Delivering a Seamless 135-Delegate Healthcare Conference in Sheffield

Bringing 135 healthcare professionals together for a conference involves plenty of moving parts. For this event in Sheffield, the brief called for a main plenary, four breakout rooms, exhibition space, catering, registration and speaker management, all working together to create a smooth experience for delegates.

High 5 Events supported a global nutrition company with the planning and delivery of the conference, taking care of the practical details before and during the event to help keep everything running to schedule.

The brief

The client needed a venue that could accommodate 130 delegates in cabaret style within the main plenary, alongside four breakout rooms with capacity for 35 delegates each.

There also needed to be a pre-function or adjoining space large enough for registration, catering and five exhibition stands.

Location and transport were important considerations, as was creating a smooth flow between the different parts of the conference. The programme included multiple front-of-room presentations and a buffet-style lunch, with a separate dinner arranged for staff and speakers.

With several different spaces and elements being used throughout the event, the venue needed to work as a whole rather than simply providing a large enough meeting room.

Finding the right setting in Sheffield

A centrally located venue in Sheffield was secured for the conference, making it straightforward for delegates to arrive and giving the event the combination of meeting and exhibition space required by the brief.

The pre-exhibition area provided enough room for all five exhibition stands alongside the food offering, with additional tables available in the main meeting room for delegates to use while eating.

This helped the different elements of the event sit comfortably alongside one another, from registration and presentations through to the exhibition and catering.

Making registration simple

With 135 people arriving for the conference, an efficient registration process was an important part of the delegate experience.

New registration scanners were used to allow delegates to present a QR code that had been sent to them in advance. Their badge could then be printed immediately when they arrived.

The result was a smooth check-in process with no queues, allowing delegates to move quickly from arrival into the event.

High 5 also ensured that every delegate and dietary requirement was accounted for, with clear and consistent communication sent to attendees ahead of the conference.

Managing speakers and the event programme

High 5 liaised directly with speakers to organise their travel and transfers, coordinating the practical arrangements from arrival through to departure.

The meeting room was prepared in advance, and throughout the conference the team worked closely with the hotel and speakers to keep the schedule on track.

Alongside the physical event, High 5 set up an event app to support the exhibition stands. Staff could use it to capture delegate data and gather questions as they were submitted, giving the client information they could use for follow-up after the conference.

These individual elements all contributed to the same objective: making the event straightforward for delegates, speakers and the client team.

Keeping the detail moving behind the scenes

Successful conference management is often about the details attendees never need to think about.

For this event, that meant coordinating room requirements, registration, catering, dietary information, speaker travel, transfers, exhibition activity and event technology while keeping communication clear throughout.

It also meant staying involved after the final session. Feedback forms were completed and returned to the client within 24 hours, together with summary highlights covering how the day had gone and what delegates had enjoyed most.

The result

The conference brought 135 delegates together in central Sheffield, with the spaces, registration process, speaker arrangements, catering and event technology coordinated around the day's programme.

Most importantly, the client’s feedback was simple and positive:

“Thank you for making the day run smoothly.” and “You were great, as always.”

For High 5, that is exactly what good conference management should feel like from the client’s perspective: organised, well coordinated and smooth from arrival through to follow-up.

High 5 Events supports organisations with the planning and delivery of conferences and corporate events, managing the details that help bring every element together. So if you’re planning a conference or corporate event… Speak to the High 5 Events team about how we can support your next event.