Conferences are some of the best places to meet like-minded colleagues within the same industry or creative individuals who share similar interests. In an increasingly interconnected world where relationship is key for business, conferences are a must-have for proper networking. And the company that organizes the conference will have the most prestige and visibility at the event.

But, you already know all that. You also know that planning a conference can be tricky— how do you create a dream conference that will go smoothly and benefit you, the organizer, and all attendees? Try these five tips:

Today's volunteers look for great experiences and meaningful engagement when they give away their time. So make it clear from the moment you launch your online recruiting campaigns that those are precisely the benefits your volunteers will find. Below we've provided seven specific ways to persuade people to volunteer for your event. And if you follow even some of these suggestions, you'll be able to attract a top-notch pool of highly motivated and dedicated volunteers.

Every volunteer brings a unique background of skills and experience that you can leverage when assigning roles. To fully utilize everyone's skills, it's important that you ask about more than their work experience. Some volunteers will have cultivated their skills from hobbies, other events where they volunteered, or simply a natural talent. Your event may have a specific subset of roles that need to be filled, but these skills and experiences are a good place to start when getting to know your volunteers.

As technology continues to develop and evolve over time, its impact continues to reach numerous different industries, from manufacturing, fashion, music and everywhere in between. The event planning industry is no exception. Technology is progressively changing the way events are planned and executed, what guests can do on-site, and even how events are evaluated. It can be a differentiating factor from an event that’s dull and disorganized to one that’s cutting edge and well-planned. Incorporating the latest technology trends into your next event can help you stand out from the crowd amidst the sea of music festivals, sporting events and professional conferences taking place this year.

Here’s what to expect in event tech trends for the year ahead:

As you gear up to help get your volunteers in order, here are 4 more important elements to include in your volunteer orientation meeting! If you haven't read part 1 yet, be sure to check it out here!

Whether you hold your orientation face-to-face or remotely, this meeting is one of the essential parts of your event planning. After all, volunteers keep down in-house costs for an event, and they are very much part of the glue that holds a successful event together. Here are nine essentials of a great volunteer orientation meeting which are sure to keep your volunteers informed, engaged, and productive:

You cherish and appreciate every member of your event management team, and you wouldn't trade any of them for anyone else. Except sometimes, you secretly wish all of them had rear-view eyes, Solomon's wisdom, a wolf's cunning, a leopard's speed and no need for sleep - because that would make assigning tasks so much simpler. But just like any human, they all have particular strengths; perhaps not for the same tasks or at the same time or even in the same room working together. If only you had the managerial magic to get them all on the same performance page. It's time to stop wishing for the impossible and use your team's talents and abilities to their best advantage. Here's how...

Maximizing your resources to improve your events means leveraging your supporters. Who better to help than those who have already stepped up? An amazing event experience requires an amazing team. Utilize your volunteers to their fullest potential by providing them with the tools, training, and gratitude they deserve, and they'll help make your event a success. Here's how:

There's absolutely nothing better than a repeat volunteer. They're knowledgeable, friendly, reliable, and they engage others in the community with the mission. But how do you go about turning a one-time volunteer into a recurring visitor? Check out our four tips on keeping your volunteers engaged:

As an event planner, you're always searching for new and exciting ideas, changing trends, information, and technologies that will help make your job a little easier. Fortunately, that's what we're all about. Our event planning experts are here to help, and today we've compiled a list of five volunteer management strategies that every event planner needs to know.

Organizing and producing a large event can be incredibly stressful. It may feel like a million things are happening all at once. While it may seem impossible to hold onto your sanity, here are some solutions and tips to help you survive & thrive:

Communication in life is key -- especially when planning events. In fact, if you think about it, you can always trace a glitch in an otherwise seamless event back to some sort of lapse in communication. So we've gathered some top reasons why communication with your event staff is essential.

Congratulations! You've been putting on fantastic events all year. And thanks to your awesome volunteers, you've stayed within your budget. Now it's time to show your gratitude this holiday season. In most cases, you just need to show a small token of appreciation to keep your top-performing volunteers coming back in the New Year. Now, if you liked the last edition of our volunteer gift guide, here are even more clever "thank you" gift ideas for your event volunteers:

Planning an event can be a time consuming and frustrating task. You want every detail to be perfection, and your time should be spent on making that possible not evaluating hundreds of resources to see if they fit your needs. Take a look at some of these resources that will make your event easier than ever to plan: 

Great news! Potential volunteers are visiting your site. But, how can you make sure they actually sign up? You need to create a volunteer signup page that encourages registration, rather than a, "Nah, I'll do this later." This is how:

Having enough volunteers can mean the difference between a nice event and a wildly successful one. Though, they're not always easy to find and the last thing you want to do is rush around recruiting at the last minute. Luckily, there are a few simple things you can start doing now to make sure your next event has plenty of people willing to offer a helping hand.

You might take a deep breath before you pick up a new piece of technology, bracing for the whirlwind of information that will try to engulf you throughout the learning process. True, there will be a learning curve to anything new, but when you seek out an volunteer management solution with an intuitive user interface (UI), the learning process goes more quickly than you might imagine. It's not just more convenient to have an intuitive UI, it's essential. Here's why:

Nowadays, younger generations are more sophisticated when it comes to selecting a volunteer position. And top-notch volunteers are vital to many companies, even in their day-to-day operations. So when it comes to planning and executing an event, you want to make sure that you have trained, reliable, and motivated volunteers. Here are some ways to provide your volunteers with greater support and incentives which will motivate them to perform at their best.

Conferences are a vital part of professional development and continuing education for nearly every profession and non-profit organization. A key element for conference organizers to strive for is to make the event as seamless as possible for all participants. But accomplishing this can take a ton of work! Staff and volunteers are essential for getting the job done. Below are the 10 must-have volunteer roles you'll be so glad you recruited for once your conference begins.

Planning and organizing a race takes a lot of time, consideration, and volunteers. There are not only a ton of tasks to fill, but there's also a lot of ground to over. We're here to help make it a little easier for you by breaking down the most essential volunteer roles for your upcoming race. 

First impressions for any event are important, especially when it comes to onboarding volunteers. The first time volunteers step onto your event site, you'll want to make it as easy as possible for them to check in, find out where they need to go, and become a fully-engaged part of your event team. Here are six ways to make event check-in convenient for your volunteers:

As you recruit volunteers, sheer numbers aren't enough. You have to make sure you're recruiting the right people to fill every role; after that, you need to make sure you actually get them all assigned to the right place so you can optimize your team—and your event.

As an event planner, you know that getting and keeping quality volunteers is vital to your brand. A well-trained volunteer team can actually reduce the amount of wages you pay out to your permanent employees, considerably increasing your ROI. Below, we've gathered some strategies for recruitment and retention strategies that really work.

Whether you're a church, non-profit, or professional event planner, you know how important it is to make the most of your volunteers. However, volunteering can be hard work, and you'll be surprised how easy it is to burn out your most experienced volunteers while your first-timers languish in the sidelines. Here are definitive ways to avoid over-committing and under-utilizing members of your volunteer team.