Taking care of every detail in organizing a conference, an ECM course or any other medical-scientific event is a challenge. Especially for those who have no experience in organizing events and do not have a competent and close-knit team, it can prove to be a difficult task to complete successfully.
The pressure is great, whether you run a medical-surgical clinic , or a structured doctor , a researcher , or the event manager on behalf of a scientific company or a pharmaceutical company .
Whatever your role, you’ll have to face a complex organization. You will have to manage the budget and the suppliers, foresee and resolve all kinds of unforeseen events, take care of the registrations and the reception, contact and coordinate the speakers, keep contact with the sponsors, choose the right location, promote the event …
And these are just some of the organizational aspects of a medical-scientific congress.
But my post doesn’t want to terrorize you! On the contrary, he wants to warn you by making you aware of the amount of work you could go against and above all to provide you with the tools to successfully face this task.
THE 4 FUNDAMENTAL ORGANIZATION PHASES OF AN EVENT
Divide and rule . To address organizational complexity, the best strategy is to focus and manage the individual phases. Generally, regardless of the specific type, the events include 4 phases:
- PLANNING
- PROMOTION / COORDINATION
- CONDUCT
- FOLLOW UP
1. PLANNING
The first phase must start 6 to 12 months before the event. It is the preparatory phase in which budget, date, place, program, speakers, promotion strategy, suppliers and sponsors are discussed, evaluated and finally decided.
2. PROMOTION / COORDINATION
The second phase coincides with the period in which the interested parties must start enrolling. It’s time to focus on the promotion of the event and on the management of the subscribers, speakers, suppliers … in short, of all the actors thanks to whom the event will be a success or a flop.
3. CONDUCT
This is the “care” and problem-solving phase. Care towards the needs and expectations of the speakers and participants; ability to foresee and manage the mishaps, large or small, which could occur despite an unexceptionable preliminary organization.
At the same time personnel is suitable, in terms of skills and number, to guarantee adequate support and assistance.