Organising a symposium can seem relatively complex at first. However, with careful planning and a methodical approach, you can achieve a successful and professional event. Whether you’re a company, an experienced professional or organising your first symposium, a great deal of preparation will be required. From defining your objectives to managing the logistical aspects and inviting experts and prospects, there are many elements to consider.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you organise a successful symposium.
Summary
1. What is a symposium?
A symposium is first and foremost an event that generally brings together a group of experts, researchers, professionals or enthusiasts from a particular sector to discuss, present, debate and exchange knowledge and opinions on a particular subject.
Symposia can take place over one or more days, and usually include a number of presentations, conferences, workshops, round tables, question-and-answer sessions and interactive discussions. They are often organised in specific venues, such as conference centres, universities, hotels or research centres, which offer the necessary infrastructure to welcome participants and facilitate exchanges. Finally, symposia can cover a wide range of sectors such as science, technology, medicine, sport, digital, education, art, culture, the environment, etc.
2. Define your main objectives
Before you start planning your symposium, it’s essential to clearly define your objectives. Here are a few questions to help you:
- Why are you organising this event?
- Is your symposium for educational purposes, or will it bring together leading experts to discuss a highly technical, scientific subject for the benefit of the right people only?
- Should it bring together a large number of experts on various subjects or focus on a single presentation?
- What are the expected results and outcomes at the end of the symposium?
Discussing and answering these questions will undoubtedly help you to organise and monitor your professional event more effectively.
3. Draw up a provisional budget
Good financial management is essential when organising a symposium, just like any other event. Draw up a detailed budget forecast, taking into account expected expenses such as room hire, speakers’ travel costs, catering, audiovisual equipment, communications budget, etc. Make sure you include a margin for unforeseen expenses – unfortunately, these can always happen. Also look for funding opportunities, such as grants, sponsors or partnerships, to support your event financially. Finally, don’t forget to list the various sources of anticipated income, such as ticket sales, food and drink sales, commissions on book sales, etc.
4. Choose the right venue and date
Once the budget has been predefined, select an appropriate venue to host your symposium based on the number of participants expected (expert and public). Book the venue as early as possible to guarantee availability. This type of venue is highly sought-after and is therefore booked many months in advance. Also, choose a date that is most convenient for both speakers and participants. Avoid conflicts with other major events and holidays, and take into account the seasons and weather conditions that could affect participants’ attendance.
5. Draw up a detailed programme
Now it’s time to draw up the programme for your event, hour by hour, based on the various speeches, debates, round tables and presentations planned. Plan a detailed programme for your symposium, including parallel lectures, workshops, question-and-answer sessions with speakers, etc. Make sure that the programme offers a variety of topics and approaches to interest and attract as many participants as possible. Also include time for informal exchanges to encourage interaction and discussion between participants.
6. Manage the logistical aspects
Managing the logistical aspects is also vital to the smooth running of your symposium. Make sure you have all the audiovisual equipment you need, such as projectors, screens, microphones and a public address system. You should also have a reliable Internet connection for online presentations and virtual interaction. Organise the room layout so that all participants can clearly see and hear the presentations. Finally, consider having a space dedicated to food and drink stalls for the audience and participants.
7. Promote your symposium
Once the organisation is almost complete, it’s time to focus on the marketing and communication strategy for your event. Use a combination of online and offline marketing strategies (flyers, etc.) to maximise the visibility of your event. First of all, create an attractive website dedicated to the symposium, with detailed information about the programme, the speakers and how to register. Do the same with your social networks, especially LinkedIn, as your target audience tends to be professionals. Don’t hesitate to work with sponsors, partners and professional associations to extend the reach of your communications.
8. Manage participant registration
Finally, don’t forget to set up an online registration or ticketing system that is easy for participants to use and accessible from any device. This will allow you both to collect key information from the audience and to manage payments if necessary. Don’t hesitate to include the link to your ticketing service on all your different communication channels and media.
With an all-in-one platform for online registrations, ticket sales and access control, Weezevent makes planning, promoting and executing your symposium a lot easier. Add cashless payments and CRM tools, and you have everything you need to make it a professional and efficient event.
