Running a Successful Business Event

The world of the business conference and exhibition is a whole industry in itself within the wider events sector. Although organising any type of event will generally follow the same key principles there are some significant differences in organising and running a business focussed event.

Business conference and exhibition events use a different business model to other mainstream events like a music festival or comedy show for example. The usual format for a business event is a conference with an attached exhibition area. The business show is usually very focussed in a specific industry so the target audience is limited to that occupation and interest.     

Venues.
For a business conference you are looking almost exclusively at designated conference centres or hotel facilities. The proviso being a room in a theatre style with a stage and an open area attached for the erection of exhibitor stands. The easy availability of on-site F&B and technical support for AV equipment is something an event organiser wants to be worry free.

Audience.
The audience will have a specific interest in the conference theme and is only going to pay for attendance at the conference where they want to see and participate in presentations and discussions with subject matter experts. Equally some customers are only interested in attending the exhibition and networking with their peers.      

Exhibitors and Sponsors.
Companies with related products and services will be keen to exhibit their company at an event that targets their potential customers. This is where the bulk of the event organisers revenue will come from. As with vendors at other events the size and location of any space will dictate the cost to the exhibitor. The exhibitors will most likely also be your potential sponsors with branding opportunities for printed exhibition guides, branded lanyards or sponsored food and drink networking evenings for example.     

Speakers.
Key to the success of any business conference is to secure experts in their field that are well known in that business specialist community to the extent that an audience is willing to pay to hear what they have to say. Speakers for such events do not usually command an appearance fee other than covering their expenses. For most speakers it is the prestige of being a guest speaker and a chance at self-promotion. 

Media.
For a large business event there will always be industry specific media and journalists present along with a busy and active media centre. They will focus on exhibitor’s press releases about new product launches or reports on conference speaker’s presentations. 

Ticketing.
There will be revenue from conference attendance but in most cases entry to the exhibition will be free. Pre-registration for both conference and exhibition attendees is normal but a process for on-site registration is a must because not many attendees pre-register for a business exhibition.

Just because your event is a business conference and exhibition you can still benefit from using an event management software solution like FestivalPro. This software provides full functionality to plan, record and document every aspect of your event. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience. Using FestivalPro will guide you through every aspect that you are likely to encounter in running your business event.

Photo by Julian V from Pexels

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