Planning and organizing an annual conference

Holding a successful conference year after year constitutes a hallmark of excellence for a professional society. While many factors contribute to the success of such a meeting, a key factor is careful planning and organization. To aid the first-time conference chairperson, this paper describes a systematic approach to conference planning and organization: (1) making preliminary analyses and assessments; (2) obtaining the agreement of cosponsors; (3) selecting key conference officers; (4) organizing conference committees; (5) selecting the conference site, hotel, and dates; (6) developing the conference master plan; (7) following through and implementing planning decisions; (8) anticipating and managing contingencies; and (9) coordinating post-conference activities. Using a systematic approach simplifies the task and makes it possible to run an annual meeting successfully.