Secrets from the Mouse House to host a successful conference
In this day and age, hosting your company conference needs to tick many boxes, as the time out of the office for your teams, combined with the costs usually associated with these events, it is paramount that key deliverables are achieved to make your conference a success.
We recently spoke to Granny Mouse Country House & Spa Banqueting Manager, Veronica Sookdin, who, during her many years in the hospitality industry, has been party to just about every conference imaginable. When asked what her top 5 considerations are when planning a successful conference, she had the following advice to offer.
- Define your objectives: Ensure that prior to the event, you and your team are very clear as to what you wish to achieve from the conference. This can be achieved by setting an agenda, goals or outcomes, and making sure that everyone knows what is expected.
- Ask the venue for their opinions: Bear in mind, banqueting divisions have arranged many a conference, and can aid you in ensuring the very best outcome for yours. They have seen what works, and what doesn’t, and so can be exceptionally helpful in assisting with new ideas.
- Take the time to find the right speaker: Perhaps the most important part of your event is to motivate your teams, and this can be a make-or-break situation when it comes to your guest speaker. Take your time to evaluate
- Let your team choose: When it comes to team building activities, ask the venue if the staff can choose from a few of the offered activities, as opposed to forcing everyone to do the same thing. Staff often respond more favourably to these activities when they feel like they have had a choice in the matter.
- Give the team some down time: Conferences are often packed from sun-up to sun-down, allowing very little time for the team to process the content, or be given time to generate new ideas. Allowing some downtime will increase your teams creativity and allow them to rejuvenate their minds.
When thinking of a venue for your next conference, make sure Granny Mouse Country House & Spa is on your list!