When it comes to event planning for conference events, it can be difficult to know how to keep your delegates engaged and enthusiastic. Depending on the level and budget of the conference itself, it’s worthwhile exploring additional activities either during or post event.

Read on and we’ll be sharing with you some insightful thoughts when event planning and enhancing your conference event to be engaging and fun for your delegates.

Choose the right conference venue

There is a rising trend among businesses to choose unique conference venues rather than traditional conference halls. There is a natural excitement that comes with attending a venue that has its individual personality and quirks. This is why industry experts have seen a rise in sporting and leisure venues becoming chosen spaces for conferences and corporate events in recent years.

Hence why sports and leisure venues have become adaptable and repurposed themselves for a whole new audience. At Edgeley Park, we had a £1 million refurbishment in 2021and our modern rooms boast first-class facilities, state-of-the-art AV equipment, and technology to ensure the smooth running of your presentations.

It’s an underrated consideration to ensure in event planning that the venue you hire reflects your business’s ethics, values, and personality. It truly does make a difference on the impression your conference has on delegates alike.

What is the conference purpose?

Conferences come in different styles and concepts. Presentations, guest speakers, Q&A sessions, team building activities… you name it. Depending on your conference theme, you can start to build an engaging programme and itinerary for the day.

What is going to be the key takeaway for conference attendees? Whether it’s an internal or external event, you want to ensure all your delegates leave feeling inspired and enthusiastic about their learnings from the day.

As well as informing your delegates of the itinerary prior to the event, it can be useful to have this displayed in the room. Whether that be on the screens or tabletops, it’s nice to have the reminder there so everybody is informed throughout the day and know when to expect the next breakout session.

Event planning and your itinerary

Once you’ve decided on the concept of your conference, you can move on to weaving together the itinerary for the day. It’s important to have frequent tea and coffee breaks throughout the course of the day regardless of the type of conference. Bonus to ensure there is water, juice, and decaf options available as well. The flow of the day is extremely important to consider for engagement purposes.

If your conference is to take place over a full day, afternoon sessions tend to be the usual period when team activities and exercises take place. This will bring back the energy into the room and encourage delegates to socialise and share their thoughts and ideas.

If your conference is presentation-heavy, a nice way to break up the day is to introduce a group exercise amongst the delegates. Whether that be a problem-solving task, ice breakers, and/or mind-mapping new ideas, this will encourage interaction and creativity amongst the group, inspiring conversations between your speakers and delegates.

Catering is King

It’s always a good idea to record your delegate’s dietary requirements when event planning for your conference. Depending on the style of your corporate event, explore the catering options available to you.

At Edgeley Park, our delegate packages include in-house catering from our champion chefs. Popular catering options for conferences tend to be buffets rather than sit-down course meals as you’re able to offer more of a variety of offerings in a buffet. Another bonus is that a light lunch will deplete the mid-afternoon crash.

At Edgeley Park, we’re able to offer a delicious selection of lunch menu options to suit your needs upon booking with us. The best part about it is that everything we serve is prepared and created in-house so we can guarantee tasty dishes!

Host your conference at Edgeley Park

We’re experts in all aspects of event planning. Our attentive team will take away all the stresses that come with event planning and ensure your needs are met for an engaging conference and corporate occasion. Contact our team today by emailing [email protected] or calling 0161 266 2700 to find out how our team can help you organise your next event at our historical sporting venue.