How to plan an association or membership conference in New Zealand: choosing a PCO and venue, running a call for abstracts, registration and the social programme.
Association conferences (for professional bodies, membership organisations and sector groups) differ from corporate events in a few important ways: they run on volunteer committees, they usually have a call for abstracts and a formal programme, registration income has to balance the budget, and the event often rotates cities year to year. Here is how to approach one.
1. Appoint a professional conference organiser (PCO). Most association conferences are run with a PCO who handles registration, abstracts, the budget, sponsorship and logistics so the volunteer committee can focus on the programme. MICE lists close to 200 PCOs, DMCs and event organisers, several of which specialise in association work, including DC Conference & Association Management, The Association Specialists, OnCue Conference & Association Solutions, Conference Innovators and The Conference Company. Browse them under PCOs & DMCs.
2. Choose the city and venue. Associations often rotate between main centres to share the travel load across the membership. Pick a city with the right air access and hotel capacity, then a venue that fits your plenary plus concurrent breakout streams. Compare conference venues and use the capacity finder to size the plenary room.
3. Open the call for abstracts. Set your abstract deadline early: the review and programme-building process is often the longest lead item. Build the timeline backwards from your conference dates.
4. Set registration and the budget. Association conferences usually aim to at least break even on registration and sponsorship. Your PCO builds a budget model with delegate-number scenarios so pricing tiers (early bird, member, non-member, student) are set sensibly.
5. Build the programme. A typical structure is keynote plenaries, concurrent breakout streams, a poster session, an exhibition or trade display, and a social programme with a welcome function and a gala or awards dinner.
6. Plan the social and partner programme. The networking dinner and off-site events are often what members remember. Factor in delegate transport between venues and any partner tours.
7. Line up sponsors and exhibitors. Sponsorship and an exhibition floor are core revenue. Confirm the exhibition layout with your venue early so it does not clash with catering flow.
Start 12 to 18 months out for a national association conference; the venue and PCO are the first two bookings to secure.
A professional conference organiser manages registration, abstracts, budget, sponsorship and logistics. Most association conferences use one so the volunteer committee can focus on the programme.
For a national association conference, 12 to 18 months is typical. The venue and PCO should be secured first, followed by the call for abstracts.
Associations often rotate between main centres to spread travel across the membership, choosing cities with good air access and enough hotel capacity for delegates.
Primarily through delegate registration fees and sponsorship or exhibition income, with the budget usually set to at least break even.
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How to pick and book a restaurant for a conference dinner or corporate group in New Zealand: private rooms, set menus, capacity and what to confirm.
A live, room-count-ranked list of Auckland's largest hotels, those with 275 or more rooms, for major congresses and incentive groups.
A live, capacity-ranked list of Hamilton and Waikato venues that seat 800 or more delegates theatre-style for large conferences and conventions.
A live, room-count-ranked list of Rotorua hotels with 175 or more rooms for residential conferences and incentive groups.
A live, room-count-ranked list of Queenstown hotels with 175 or more rooms for incentive groups and residential conferences.