Scenario:

You were just hired as a Project Manager at _____ (make up the name). They are an IT Company and they have decided that they want to host a conference for their resellers and customers next year. They used to host these conferences annually, but they have not had one in a while since Covid-19, and they cannot find any of the project paperwork or planning from prior conferences so you are starting from scratch planning this conference. Your first task as a new Project Manager is to plan the entire event. You have a core team of employees to help you with the event planning, but this is a highly visible event and its success rests on your shoulders.

You need to make up your companys name, conference title, conference purpose, and all the conference details, but listed below are the minimum requirements:

Conference Requirements:

Hosted in a different state from your company, so it requires travel coordination.

o Consider travel for company employees who will be working the conference and travel for the attendees

Most likely attendees will make their own travel plans but you need to make this clear in the documentation

Usually, conferences reserve blocks of rooms at a host hotel or hotels for employees and attendees

It must be a multi-day conference

It must include a mix of speakers, entertainment, events, and meals

o For example, the last conference I attended was a 3-day conference in Las Vegas and it included the following:

speakers on three different tracks (so 3 speakers each hour of the day)

a keynote speaker to kick off the conference

a keynote speaker to end the conference

breakfast and snacks every day of the conference

one lunch at which they host an awards ceremony

a meet and greet social the first evening with door prizes

a hosted concert on the second evening

the check-in desk was staffed all three days, for late arrivals

a medical station to conduct Covid testing if the attendee did not have proof of vaccination

a staffed information station to assist attendees with issues during the conference

two host hotels with rooms blocked out with special conference rates

special discount coupons for local restaurants specifically for conference attendees

Note: Please be sure your project is unique not the same as one that might be found online or from another person who is/was in this course.

To get you started, I have brainstormed the following potential major milestones. This is just a partial list your milestones will be dependent on your project.

Pre-Event Milestones (in random order)

o Event Location Contracted

o Host Hotel(s) Contracted

o Transportation Contracted (if you are providing this)

o Speakers Contracted

o Vendors Contacted for Vendor Hall

o Entertainment Contracted

o Caterer (Food or Meals) Contracted

o Event(s) Contracted

o Check-in staffed

o Medical Station contracted

o Check-in Area Staffing Schedule Completed

o Medical Station Staffing Schedule Completed

o Audio Video Support Staff Scheduled

o AV Needs Planned

o Giveaways, badges, etc. Obtained

o Marketing Completed

o Registration Completed

Setup Milestones (in random order)

o Conference Area Set up

o Presenters Lounge Set up

o Vendor Hall Set up

o Check-in Area Set up

o Medical Station Set up

o AV Set up

During Event Milestones (in random order)

o Day #1 Completed

o Day #2 Completed

o Day #3 Completed

Note: You can add additional milestones like Keynote Completed, Awards Lunch Completed, etc.

After Event Milestones

o Conference Area Cleaned up

o Check in area Cleaned up

o Medical station Cleaned up

o Vendor Hall Cleaned up

o All final bills paid

o Project closeout completed