Organisers tend to find the key challenge of conferences is keeping delegates engaged during the event and ensuring guests are taking away key learnings.

At Edgeley Park, we can layout the rooms that will best complement your conference sessions. With rooms that can be laid out in the classic cabaret style, traditional theatre, and more, our event planners will work closely with you to ensure that we’ve got the best fit for your event.

Now let’s take a look at the different sessions we see at conferences of all scales.

Types of Conference Sessions

It is recommended to incorporate a variety of session formats that cater to the different learning and activities of your audience. Examples of conference session formats include:

·      Keynote Presentation

·      Panel Discussions

·      Roundtable Discussions

·      Workshops

·      Birds of a Feather sessions

·      Debates

·      Lightning Talks

Mixing up the delivery of your sessions will enhance your delegate experience. Below we’ll explore some of our favourite formats to help you when planning your next conference.

Inspire your audiences with a guest speaker

Having guest keynote speakers at your conference will certainly heighten the interest of your delegates. Whether they are a high profile speaker in their industry, a leading specialist expert, or a leader in the company, keynotes set the tone for the conference to inspire and inform attendees. 

For this, a confident and charismatic moderator should be able to facilitate the discussion and manage the audience Q&A. Normally, Q&A’s are prepared before the event if audience members wish to be anonymous. Otherwise, opening the session to your audience can mean this introduces more engagement with the delegates watching and listening to the discussion.

Panel Discussions

A very popular session, a panel discussion is perfect to set up a Q&A session or a thought-provoking debate between figures in the business relevant to the session.

For this, a confident and charismatic moderator should be able to facilitate the discussion and manage the audience Q&A (if you choose to include this in your session). Normally, Q&A’s are prepared before the event if audience members wish to be anonymous. Otherwise, opening the session to your audience can mean this introduces more engagement with the delegates watching and listening to the discussion.

Bring the conversation to the table

Roundtable discussions are productive icebreakers, encouraging delegates to interact with each other by sharing their experiences and perspectives on topics. To further the productivity of these conversations, it could be a good idea to assign a leader or facilitator to the group to keep the focus without being strict.

Often at conferences, the facilitator of the meeting will ask for the delegates to mix up their groups to ensure that everyone is meeting faces they may not necessarily work closely with in the day-to-day of business. It’s a tip worth considering.

Get the set up right at Edgeley Park

At Edgeley Park, we have had the pleasure of hosting many successful conferences and events. Because of our variety of styles and size of spaces, we can accommodate many themes and styles of conferences and events.

·      Board Meetings

·      Conventions

·      Annual Company Days

·      Training and Workshops

·      Exhibitions/Trade Shows

·      Product Launches

Whatever your sector, our spaces are the perfect backdrop for your event because of our suites’ versatility. In particular, The 1883, The Hardcastle, and The Cheadle Suites are spacious and can be laid out to your specific requirements, whilst our other spaces such as the Vita Bar and Pareto Lounge are more unique in layout and style if you’re considering something a little less traditional.

Our Events Team has the experience and knowledge to know exactly what you need for a successful and engaging conference. You handle the business, and we’ll handle the space. Be it a small or large conference, we have the right venue for you with rooms that are flexible for a variety of set-ups from theatre style to cabaret that will complement your conference and all types of sessions.

For Room Specifications, browse through our suites here.

 For room rates and menu details, please send your queries to [email protected] or fill in our Contact form on our website here and a member of our team will get back to you.

Recent Case Study – Stockport Homes Group