staff, suppliers,
and volunteers to do their jobs.
18 months prior to conference
Select a conference committee. Consider creating two subgroups – one for logistics (room
setups and catering), and a separate group for programming (proposal review and selection,
speaker management). Assign an associate chair to each committee that works with the
conference chair.
Determine the process for documenting decisions made and information shared with the venue,
suppliers, and committee members. This can be done using a shared Google folder or Dropbox
folder, or through a project management tool (for examples, see
http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/top-five-free-project-management-tools/) All
decisions must be documented in writing. If decisions are made during conference calls or
meetings, assign someone to take notes and share them immediately with the meeting’s
participants.
Create a list of three to five potential conference sites.
Select preferred and alternate dates for the conference.
Submit Request for Proposal to each of the potential meeting sites. Proposals should be
returned from the venue within 4 weeks. (see RFP template).
17 months prior to conference
Review proposals from potential sites and select one.
Negotiate terms and sign contract with the venue. Submit the organization’s proof of tax
exemption with the signed contract.
Set registration fees and determine if honoraria will be provided to keynote speakers.
Choose a registration platform (for some examples, see http://www.capterra.com/registration-
software/)
Create a conference website or update an existing one with details about the dates and
location. Choose a mass email provider or update an existing relationship (for some examples,
see http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2453354,00.asp).
Determine the format for promoting session information (online only or printed program).
Prepare a realistic budget based on the signed venue contract and fees for registration, website,
and email services.