Planning Tips for Healthcare Events
Healthcare event planning is a demanding process, requiring meticulous planning and in-depth knowledge of the medical world. Whether it is a medical conference or a pharmaceutical event, it must align with ever-changing compliance standards, meet the expectations of attendees, and provide an impactful and educational experience. It takes quite a bit of time to plan a healthcare event, and the process involves not only preparation and execution, but also post-event strategizing, to reinforce gains made at the event itself. A medical event typically involves intricate scheduling, with an agenda that includes discussions, consultation, collaboration, and networking, as well as education and information. Further, in the post-pandemic world, many of these events are hybrid, involving both virtual and in-person opportunities, which means that those planning the event must be mindful not only of the tasks traditionally associated with event planning, but also of the incorporation of digital practices and implementation of the correct strategies to create an inclusive event. It can be overwhelming, but as seasoned event planners, we at Total Events DFW have some tips for you for planning a successful healthcare event.
Medical Event Planning
What is the first consideration in medical event planning? Perhaps the most crucial decision you will make is to determine the location of your event. Medical events often attract attendees not just from the local area but from around the world, which makes the logistics of the event an important consideration. Look for somewhere with broad accessibility, where direct flights and public transportation make it easy for guests to get there. It should also be a location with plenty of hotel space, and interesting things to see and do in the area, so that the attendees have something to do in their down time. The DFW Metroplex has become a top destination for conventions of all kinds and is an extremely popular destination for medical conventions and other healthcare events. In addition to being one of the top metro areas in the nation for healthcare, the DFW area has two international airports, a public transit center, and a wide range of hotel options. What’s more, it is a thriving metropolitan area with fine dining that includes Michelin-starred restaurants and James Beard Award-winning chefs. There are also extensive opportunities for shopping and golfing, along with the largest urban art district in the nation, seven professional sports teams, and over 20 vibrant entertainment districts. Choosing DFW for your medical conference ensures that your attendees will easily reach the event and have plenty to do when they have free time. Once you know the location, choose the venue, taking care to find a place that will provide privacy and security for your attendees.
Points to Consider When Planning Your Healthcare Event
Once you have chosen the location, it is time to start planning. Your first step will be to clarify the purpose of your event. Healthcare is a broad topic, and if your event seems uninteresting, you are unlikely to draw in the people you want to attract. Determine your purpose, the topics to be covered, the speakers, and the entertainment, and make sure that the options you choose are fresh and relevant to your target audience. After setting the location and the basics of the program, what is next?
- Vet your speakers before inviting them. The quality of your speakers will have enormous bearing on your ability to attract the right audience. Look for speakers adept at encouraging discussions and making panels interesting, so that your event will be enjoyable as well as educational. Once you know the topics you want to have covered, look for speakers suitable for conveying your message and qualified to discuss the topics.
- Watch their existing speeches to assess their impact on an audience.
- Research their experience and qualifications.
- Determine how they resonated with their audiences by reading testimonials.
- Check their professional social media to see if they are proficient at promoting events.
- Make sure the right speakers fit into your budget.
- Research event management platforms. Just as the healthcare industry is becoming ever more digitized, there is an expectation of technological features in medical events. In-person, virtual, and hybrid events are all easier for your attendees to navigate if you have the right event app. Look for a reliable platform to help you create a unique event app to simplify your planning tasks. You can manage registration, ticketing, payments, floor plans, and check ins through the app, and your attendees can use it to check in, live stream sessions, access video breakout rooms, and participate in messaging, message boards, and voting features. This will help to boost your event engagement, as well as making the planning process more efficient.
- Work in some excitement. A healthcare conference is a professional, educational event. However, there’s no reason for it to be boring or bland. In addition to providing value-added content, you will want to include break sessions with entertainment and activities. Consider quiz competitions for attendees, with prizes for the top scorers, and other group activities that will give attendees the opportunity to collaborate. Bring in live entertainment and provide opportunities for participants to socialize outside of sessions, with informal cocktail hours, relaxation time, snack breaks, and a lounge. Providing a charging lounge is a great way to serve a dual purpose, allowing attendees to recharge figuratively and literally at the same time.
- Use effective marketing strategies. Sending out emails and digital flyers is not enough to market a healthcare event. Use social media channels to spread the word, and create content that is as attractive as it is informative. The goal should be to create positive buzz for your events before registration even starts, and to provide attendees with the information they need to decide if your event is the right opportunity for them. Your marketing content should be:
- Relevant to your purpose and your attendees.
- Intellectual, providing insights into the event.
- Impactful, with visuals that engage the audience.
- Emotional, to elicit a response from your potential audience and make them want to attend.
- Make it a good party. As with any event, you need to have good food, swag bags, décor, and more, to make it a success. Decide on your caterer ahead of time, choosing food that is better than sandwiches, and including some hints about your menu on your promotional materials, because good food attracts people. Coordinate a good swag bag, with gifts appropriate for your target audience, and consider having drawings for big ticket items at different points during your event. Brainstorm to find ways to make your event stand out from the many other medical events that take place each year.
How Corporate Event Planning Services Can Help
You have the healthcare knowledge necessary to be successful in your field. Planning a healthcare event is complicated in many ways. You have the medical part of it handled, but why not turn to an expert in event planning to handle the rest of it? Décor, food, entertainment, and swag bags might not be part of your expertise, but for an event planner, coming up with unique ideas for these things is just another day at the office. When you work with a corporate event planning service, you get the benefit of expertise earned through several years of experience in planning this type of function. By working with an event planner, you can bring your knowledge and vision to the table and trust that someone with complementary knowledge will bring that vision to life. You can then leave the event planning in capable hands, so that you can relax and focus on the things you do best. An event planner can help you choose the venue, and will have the relationships with vendors, entertainers, caterers, and event staff necessary to make your healthcare event a resounding success.
Trust Total Events DFW for Corporate Event Planning
If you want your event to be truly memorable, look to the company known for elevating events throughout the DFW Metroplex. Total Events DFW was built on decades of experience in the event planning business, when founder Renee Hart decided that she could bring something unique to the Dallas/Fort Worth event scene. No matter the purpose or size of your event, no matter your vision, we can help you make it into something exciting. We offer all-inclusive event planning, with a transparent, responsive team who will listen closely to your ideas, in order to provide guidance and recommendations tailored to meet your needs. If you already have a cohesive plan and just need us to fill in some gaps, we’ve got you covered there, too! Our à La Carte menu includes everything from event planning and coordination to décor and lighting to entertainment to event production to photography and videography and more. Interested in a theme party? We can do that, too. Our Casino parties bring the excitement of Vegas to your event, and our Texas Experience offers activities that are uniquely Texan in spirit. To learn more about all we have to offer, and start planning your event, contact us through our website.