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:

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:

Organizing any event can be tricky and time-consuming, but scale that up to a sporting event and you’ll really come to appreciate the power and importance of planning. From sourcing a venue and enlisting a suitable number of volunteers, to arranging all-weather preparations and on-the-day logistics, there are potential pitfalls at every turn. With this in mind, in today’s post by the experts from Start Fitness, you’ll be treated to a step-by-step guide to planning a sporting event.

On the face of it, much of the success of any event hinges on the execution of the event itself, but on closer inspection, the reality is that every stage of your event matters - from the conception and pre-planning stages, through to the post-event follow ups.

With this in mind, in today’s post, the packaging experts at R+R Packaging have put together an event planning 101 guide that covers all aspects of organizing an event to ensure it runs without a glitch - leaving you with happy attendees and vendors, and glowing reviews.

As a professional event producer, you know how important it is to gather information about your staff and volunteers -- throughout the recruitment processes, and during the events themselves. But what about drawing conclusions from that data? When you understand where your volunteers are coming from, how they engaged, and how efficiently they used your event communication tool, you can better tailor your marketing efforts, efficiencies, and protocol to put on the best event possible.

Event volunteers shouldn't be an afterthought. But, unless you're tracking and reporting on your staff and volunteer data, you're missing out big time!

How do you create a better events and grow your operations? By learning from your last one. What worked? What didn't? But, how do you know if you're not tracking data throughout the event?

No matter the size of your organization and number of events you organize, the details involved in planning, managing, setting up, running and analyzing the results are time-consuming and easily lost or forgotten. If one person tries to track everything, or a committee shares information, miscommunication and losing key elements in the process happens. Here are seven reasons you need software that includes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) as a full-time organizing partner:

Events should be organized around an infrastructure of focused management, with a clear chain of command and communication, poised to organize chaos and deliver maximized efficiency. An event manager who wants to have control over each facet of the event, without being overwhelmed, must develop a specific operation structure similar to the following.

Volunteers are a major part of your organization, but it takes more than your volunteers to make everything run smoothly: you need that good ol' fashioned money! When you're looking for donors, don't overlook your event volunteers. Here are a few ideas to help you convert your volunteers into some of your biggest supporters.

Whether you organize small or large events, today's event planning industry requires that event managers have access to all sorts of data on their volunteers. But there's specific functions your volunteer management tool should have that allow you to access information quickly and make important changes at any time. When choosing a tool that will manage your event data efficiently, you'll want to make sure its functions include the following:

Today's volunteers under 40 are tech-savvy, educated, and looking for experiences that will help them in their career paths. And they're ready to find other ways to volunteer if they don't feel appreciated for their efforts. Here are some great ways to motivate volunteers and keep them engaged throughout event day.

As the world of modern marketing continues to evolve, event planners eager to make an impact are often looking to outside-the-box tactics. While mobile events certainly aren’t a new concept - having been around since the days of horse and carriage - this unique way of reaching consumers has seen an exponential rise in popularity in recent years.

And we're talking 'touch your toes' flexibility! Events as a whole are widespread, unique, and each has different requirements of its professionals. In such a dynamic and complex industry, each new day requires different processes and workflows. The technological tools used need to suit every need, or at the very minimum, 90% of them. Is the tool you plan to use sufficient? Will it cover all contingencies? The product in question should be, not only flexible, but robust enough to handle varied and intricate workflows.

Any event manager will know that outdoor event planning comes with its own unique complications and demands - which can make it difficult to manage the expectations of attendees, vendors and onsite staff, while also ensuring your event goes off without a hitch.

Your volunteers are ready to go! It's tempting to pass out assignments like candy until you get it all off your plate. Before you add that "Would you also...?", keep this question in mind: if you're not paying these people, what's an appropriate workload? Your event volunteers are there to help, out of the goodness of their hearts, and that's not something anybody wants to ignore. Find a balance and make sure you don't ask too much of the people who are helping you make your event run smoothly with these helpful tips.

Whether your event is a massive production with hundreds or thousands of volunteers, or a more intimate event, the most important thing to an event manager is simple: peace of mind. While this applies to everything under their command, one of the most work-intensive aspects is the managing of volunteers. There is nothing more reassuring than knowing, in real-time, that your volunteers are on-site, in place, and doing the jobs that they've been assigned with efficiency and professionalism. The biggest part of this knowledge begins as the volunteers arrive: with volunteer check-in. While it seems a daunting task, regardless of the number, with InitLive, it becomes a simple, two-step process.

Good men and women are especially hard to find when you need their services and are not paying them anything for their time. Volunteers are event and festival "fuel," they keep services running, people moving and smiling, solve problems and find solutions. To keep volunteers happy (and retain their services for your next event), here are 10 event reminders to discuss before sending them out to their posts:

Let's face it: Technology can be intimidating. And when unpaid event volunteers are told they have to use it, it can be difficult for them to recognize the technology's real worth. Read on to find out how to get your event staff and volunteers onboard with the event technology you're asking them to use -- and how to get them to love it. 

Career Cast released their list of most stressful jobs of 2017. After the ones you'd expect like soldier, military general, firefighter and police officer, there was one you might not expect: Event Coordinator. Or perhaps you do, since that's your job title. Here are five of the reasons why "under pressure" is an UNDERSTATEMENT for these men and women, and exactly what put it at the number five spot.