Conference Planning Checklist: 6 Months Out to the Day After

A conference planning checklist breaks the work into stages: at six months you fix the date, venue, budget and team; at four months you open the call for papers and start selling sponsorships; at two months you publish the agenda and push promotion; in the final weeks you lock logistics; and the day after you thank people, report to sponsors and close the budget. Use the stages below as a starting point and adapt the timing to your event’s size; a small community meetup needs less lead time, a multi-day conference with international speakers needs more.

6 months out: foundations

Concept and team

Define the event’s purpose, audience and format (one day, two days, tracks, workshops).
Choose a name and check that the domain and social handles are available.
Name the core team and owners: content, sponsors, production, marketing, volunteers, finance.
Agree on how decisions are made and where the team communicates (one group chat, one shared folder).

Date and venue

Check the local calendar: public holidays, school vacations, elections, major local events and other conferences in your niche.
Visit at least two venues. Check capacity, rooms, internet, power, accessibility, location and transport.
Ask about what is included: audio, screens, furniture, cleaning, security, catering exclusivity.
Reserve the venue with a written agreement and a clear cancellation policy.

Budget

Draft a budget with cost lines, revenue sources and a contingency reserve. See our conference budget template.
Decide ticket pricing strategy (free, paid, early bird, student).
Decide how you will receive money and issue invoices, in which currency.

Online presence

Publish a pre-launch page with the date, city and a waitlist.
Set up social media accounts and an email address for the event.

5 months out: content and sponsors

Invite keynote speakers. Confirm travel arrangements and what you cover.
Write and open the call for papers: topics, formats, dates, what speakers get.
Prepare the sponsorship deck and packages.
Build a target list of sponsors and start outreach.
Contact potential media partners and community partners.
Write a code of conduct.

4 months out: momentum

Promote the call for papers in communities, universities and partner channels.
Follow up with sponsors; schedule calls with interested ones.
Get quotes for audio-visual, catering, printing, photography and video.
Open registration or ticket sales, if you are charging.
Announce the first confirmed speakers.
Start a regular content calendar on social media.

3 months out: selection and structure

Close the call for papers and review with your committee.
Send acceptance, waitlist and rejection emails on the promised date.
Confirm speakers and collect bios, photos and final abstracts.
Book flights and hotels for travelling speakers; prices usually rise as the date approaches.
Sign media partnership agreements with clear deliverables.
Recruit volunteers and define their roles.
Decide on influencer partnerships and accreditation rules, if any.

2 months out: agenda and promotion

Publish the full agenda by day and room.
Publish all speakers on the website and in the event app.
Close remaining sponsor deals and collect logos and brand guidelines.
Confirm catering menu, including dietary options.
Confirm audio-visual requirements: microphones, screens, recording, streaming.
Design badges, banners, signage and stage screens.
Plan the attendee journey: registration desk, signage, coffee areas, sponsor booths.
Increase promotion: speaker spotlights, partner posts, community reminders.

1 month out: lock it down

Send printing orders with enough time for corrections.
Confirm all suppliers in writing, with arrival times and contacts.
Send speakers their guide: venue, arrival time, slide format, contact.
Send sponsors their guide: booth size, setup times, power, internet, deliveries.
Brief media partners and influencers: passes, interview opportunities, filming rules.
Train volunteers and share the run-of-show.
Prepare a contingency plan: speaker cancellation, power cut, internet failure, rain if outdoors.
Check permits, insurance and venue requirements that apply in your city.

1 week out

Send a reminder to registered attendees with address, schedule and what to bring.
Confirm final catering numbers.
Reconfirm speaker flights and pickup times.
Test the website, app and agenda on mobile.
Prepare the registration desk: badge lists, printers, extra lanyards.
Make a list of emergency contacts: venue, suppliers, medical services, team leads.
Prepare slides for the opening, sponsor thank-yous and housekeeping announcements.

The day before

Visit the venue for setup: stage, screens, sound check, signage, booths.
Test the internet with many devices, not just one laptop.
Load all speakers’ slides on the stage computer, with backups.
Brief the team and volunteers one last time.
Charge radios, phones and batteries.
Sleep.

Event day

Team arrives early; final walk-through.
Registration opens on time with enough staff.
Stage manager keeps sessions on schedule.
One person handles speakers, one handles sponsors, one handles the media.
Photographer captures speakers, sponsors’ booths and branded areas.
Post live updates on social media.
Monitor problems and solve them quietly.
Thank sponsors, partners, speakers and volunteers from the stage.

The day after

Send thank-you messages to speakers, sponsors, partners, media, influencers and volunteers.
Send a short survey to attendees while the event is fresh.
Share photos and, when ready, recordings.
Collect links to all coverage and posts.
Pay suppliers and record every expense.

Two weeks after

Send each sponsor a report with photos and the numbers you can measure.
Close the budget with actual figures.
Hold a team retrospective: what worked, what did not, what to change.
Ask key sponsors and partners about the next edition.
Announce the next date if you have it, and keep the waitlist open.

Tips for using this checklist

Assign an owner to every item. A checklist without owners is a wish list.
Work backwards from fixed dates. Printing, flights and visas have hard deadlines.
Keep it in one shared place where the whole team sees status.
Adapt for your city. Smaller cities may have fewer suppliers, so book them earlier; capitals may have more competing events.

BuildAConf covers several items on this list in one place: a pre-launch page with a waitlist, the event website and installable app, the call for papers, the agenda, and proposals to sponsors and partners. Create your event for free at buildaconf.com.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should I start planning a conference?

For a one- or two-day conference with a few hundred attendees, around six months is a comfortable lead time. Large events or those with international speakers and corporate sponsors benefit from starting earlier; small community events can be organized faster.

What is the most commonly forgotten item?

Internet capacity and power for attendees, sponsors and streaming. Test with many devices at once during setup, and ask the venue for a dedicated line if streaming or workshops depend on it.

When should the agenda be published?

As soon as it is stable, ideally around two months before the event. A published agenda helps ticket sales, gives sponsors confidence and lets travelling attendees plan.

What should I do the day after the event?

Thank everyone involved, send a short attendee survey, share photos, collect coverage links and pay suppliers. Then, within two weeks, report to sponsors and close the budget with real numbers.