How to Solo Organize a Conference as a Solopreneur (Part 4 – The Finale)

Editor's note: Venture Chronicles began as a video series where I share the lessons I'm learning while building Social Impact World. Now, as a LinkedIn newsletter, Venture Chronicles offers a deeper, more detailed exploration of these insights.

Don't miss part one, two, and three of my "How to Solo Organize a Conference as a Solopreneur" series.

Sometimes, you just have to DIY it.

This the mindset I had going into the inaugural Social Impact World Forum (SIW Forum).

After all, I was trying to solo organize a full scale conference on a shoestring budget. I had to get creative to keep expenses low, while still giving attendees an experience that would make them want to attend again.

Here are some of the things I DIYed to bring the SIW Forum to life.

Decor

Let's start with decor.

I didn't get too fancy for the inaugural conference.

While decor certainly helps with the event experience, it's a smaller part of the overall equation.

I opted to keep decor simple and focus more energy on the content and putting together an incredible lineup of speakers.

It did, however, help to have a venue that had a nice layout and plenty of equipment to use, such as furniture.

Cowell Theater, tucked away in Fort Mason in San Francisco, sits right on the waterfront with a clear view of the Golden Gate Bridge. For out-of-town visitors, chef's kiss—it couldn’t have been a more perfect setting.

The large windows, which let in plenty of natural light, and the building’s natural architecture served as decor in itself. There wasn't a need to go overboard.

The only thing I needed to do was dress up the stage a bit.

I knew I wanted to add some greenery to the stage to go along with the banners I created. About a week before the conference, I was looking at some stage setups to get an idea of how I wanted mine to look. I stumbled on a photo of a setup that inspired me.

Off to my local Home Goods I went.

Luckily, they had several fake plants that I could use to bring some "liveliness" (fake plants count ??) to the stage and make it feel cozier.

It wasn't perfect, but it got the job done.

Lesson I: If you're working with a shoestring budget, there’s no need to go overboard on decor. Attendees care more about content and connections, so focus your energy on these two aspects.

Monitors and accessories for exhibitor tables

The SIW Forum had several sponsors who required monitors at their exhibitor tables.

At the time, I did what any conference organizer would do, I reached out to a local vendor to see if they could provide the equipment. However, they were going to charge $1,700 to bring the equipment, set everything up, and retrieve the items after the conference.

In most cases, $1,700 is reasonable. But I was on a budget.

Besides, setting up monitors isn't rocket science. I do it all the time.

So I got resourceful.

I decided to purchase three monitors, three monitor stands, and laptop adapters. The grand total was less than $450.

During our load-in day (the day before the conference), I loaded up my SUV, drove to the venue, and set the monitors up myself.

I saved $1,250 by DIYing it.

Lesson I: Some tasks are worth DIYing, while others aren’t. If it’s something within your area of expertise and you’ve done it before, don’t outsource it unless it’s going to save you a significant amount of time or you simply don’t want to do it.

Conference badges and signage

When a conference needs banners or badges, typically an organizer will work with a designer.

I didn't do this.

Instead, I did it myself.

The reason I did it myself is because I actually enjoy the design process and am proficient with tools like Adobe Illustrator.

Sure, a professional designer could've created something 10 times better than what I made. But, like the decor, these details weren’t as important. I was willing to forgo a fancier design for something that got the job done.

Here's an example of one of the banners I designed:

The San Francisco silhouette is my favorite part.

And here's an example of the badge using the same silhouette to tie everything together:

Several attendees even complimented the badge design.

As someone who isn't a professional designer, this was a proud moment.

Wrapping up

Solo organizing a conference isn't easy, but it can be done.

The key to achieving this, as I've learned firsthand, comes down to a few factors:

1. Give yourself enough time in the planning process. The ideal timeframe is 6 months to a year. This allows you plenty of time to secure a venue, get sponsors on board, find speakers, and complete all the smaller tasks. While you can work on a shorter timeline like I did, it can lead to unnecessary stress.
2. Build a stellar team to help on the day of the conference. While you can solo organize a conference from ideation to execution, you can’t do it alone on the day of the event. There are too many moving parts and details to consider. Whether you find volunteers (Ideally, you should compensate these individuals or ensure it’s worth their while if you can’t.) or hire a staffing agency, you need people to assist you on the day of the conference to take responsibilities off your shoulders.
3. Keep it simple. You don’t have to be fancy, especially when it’s your first conference. It’s easy to fall into the trap of envying conferences like Dreamforce and their elaborate setups. The reality is that their budget is astronomical. While it’s great to have aspirations, focus on keeping things simple and providing attendees with an amazing experience. You don’t need a big budget to achieve this.

As I wrap-up of this "How to Solo Organize a Conference as a Solopreneur" series, I hope it inspires you to take the leap of faith and create a conference of your own if you’ve been thinking about it.

While solo organizing events has its challenges, it's deeply rewarding to see something that was once just an idea turn into reality.

If you haven't read part part one, two, or three in this series, be sure to check them out.