Seoul is a major international business hub, and thousands of conferences are held there every week. Hosting a conference is not only a great way for you and other professionals and business owners to network but a great way to advertise your services by showcasing your expertise. But a poorly organized conference could actually accomplish the total opposite and end up tarnishing your brand as a result. Here are a few tips on how to organize the perfect conference in Seoul.
Find Someone to Co-Organize the Event
Don’t try to bite off more than you can chew – find someone to co-organize the event. Better to go with a local with extensive knowledge of Korean business culture if you’re an expat and still getting acquainted with the local business climate. And having someone by your side will also be a major plus when comes the time to find attendees, work on administrative tasks, and even for moral support. Try to get help from as many people as you can, be it your friends, family, co-workers or business partners.
Work on the Theme
While you might not think this is essential, you cannot afford to neglect the visual aspect since it will directly reflect on your brand. Think about who your audience is, what age demographic they’re in, what you want them to get from the conference, and what your message is. You will then be able to relay all of this information to your event planner and they’ll take it from there. You could also try to get pictures from conferences you attended or interesting conference decor you’ve seen online and show them to your event planner for inspiration.
Choose on a Location
There are many criteria that you have to take into consideration when picking a venue. One of the most important ones is how accessible the venue is. Try to find out how easy the location is to find and how easy it is to travel there. And you should also pick a business hotel in Seoul that is fairly close to an airport for international attendees. You should also try to find a location that is somewhat affordable and look at things like parking fees, for instance. Try to pick a location with various rooms of different capacities if you want to host simultaneous events and have different rooms for your attendees.
Find Speakers and Look for Sponsors
When it comes to finding speakers, there are two ways that you can go about it. You can either solicit people yourself or have an open call. Or you could go for both. As far as compensation goes, you should at least pay for their accommodations. Once you’ve found the speakers, you should consider looking for sponsors. They’ll help you cushion some of the event’s operational costs. It’s also a great way to build a connection between you, them, and your audience, which could lead to a long lasting business relationship.
Conclusion
While building a conference demands a lot of work and preparation, you should be able to hold a successful event if everything is done right. Make sure that you follow all the tips in this article if you want your conference to pay dividends for your business.