Post 14 of 15

Breakfast

Every morning of the conference we ensured delegates had access to tea, coffee, juice and tasty snacks. This was a nice way to start the day and to get to meet new people. We purposefully scheduled conference buses to reach the venue early to allow time for breakfast (it was also a nice way to deal with potential delays due to traffic).

Tea and Coffee break

Coffee, tea, juice and light snacks were made available to delegates throughout the entire day, but we encouraged delegates to gather at break times, between sessions. We placed the tea and coffee stations by the exhibition areas, but delegates must have enjoyed the presentations too much and tended to not always gather at the times we expected them to.

Lunch

We worked with a catering company to ensure the food served would:

  • Meet high standards in quality
  • Cater for a range of diets
  • Be served quickly, avoiding long waiting times
  • Be easy to take and eat in any part of the venue, for impromptu lunch meets

We also organised lunch at a local restaurant on the day of the pre-conference, as school was in session and the cafeteria couldn’t have coped well with the extra demands.

Happy hour

Oneof our sponsors paid for free alcoholic drinks (mainly beer – it is Bavaria after all! – and wine) as well as soft-drinks, for an hour at the end of the pre-conference day. This was very well received and was a great way for sponsors to meet delegates, and for delegates to unwind after a packed day of learning. It was somewhat difficult to get the conference buses to leave on time, though…

Free evening social event

Delegates attending the pre-conference were treated to a free dinner at a local restaurant, subsidised by one of our sponsors. This was part of their ticket, and most delegates opted to attend. It was, as expected, very well received.

The pre-conference was attended by twice as many delegates as we had anticipated, and this caused somewhat of an issue, as the venue we had picked for dinner could not accommodate all of the delegates. We had to operate on a first-come, first-served basis and put together a waiting list. In the end all of the delegates who wished to attend managed to but it would have been good for us to anticipate this issue ahead of time.

Choosing a venue to host social events, or dinners, can be tricky as some will require a hefty deposit at the time of booking. It is advisable to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment, and ensure a written contract is drawn up, with clear clauses regarding deposits and cancellations.

Optional paid-for social event

On the Saturday evening we planned an optional paid-for dinner at a restaurant in Munich. Here are some of the criteria we used to pick a venue.

  • Capacity of about half of total delegates
  • Flexibility in terms of numbers (increase of decrease numbers at relatively short notice)
  • Close to train line (subway/tube)
  • Close to part of city where most of night-life takes place (for party-goers)
  • Traditional Bavarian food and atmosphere
  • No deposit required

I won’t post photos, but the evening was very enjoyable.

In my next post I will share the post-conference debrief and feedback from delegates.

Photo credit: Oktoberfest in Munich by Roman Boed under CC-BY-SA