We take you through the planning for your mega business conference in Mumbai. Just follow the guide below.
City of Dreams. Financial Capital. These are just two of the many popular terms that describe Mumbai, the city that drives a large part of the country’s economy. It is no surprise that Mumbai is also the site of many business events and conferences. The city’s biggest hotels are often booked for large conventions.
If you are planning a business conference in Mumbai, you certainly have your work cut out for you. So we’ve compiled a handy guide for you to follow:
* Book early.
Most of the good venues in Mumbai are booked months in advance. So you must book a venue at least four months prior to the event. Along with the venue, you will also need to book rooms and suites for speakers and delegates at a good business hotel near the airport. We recommend booking The Leela Mumbai – it’s close to both the domestic and international airports, it has excellent facilities for conferences, and you can book rooms and suites too.
* Arrange flight tickets, transportation and room booking.
You can now move on to the mammoth task of scheduling. This involves getting flight dates for speakers and panellists, booking their tickets, getting a confirmation on the number of outstation delegates, etc. Next, you must arrange for ground transport to pick the attendees up from the airport. Picking a hotel near the Mumbai airport is a good idea since the attendees will not have to travel far after arrival in the city. You can now book sufficient rooms and suites for all attendees.
* Estimate the size of the event and its date.
Conferences should not be scheduled for weekends. A conference is a work-related activity, and it must be held on a weekday. If possible, book the conference for Thursday and/or Friday, which lets outstation attendees tour the city on the following weekend. Based on the number of attendees, the programme schedule and types of activities, you can choose a large banquet hall or a mid-sized one.
* Anticipate costs and sponsorships.
You cannot have a final figure for the costs the conference will incur, at this stage. But you must certainly have a ballpark figure to work with. The business hotel that you book can help you with the costing, since they offer the conference facilities as well as rooms and suites. Add costs for transport, last minute changes to schedule and gifts/mementos for the attendees. Another area to consider is the branding for the event. Make sure to include on-site activities that promote the sponsors’ interests.
* Make a technical checklist.
Check the conference room’s furniture, stage and backdrop, standee space, banner space, refreshments table, audio-visual equipment, etc. You and your team must test each microphone, charging point, Wi-Fi connectivity, projectors and screens, light points, etc. Make a snag list of items that you need to buy or which the hotel needs to provide on the day of the event.
* Check for parking.
You might have some associates and attendees driving in from Mumbai. The hotel must provide free parking for them. Similarly, hired transportation for outstation attendees must be suitably parked for the duration of the conference. If enough parking is not available at the venue, make sure to link the transport team with the nearest municipal car park.
* Decide the menu and general entertainment.
The business hotel near the airport will provide catering, but you must still decide the menu. Have a good mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, as well as options for continental food. Besides the food, you will need to hire filler entertainment acts like stand-up comedians or dancers once the conference is over.
With meticulous planning and the right business hotel near the airport, your conference is sure to be a huge success.
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