The important thing when deciding on a location to hold your conference is to give yourself time. The more time you have to choose a site, the better your options will be. Matching your conference with the right type of facility is essential, for instance, if you are planning you conference with a lot of free time, the conference centre should be located close to local restaurants and attractions. On the other hand, if conferees are flying in for a one or two day stop-over, keeping it as close to, or at the airport, keeps your ground travel time to a minimum.

Over the past few years it has become more common to enter into formal contracts with hotels regarding accommodation and facilities rather than the informal agreements of the past. The process of reaching an agreement may involve a series of conversations over several days or weeks. Keep in mind that negotiations should be viewed as a collaborative effort between professionals, as both parties want to gain the maximum benefit from the deal. Everything is negotiable, providing it is done from a position of knowledge:

* Know what you want to buy.

* Know what a competitive price is for what you want

* Know what your budget will permit.

Next in the planning process is gathering the substance of your conference, in other words, finding potential speakers and presenters that will act as an attraction. Few things can do more damage to a beautifully conceived conference than inappropriate topics or incompetent speakers. Usually your speaker needs will depend on the topics to be addressed, but sometimes this may get reversed. If a speaker is selected because of his or her reputation for making dynamic presentations and the topic is determined solely by the speaker's preference, this can lead to an unpleasant surprise when the topic is out of sync with the purpose of the conference.

One way to avoid this problem with speaker topics is to put out a call for papers. Speakers can then be chosen from respondents. The other method is careful planning by the Conference Planning Committee, the coordinator, and the sponsor. If the people responsible for the conference have done their homework, they will know what topics they want to cover, and their job will be narrowed to searching for speakers with expertise on the chosen topics. Planning the program of the conference is a very important process, as it can be done in any number of different ways. An effective program can serve to add impact to high quality sessions, where as a poorly planned schedule will see conferees losing interest in activities that should be attracting the most attention. Below are some tips to ensure your schedule is as effective as possible.

* When overnight accommodations are required, schedule registration periods and events after hotel check-in is available and before check-out is required.

* Vary events between those with no alternatives and those that offer choices.

* When a conference lasts longer than a day, schedule free time.

* Spread intense sessions.