How to Define Goals and Objectives for Your Conference
A successful conference starts with clear goals and objectives. Without a roadmap, your event may lack direction and fail to meet expectations. This blog dives into the importance of defining goals, how to set them effectively, and strategies for aligning them with your broader organizational objectives.
Why Defining Conference Goals is Essential
Conference goals serve as the foundation for all planning decisions. They guide budgeting, marketing, content creation, and attendee engagement strategies. Here’s why they matter:
1. Measure Success
Having clear, measurable goals is the backbone of effective conference evaluation. In the events industry, success isn’t just about full rooms; it’s about achieving specific outcomes that deliver value to stakeholders and attendees. Here's how defining goals makes measurement precise and actionable:
Identify Key Metrics Early: For lead generation, integrate advanced tools such as lead retrieval systems at booths or custom QR codes for downloadable materials. This enables real-time tracking of potential clients or partners, providing hard data to assess ROI.
Set Milestones Across Phases: Break down your goals by pre-event, during-event, and post-event. For instance, if brand awareness is the aim, track pre-conference email open rates, during-event hashtag engagement, and post-event content shares. This phased approach ensures comprehensive evaluation.
Utilize Event Tech for Accuracy: Platforms like Cvent, Eventbrite, or HubSpot enable granular tracking of attendee interactions—from session attendance to survey completion—providing metrics to determine if your conference met its goals.
Practical Example: If your goal is to build relationships with C-suite decision-makers, success might be tracked through invitations to post-conference meetings, the number of high-value attendees at exclusive networking dinners, or bespoke surveys measuring their experience.
2. Align Stakeholder Expectations
Stakeholders are often the hardest to align because their objectives may differ: sponsors might prioritize visibility, exhibitors may seek meaningful connections, and attendees likely want engaging content. Defining conference goals ensures all these expectations are addressed strategically:
Tailored Benefits for Sponsors: Instead of offering generic sponsorship packages, align sponsor opportunities with the conference goals. For example, if your goal is to maximize attendee education, sponsors could host expert-led workshops or distribute branded study guides. When stakeholders see a clear alignment between their investment and the event goals, they are more likely to commit.
Unified Messaging Across Teams: A common goal ensures everyone—from the AV team to the social media managers—delivers consistent messaging. For instance, when hosting an innovation-focused event, all touchpoints (e.g., social posts, presentations, and attendee handouts) should reinforce the innovation theme, helping align stakeholder perceptions.
Data-Driven Transparency: Use post-event reports to demonstrate how the goals were met. Sponsors want hard numbers like foot traffic at their booths, social media mentions, or brand impressions. Real-time analytics dashboards (e.g., using EventMobi or Bizzabo) can provide data insights that reinforce the success of shared goals.
Practical Tip: Regular touchpoints, such as pre-event check-ins and shared dashboards, ensure everyone stays informed. Consider stakeholder alignment sessions early on to solidify shared objectives and avoid last-minute surprises.
3. Streamline Decision-Making
Conference planning involves countless decisions, many of which can feel equally important. Clear goals provide a laser-focused lens for prioritizing time, resources, and energy:
Strategic Venue Selection: If attendee engagement is your goal, look for venues with flexible layouts that allow for interactive sessions, workshops, and networking zones. For example, large open-floor venues like hotel convention centers can often be customized with modular setups to emphasize connectivity over formality.
Programming Prioritization: Goals influence everything from keynote selection to breakout sessions. A conference aimed at thought leadership might invest in industry-renowned speakers, while one centered on professional development would include skill-building workshops with certifications.
Enhanced Attendee Flow: Goals can even influence logistics, such as designing traffic flows that direct attendees to key sponsor exhibits or high-value networking areas. For instance, placing coffee stations in breakout zones can naturally increase interaction in targeted spaces.
Decision-Making in Action:
When choosing event technology, goals clarify needs: if your focus is on attendee engagement, a robust event app with live polling and chat features is non-negotiable. However, if data collection is key, CRMs with integration capabilities are the priority.
For marketing, goals ensure alignment with strategy: a goal to increase global attendance might prioritize multi-language marketing content, while a regional B2B event would focus on personalized invitations for high-value clients.
Pro Tip: Always tie decisions back to KPIs linked to the goals. For instance, if you’re deciding between hiring an additional event photographer or expanding the tech budget, consider which contributes more effectively to your top objectives, such as social media engagement or audience satisfaction.
By embedding conference goals into every layer of the planning process—from setting priorities to leveraging advanced event tech—you not only enhance your ability to make expert-level decisions but also deliver events that are sharply focused, measurable, and deeply impactful for all stakeholders involved.
What Types of Goals Should You Set for Your Conference?
Establishing the right goals is crucial to crafting an impactful conference. Effective goals not only provide clarity but also help you measure success accurately. Whether quantitative, qualitative, or hybrid, each type serves a distinct purpose in shaping your event's direction. Let’s dive deeper into how these goals work in practice and how they influence planning.
1. Quantitative Goals
Quantitative goals rely on measurable, data-driven metrics that provide a clear indicator of success. They offer precision and leave little room for interpretation, making them essential for tracking performance and reporting outcomes to stakeholders.
Attendance Numbers: Define specific targets based on your event type and capacity. For example:
A niche B2B conference might aim for 300 targeted decision-makers rather than a broad audience of 1,000 general attendees.
To attract international participants, you might set a goal of 20% non-local attendees and measure the success of global marketing efforts through regional registration data.
Revenue Targets: Establish detailed financial objectives, not just overall revenue. For instance:
$50,000 in sponsorship revenue could break down into $30,000 from top-tier sponsors and $20,000 from exhibitors.
Implement tiered pricing models or “early bird” discounts to ensure predictable cash flow during registration windows.
Lead Generation: Use sophisticated tracking methods to ensure you meet your lead-generation goals.
Equip exhibitors with RFID-enabled badges or lead capture apps to simplify data collection.
A goal of 200 qualified leads might translate to an on-site activation strategy targeting high-value attendees, using pre-screened invitation-only sessions or VIP dinners to filter your leads in real-time.
Pro Tip: Track progress against quantitative goals daily during the event through event dashboards (e.g., using systems like Attendify or Brella) to make on-the-fly adjustments if numbers are falling short.
2. Qualitative Goals
While harder to measure, qualitative goals are vital for driving intangible but meaningful outcomes like brand positioning or long-term attendee loyalty.
Improve Brand Awareness: Define how you want your brand to resonate with attendees.
Increase brand presence through strategic on-site displays (e.g., immersive activations, branded lounges, or digital walls showcasing company milestones).
Use post-event surveys to gauge brand recall, asking attendees if they associate your brand with innovation, authority, or accessibility in your field.
Foster Community Engagement: Design your conference as a hub for knowledge-sharing and relationship-building.
Hosting informal meetups or affinity groups during the event can cultivate relationships that extend beyond the conference.
Measure success by tracking participation rates in discussion groups or monitoring post-event LinkedIn connections among attendees.
Pro Tip: While qualitative goals lack concrete metrics, tools like social listening (e.g., tracking event mentions and sentiment on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn) provide indirect measurement of outcomes like buzz and reputation.
3. Hybrid Goals
Hybrid goals bridge the gap between data-driven and intangible objectives, providing a fuller picture of your event’s impact. They combine qualitative goals with quantifiable metrics, making them easier to measure while preserving the nuance of attendee experiences.
Improve Attendee Satisfaction: Achieve a dual focus by combining data from surveys with qualitative insights.
Design an attendee survey covering satisfaction with specific aspects such as content, networking opportunities, and venue logistics. Include open-ended questions for additional qualitative feedback.
A satisfaction goal might aim for an 85% positive rating on overall experience, coupled with at least 50 responses providing detailed comments.
Enhance Networking Opportunities: Implement measurable networking features while fostering intangible connections.
Use a goal of achieving 500 matched interactions through matchmaking platforms like Grip, complemented by attendee feedback surveys about the perceived value of networking activities.
Include unstructured spaces like coffee stations or after-hours lounges to boost casual interactions, even if they're harder to measure.
Practical Example: A hybrid goal to increase session engagement could involve quantitative measures like live polling response rates (aiming for 70% participation) combined with qualitative goals such as fostering a sense of intellectual curiosity among attendees, measured by detailed session feedback.
Expert Advice: Setting Effective Goals
Connect Goals to Stakeholders: Think about how goals align with attendee needs, sponsor expectations, and organizational KPIs. For instance, sponsors may prioritize lead capture, while attendees value professional growth, so set dual goals to satisfy both groups.
Test Your Goals Against SMART Criteria: Ensure each goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound to create actionable objectives. For example: Instead of saying “improve engagement,” a SMART goal might read: “Achieve 85% positive session feedback in post-event surveys, with at least 300 completed surveys collected.”
Review and Adapt in Real Time: Goals should not remain static. Monitor registration rates, feedback, and on-site participation throughout the planning process to refine your strategies and make goal-based adjustments to marketing or programming efforts.
By crafting and implementing clear quantitative, qualitative, and hybrid goals, you position your conference for success while providing actionable insights that will benefit future planning cycles.
Expert Strategies to Ensure Goal Alignment
Create a Goal Map: Develop a visual representation of how conference goals align with higher-level objectives, such as increasing brand recognition, growing revenue, or improving employee retention. This provides clarity and alignment across teams.
Example: The goal of attracting 1,000 attendees can directly support the business objective of securing 500 marketing-qualified leads through on-site activations.
Tailor Messaging and Content: Consistent messaging reinforces goal alignment. A product-focused conference, for instance, should have messaging that echoes larger campaigns like “Innovation in Action.”
Align content tracks with both attendee interest and business initiatives. A fintech company could host “AI for Banking” sessions to cater to attendees interested in technology while indirectly driving interest in its AI-powered products.
Assess and Iterate: Post-event reporting should measure conference goals in the context of the organization’s broader goals. For example:
Analyze how improved attendee engagement metrics correlate with reduced churn or increased sales pipeline growth.
Use tools like dashboards (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) to pull real-time results into broader business analytics.
By carefully aligning conference goals with organizational objectives, you transform your event into a strategic asset, capable of driving measurable results while simultaneously offering valuable experiences to attendees.
How to Align Conference Goals with Organizational Objectives
Your conference should complement your broader organizational goals, acting as a strategic lever to achieve higher-level outcomes. Here’s an in-depth look at how to ensure your conference integrates seamlessly into your company’s objectives while delivering value to all stakeholders involved.
1. Consult Stakeholders
Engaging stakeholders early is vital to crafting a conference that serves broader organizational interests. Their insights help create a shared vision, ensuring your goals align with overall strategic priorities.
Involve the Right Stakeholders: Bring in decision-makers, department heads, and key team members who have a direct stake in the conference’s success.
For a product launch, include product managers and marketing executives to align messaging and highlight unique features.
For an internal employee-focused conference, HR leaders and team managers can ensure the event enhances engagement or upskills the workforce.
Facilitate Workshops or Strategy Sessions: Early workshops help identify how the conference can support overarching objectives. Use these sessions to prioritize focus areas and allocate resources effectively. For example, if brand awareness is the goal, the budget may prioritize immersive experiences or on-stage branding opportunities over high-end venues.
Pro Tip: Use tools like stakeholder maps or priority matrices to ensure that each stakeholder’s needs and contributions are appropriately weighed throughout the planning process.
2. Identify KPIs
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) link your event’s success to measurable organizational outcomes, making it easier to evaluate whether the conference delivered on its strategic promise.
Revenue-Driven KPIs: Track metrics like sponsorship sales, exhibitor signups, or upsell opportunities.
For example, achieving $250,000 in sponsorship revenue supports broader financial goals, while capturing 50+ exhibitor leads can drive future business collaborations.
Align your efforts with organizational benchmarks such as reducing the customer acquisition cost (CAC). For instance, a goal might be to cut the CAC for enterprise clients by hosting exclusive meet-and-greet sessions for target accounts.
Engagement-Focused KPIs: If the organization emphasizes employee engagement, measure attendance rates, post-event surveys, or skills-acquisition metrics.
An event aiming to boost employee morale could set KPIs like achieving a 90% attendee satisfaction rate or reducing the average cost-per-engaged-employee through hybrid events.
Pro Tip: Select KPIs that are both actionable (you can influence them through your efforts) and aligned (they directly reflect broader business goals). For a diverse set of goals, link each KPI to specific departments—for example, marketing ROI for the sales team or attendee engagement for HR.
3. Keep Attendees in Mind
The most successful conferences strike a balance between meeting organizational objectives and delivering what attendees value most. Satisfied attendees are more likely to engage fully, generating higher returns on all conference goals.
Understand Attendee Priorities: Use pre-conference surveys, past feedback, and audience profiles to determine what participants want most. For instance:
If attendees value professional development, invest in quality keynote speakers, certification programs, and workshops.
If they prioritize networking, emphasize breakout sessions, industry mixers, and app-based matchmaking.
Align Goals with Audience Needs: Goals should overlap with attendee expectations to create a mutually beneficial dynamic.
For instance, if professional growth is a key attendee motivator, you could set a dual goal of improving attendee satisfaction scores by 15% (attendee focus) and capturing 200+ high-quality leads for exhibitors (organizational focus).
Pro Tip: Balance event value for attendees and the organization. For example, while workshops may cater to attendees, integrating interactive sponsor demonstrations can fulfill organizational lead-generation objectives.
Who Should Define Conference Goals?
The process of setting conference goals should be collaborative, involving key players whose expertise and perspectives contribute to actionable and well-rounded objectives. Here's a deeper look at each role and their contributions:
1. Event Planners
Event planners bring their logistical expertise to the table, ensuring that goals are achievable within the event’s constraints.
Expertise: Their familiarity with budgets, venue capacities, scheduling, and on-site management helps shape realistic goals.
For example, if the goal is to increase networking opportunities, they can recommend venues with breakout spaces or incorporate extra networking lounges.
Strategic Execution: Planners ensure that operational decisions align with the goals. They might prioritize easy-to-access venues for an event targeting attendance growth or tech-heavy venues for showcasing innovative solutions.
2. Marketing Teams
Marketing teams ensure that conference goals resonate with your target audience and drive promotional efforts toward success.
Audience Understanding: With insights into attendee demographics, pain points, and preferences, marketers ensure goals reflect audience needs.
If the conference aims to enhance brand visibility, they craft campaigns emphasizing thought leadership or integrate experiential marketing to engage participants.
Message Consistency: Marketing teams bridge the gap between organizational objectives and attendee value by promoting content and experiences that highlight mutual benefits.
3. Sponsors and Partners
Sponsors and partners offer unique perspectives and expect tangible returns, making their input crucial during goal-setting.
Defining Success: Understanding what sponsors want—whether it’s lead generation, increased product visibility, or branding opportunities—helps align goals with their expectations.
For instance, a tech sponsor might value demo booths and session sponsorships, while an industry partner may prioritize speaking slots or co-branded experiences.
Pro Tip: Create a partnership questionnaire early in the planning process to capture specific sponsor and partner goals, and revisit these throughout the event lifecycle.
When Should You Define Goals?
Defining goals is an early-stage activity that forms the cornerstone of your planning process. Establishing goals at the brainstorming phase ensures that all strategies and decisions align with the conference’s purpose.
Avoiding Resource Waste: Without clear goals, budgets, timelines, and resources can be spent on initiatives that fail to contribute to measurable success.
Example: Aiming for high ROI without defining measurable KPIs could lead to low engagement due to mismatched marketing.
Building Team Focus: Early goal-setting rallies teams around a shared purpose, improving coordination and efficiency as planning progresses.
Steps to Define Conference Goals and Objectives
1. Start with the End in Mind
Before you plan the specifics, ask yourself what success looks like for the event. Focus on aligning the end goal with overarching organizational or departmental objectives.
Common Goals:
Educate attendees: Prioritize a strong agenda featuring experts and detailed session descriptions.
Build industry connections: Host interactive sessions, panel discussions, and networking dinners.
Drive revenue: Include ticket upgrades, exhibitor packages, and premium sponsorship tiers.
Pro Tip: Use a vision statement to articulate a clear picture of what the event will accomplish. For example, “This event will position us as industry thought leaders while generating $100,000 in sponsorship revenue.”
2. Break Down Big Goals into Smaller Objectives
Objectives are the incremental steps needed to achieve broader goals, ensuring a structured and actionable approach.
Example Breakdown:
Goal: Build industry connections.
Objectives:
Host five targeted networking sessions with themes tailored to different sectors.
Develop a mobile app featuring attendee matchmaking functionality, encouraging like-minded participants to connect.
Execution Tips: Assign clear ownership for each objective and track progress using project management tools.
3. Incorporate Feedback from Past Events
Leverage lessons from previous conferences to refine and set future goals.
Post-Event Surveys: Analyze attendee and sponsor feedback to uncover what worked well and what needs improvement.
Example: If past surveys highlight dissatisfaction with workshop quality, prioritize securing high-profile speakers and expanding educational opportunities.
Stakeholder Insights: Conduct debriefs with teams, partners, and vendors to identify roadblocks or opportunities for innovation.
Example: If feedback reveals low engagement at sponsored booths, introduce gamification elements or strategic booth placements.
4. Use Data to Inform Decisions
Historical data provides critical benchmarks for setting realistic and informed goals.
Data Sources:
Attendance numbers: Use trends to predict growth or set retention targets for returning attendees.
Engagement metrics: Evaluate session attendance rates, app downloads, or networking participation to guide priorities.
Financial performance: Review revenue from ticket sales or sponsorship packages to identify opportunities for improvement.
Pro Tip: Tools like CRMs or event management platforms (e.g., Cvent, Eventbrite) can centralize data analysis, helping to identify areas for scalable growth.
By involving key players, establishing goals early, and leveraging past data, you set the stage for a conference that not only fulfills its purpose but also advances your organization’s strategic objectives.
Tools for Tracking Goals and Objectives
Choosing the right tools to monitor and evaluate your progress ensures your conference goals remain actionable and measurable. Here’s an expert breakdown of each category:
1. Project Management Software
Project management tools help teams plan, coordinate, and track progress toward objectives with transparency and accountability.
Recommended Platforms:
Trello: Ideal for visually managing tasks with Kanban boards. Use color-coded cards for objectives like sponsorship acquisition, venue selection, and content creation.
Asana: Features timeline views, dependencies, and milestone tracking to manage complex projects like large conferences with multiple stakeholders.
Monday.com: Provides customizable templates, automation for routine updates, and integrations with tools like Slack or Google Drive, making it a versatile choice for large teams.
Expert Tips:
Break major conference goals into smaller, actionable tasks with deadlines.
Assign clear ownership for each objective to streamline accountability.
Use reporting features to evaluate progress at regular intervals, ensuring alignment with timelines.
Pro Tip: Integrate tools with event management platforms to centralize communication and track real-time updates.
2. Analytics Tools
Data-driven decision-making is critical for evaluating your conference’s success. Analytics platforms offer real-time insights into attendee behavior, engagement, and overall impact.
Popular Tools and Their Uses:
Google Analytics: Measure website performance, such as registration page traffic, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Example: Track how marketing efforts impact ticket sales.
Event Apps (e.g., Cvent, Whova): Provide insights into session attendance, polling results, app usage, and networking activity. These metrics indicate which aspects of your conference resonate most with attendees.
Social Media Insights: Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram provide engagement metrics, including likes, shares, and comments on promotional posts. Example: Measure the effectiveness of your event hashtag.
Expert Applications:
Use heatmaps on websites to optimize landing pages and increase registrations.
Track attendee flow during in-person events using RFID badges or check-ins to identify high-traffic areas.
Pro Tip: Pair analytics tools with CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce to evaluate lead quality and follow-up effectiveness.
3. Surveys
Surveys provide direct feedback from attendees and stakeholders, offering qualitative and quantitative insights to gauge success and identify areas for improvement.
Survey Types and Timing:
Pre-Event Surveys: Understand attendee expectations, interests, and goals. Example: Gather preferences for session topics to refine your agenda.
On-Site Surveys: Collect real-time feedback through event apps or kiosks. Example: Use session-specific polls to evaluate speaker effectiveness or session relevance.
Post-Event Surveys: Measure satisfaction, collect testimonials, and uncover improvement opportunities. Example: Include NPS (Net Promoter Score) questions to gauge overall attendee experience.
Survey Creation Tips:
Keep questions concise and focused, with a mix of multiple-choice, rating scales, and open-ended responses.
Incentivize participation through discounts, early bird tickets for next year’s conference, or entry into a prize draw.
Analyze feedback to adjust future goals. Example: If attendees highlight weak networking opportunities, plan more facilitated networking activities at the next event.
Pro Tip: Use survey tools like SurveyMonkey, Google Forms, or Qualtrics to automate distribution and analysis, ensuring comprehensive insights.
Integration for Maximum Impact
Combining these tools creates a comprehensive tracking system:
Use project management platforms to track tasks.
Leverage analytics tools for quantitative data insights.
Rely on surveys for qualitative attendee feedback.
This approach ensures that your event goals are not only measurable but actionable, aligning every aspect of your conference planning with overarching success metrics.
Conclusion
Defining clear goals and objectives is the cornerstone of a successful conference. It transforms your event from a mere gathering into a strategic initiative with measurable impact. By collaborating with stakeholders, analyzing past data, and understanding audience priorities, you lay a strong foundation for an event that aligns with organizational objectives and delivers tangible results.
Using tools like project management platforms, analytics systems, and attendee surveys, you can track progress and make data-informed adjustments to ensure success at every stage. A well-planned conference doesn’t just meet expectations—it exceeds them, leaving a lasting impression on attendees and stakeholders alike.
With the right goals in place, your conference becomes a powerful tool for achieving growth, building connections, and driving meaningful outcomes.
Elevate Event Staff ensures your event goals are supported by a reliable and skilled team. From registration desks to breakout session assistance, we’ve got you covered. Contact us today to ensure your next conference exceeds expectations.
