1. Define Your Focus

Too many leadership conferences are "vanilla", lacking a specific focus. Choose a key goal and make sure it is widely circulated BEFORE the program begins. Ask all speakers to keep the Desired Outcome in mind during their preparation and stay focused throughout the conference. Example: "What Do We Do Now That Homecoming Is Over?" Leadership Conference.

2. Know Your Participants' Goals

Be sure to send a needs assessment questionnaire with the registration materials in order to clarify the goals of those attending. Again, use the responses to help set and maintain a focus throughout the conference. Incorporate these goals into your curriculum and general sessions.

3. Remember That Change is Good

Get out of "Filetrap" mode (looking up what you did last year and repeating with a different theme). Change your schedule. Add new components. Instead of "Keynote, seminar, seminar, lunch, seminar, seminar, seminar... , try adding mixers, keynote, seminar, school meeting, and swap shop. Be daring and go beyond the norm.

4. Evaluate Your Conference Materials Carefully

Do you recall surveying meeting rooms after past conferences and finding all the folders and handouts that were left on tables, chairs and floors? The packet you hand out needs to be worth keeping or you will see a great deal of money wasted. Encourage your presenters to create handouts that students write in. Or, if the presenter has a publication, it may be more effective to provide a copy of the book, workbook or audio cassette to each delegate instead of xeroxed handouts.

5. Have a "Mixer"

Set the tone for your conference by starting with a mixer. Make sure to select a format that encourages structured interaction among the delegates. Have name tags and plenty of food, and be sure to have adequate space. Your goal is to make sure everyone feels like an integral part of the conference before it even begins.

6. Fully Utilize Your Keynote Speaker

Use your keynote speaker to weave a common thread throughout the conference. If possible, have the speaker teach an advisor session or present a seminar during the conference and then participate in a closing ceremony. Your students will especially appreciate any additional opportunity to interact directly with the guest speaker.

7. Include an Advisors' Program

Make sure to offer a program that will be of special interest to your Activity Directors. Provide skills training that addresses the challenges they face back at school. Possible workshops include Time Management, Conflict Management or Situational Leadership workshops. You may want to consider offering training in a skill that can be shared with their students.

8. Schedule an Idea Exchange

Always include some sort of "swap shop" session in your schedule. Consider a format which allows students and advisors to share ideas. Having a table topic discussion during lunch is one way of fitting an information sharing session into your conference. Each table would have a specific topic. Advisors can have tables with topics that relate to their specific needs.

9. Videotape Your Conference

Videotape can be used for review or renewed motivation as students get further from the event and begin to lose focus. It is also a great way to create a promotional tape for future conferences and also to garner support from businesses.

10. Turn Students into Teachers

Finally, have your students give a "mini-seminar" to their classmates when they return from the conference. You can expect students to pay more attention and take better notes when they know they will be responsible for re-teaching the information to their peers. You also reinforce messages of leadership and community responsibility by having your students carry the messages of the conference to those who were not in attendance.