What steps can you take to ensure adequate technology infrastructure at your next conference?

1 Assess your needs

The first step is to assess your needs and expectations for technology infrastructure at your conference. What are your goals and objectives for the conference? What are the formats and modes of delivery for your sessions? How many speakers and attendees do you expect? What are the technical requirements and preferences of your audience and stakeholders? How much budget and staff do you have for technology infrastructure? Answering these questions will help you define the scope and scale of your technology infrastructure needs and prioritize the most important and urgent aspects.

2 Choose your platform and tools

The next step is to choose your platform and tools for technology infrastructure. Depending on your needs and budget, you may opt for a ready-made solution, such as a conference management system, a webinar platform, or a social networking app, or you may customize your own solution, using a combination of software, hardware, and cloud services. Some factors to consider when choosing your platform and tools are: functionality, compatibility, accessibility, security, reliability, scalability, and user-friendliness. You should also test and evaluate your platform and tools before the conference to ensure they meet your expectations and standards.

3 Plan your backup and contingency

The third step is to plan your backup and contingency for technology infrastructure. No matter how well you prepare, technology can fail or malfunction at any time, causing disruptions and frustrations for your conference. Therefore, you should have a backup and contingency plan for every possible scenario, such as power outage, internet outage, equipment failure, software glitch, cyberattack, or human error. Your backup and contingency plan should include: alternative devices, networks, platforms, and tools; backup data and files; emergency contacts and procedures; and communication channels and protocols.

4 Train your team and speakers

The fourth step is to train your team and speakers on technology infrastructure. Your team and speakers are the key users and facilitators of technology infrastructure at your conference. They need to be familiar with the platform and tools that you have chosen, as well as the backup and contingency plan that you have prepared. You should provide them with adequate training, guidance, and support on how to use, troubleshoot, and optimize technology infrastructure. You should also conduct rehearsals and simulations with your team and speakers before the conference to ensure they are confident and comfortable with technology infrastructure.

5 Monitor and troubleshoot

The fifth step is to monitor and troubleshoot technology infrastructure during the conference. Even with the best planning and training, technology infrastructure can encounter issues or challenges during the conference. You need to monitor and troubleshoot technology infrastructure continuously and proactively, using various methods and tools, such as feedback forms, surveys, analytics, dashboards, logs, and alerts. You should also have a dedicated team or person who is responsible for technology infrastructure support and assistance, and who can quickly and effectively resolve any problems or complaints.