Conference

Definition: Conference means any interaction among people for conferring a particular topic. It is a form of meeting of a large group of people who come together to discuss common issues and activities.

In simple words, confer means consult. A conference, typically in a business, means a formal get-together of people having a common business objective or shared interest, organized to consult, advise or recommend. A firm organizes conferences regularly year after year, wherein representatives or spokespersons come together to exchange their views, discuss experiences and put together their ideas.

The participants may range from 50 to 500. Practically, business conferences are held in restaurants and hotel lobbies. However, organizations have a separate conference hall where meetings are held regularly.

In a nutshell, it is a consultative forum wherein the participants give their opinion on the topic under discussion.

Essentials of Effective Conference Meeting

• Objectives have to be defined clearly. Also, the subject and aim of the conference must be clearly explained.
• Preparation and distribution of the agenda beforehand is a must among the conferees.
• Conferees invited to the meeting must give their valuable suggestions in the discussion.
• The leader has to be competent, well-qualified, expert and experienced in the topic under discussion.
• The conference leader and the participants must make adequate preparation.
• The total number of conferees attending the conference must be limited to fifty.
• The facilities of the conference hall should be adequate and kept organized.
• Essential conference material should be prepared carefully and planned systematically to reduce last-minute hustle.
• Management should be interested in the conference discussion and conclusion.

Types of Conference

1. News Conference: Media event wherein newsmakers invite several journalists to ask questions.Its announcement can take place either by sending advisory or news releases to assignment editors of the specific media group. There are two main reasons for holding these conferences, these are:
   • To facilitate newsmakers with whom reporters ask too many questions, get a chance to answer them all in just one go.
   • To get the news coverage for a particular purpose to which the media has not paid attention.
2. Business Conference: A business event with several speakers that an associated company or individual organizes to discuss a grave issue, or business matter, create awareness about the product or service, announce reports on the company’s growth and share plans. Just like a news conference, the company’s public relations department announces these conferences. They do so by sending an advisory or news release to the assignment editor of the specific media group. These conferences are commonly held in hotel conference rooms or in the company’s own premises.
3. Academic Conference: Conference held for research scholars to present and discuss their research findings and work. The work is tied up in written form as academic papers and published as conference proceedings in such conferences. One or more main speakers present a lecture that continues for one hour. Further, it focuses on a particular subject or field of subjects. It is meant to display new theories, methods, are techniques in the respective field.

Examples

• Makeup Artist’s Conference
• Photographer’s Conference
• Paint Manufacturer’s Conference
• Press Conference
• Trade Union Conference

Importance

In this, the conferees attempt to identify what exactly the problem is. Defining a problem may appear easy at first, but the people attending the conference will learn the scope and factors of the problem.

The participants study the problem deeply and offer various suggestions that come to their minds. Regarding this, they gather helpful information and classify the facts. After filtering out the information relevant to decision-making, the participants eliminate the irrelevant information. Hence, the conferees suggest multiple solutions which facilitate finding the best decision.

However, inexperienced and ignorant conferees are also present at the conference, which offer suggestions on the basis of emotion.

Further, in the business world, conferences have educational value. It helps in changing the mindset, opinions and attitude of the participants.

Employees attending the conference start believing they are a part of the organization. It helps them to think effectively.

Pitfalls of Conferences

1. Not selecting the right venue for convening the conference and overlooking that the services are equally important as facilities.
2. Faulty financial management
3. Lack of attendance, i.e. only a handful of participants, may make it boring.
4. Information overload may ruin the entire conference as the speakers must give maximum information through their presentations.
5. The failure of most of the conferences results from people using it as a chance to talk with their colleagues resulting in poor involvement of the audience.

Advantages

• Exchange of views, ideas, and information.
• Speakers present different angles of a common problem.
• Management gets to meet and talk to groups like dealers, clients, trade union leaders etc.
• Expert speakers offer advice and clarify doubts to the delegates.
• Presentation of new developments and strategies.

Disadvantages

• Invitation of employees to a conference might backfire. This is because their self-importance will overshoot, and the management looks dependent on their views.
• Only employees who possess that level of understanding can actively participate in it.

A word from Business Jargons

A conference is a form of meeting which involves consulting and discussing for sharing experiences, thoughts, knowledge and opinions. For an uninterrupted and continuous conference functioning, systematic planning must be undertaken in advance. It should cover all important aspects, so it is always good to maintain a checklist. Further, a backup plan is necessary.