Event and Conference Management Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Event Managers, Conference Coordinators and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-TH-025

Before you join: Participants should have practical exposure to events, conferences, hospitality operations, marketing campaigns or project coordination.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Conferences, trade events, leadership forums and incentive meetings succeed only when commercial aims, attendee experience and live delivery are controlled together. A weak brief, unrealistic budget, poorly defined supplier obligations or an untested contingency can turn a valuable gathering into financial loss, reputational damage and frustrated delegates. Event managers must make decisions early, coordinate specialists with competing priorities, and retain control when registrations, speakers, venues or production requirements change. This course addresses that operational and commercial discipline.

Participants work through the event life cycle, from the charter and feasibility case to programme design, venue sourcing, supplier contracting, budgeting, marketing, registration, production and post-event reporting. They use stakeholder maps, RACI matrices, work-breakdown structures, critical-path schedules, risk registers and run-of-show documentation to turn a concept into an executable plan. The course also covers sponsorship inventory, ticket yield, accessibility, sustainable procurement, incident response, data notices and live event control. By the end, participants can assess an event proposal, build a defensible budget, direct suppliers and measure whether stated objectives were achieved.

It is delivered instructor-led over five days, in classrooms in more than 50 cities or live online. Instruction combines focused briefings with cases drawn from association congresses, corporate conferences, public-sector forums and destination events. Teams interpret changing requirements, compare venue and supplier options, prepare operational documents, and respond to realistic delivery issues such as a delayed speaker, queue congestion or an audiovisual failure. Each participant develops an event management pack for a current or planned event: charter, budget, stakeholder map, risk register, critical path and evaluation plan. The course suits professionals who already support events and now need responsibility for planning, procurement or delivery. It is equally useful to venue and tourism teams working with event clients.

What you will be able to do

  • Develop an event charter with scope, objectives, governance and success measures
  • Assess event feasibility using market demand, risk, financial and operational criteria
  • Design conference programmes and participant journeys for defined audience segments
  • Prepare venue and supplier selection documents using weighted evaluation criteria
  • Construct an event budget, break-even model and cash-flow schedule
  • Create critical-path schedules, run-of-show documents and event-control checklists
  • Apply ISO 20121 principles, risk registers and incident response procedures
  • Produce a post-event evaluation report with performance measures and improvement actions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Confidence to own an event from brief through post-event reporting
  • A defensible approach to venue, supplier and sponsorship decisions
  • Stronger control of budgets, deposits, contingencies and ticket revenue
  • Practical documentation for managing live event teams and suppliers
  • Evidence for progression into event manager or conference producer roles

For your organisation

  • Better event approval decisions before funds and contracts are committed
  • Reduced cost overruns through structured budgeting, change control and contingency planning
  • More consistent delegate experiences across conferences, forums and client events
  • Clearer supplier accountability through defined scopes, service levels and RACI assignments
  • Usable event data for measuring attendance, satisfaction, revenue and business outcomes

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can define an event's purpose, scope, stakeholders and governance arrangements.

  • Event purpose statements linked to organisational, visitor and destination objectives
  • Stakeholder mapping using power-interest grids and influence planning
  • Conference formats matched to audience needs, content and interaction goals
  • EMBOK domains used to frame event-management responsibilities
  • Event charters defining scope, success measures, exclusions and governance
  • Host-city and venue choices tested against strategic fit

Participants can determine whether an event proposal is commercially and operationally viable.

  • Market demand estimates built from audience segments and registration intent
  • SWOT analysis distinguishes commercial opportunity, operational constraints and competitive threats
  • Feasibility assumptions documented for attendance, pricing, sponsorship and delivery
  • Go/no-go criteria set through financial, reputational and operational thresholds
  • Business cases compare expected benefits, costs, risks and alternatives
  • Approval gates align sponsors, owners and delivery-accountability decisions

Participants can design a conference programme and participant journey for target audiences.

  • Participant journey maps identify arrival, session, networking and departure moments
  • Agenda architecture balances learning objectives, energy curves and transition time
  • Content tracks structured by persona, seniority, interest and decision needs
  • Speaker briefs specify outcomes, timing, format, accessibility and technical requirements
  • Networking formats selected for purposeful introductions and measurable connections
  • Room-set plans match session methods, sightlines, circulation and capacity

Participants can source venues and suppliers using clear evaluation and accountability methods.

  • Venue request-for-proposal documents define capacities, dates, services and commercial terms
  • Site inspections assess access, back-of-house flow, loading and emergency exits
  • Supplier selection matrices score capability, price, reliability and sustainability evidence
  • Service-level agreements specify deliverables, acceptance criteria and escalation routes
  • RACI matrices assign client, venue, agency and supplier accountabilities
  • Change-control logs record scope, cost, approval and contractual implications

Participants can prepare and manage an event budget, revenue model and cash-flow schedule.

  • Work-breakdown structures convert event scope into costed procurement packages
  • Event budgets separate fixed, variable, contingency and recoverable costs
  • Break-even analysis tests delegate volumes, ticket yields and sponsorship income
  • Cash-flow schedules align deposits, milestone payments, registrations and settlement dates
  • Sponsorship inventories price branding, content, hospitality and data rights
  • Budget variance reports trigger corrective action before committed costs increase

Participants can plan event marketing, registration journeys and responsible delegate data handling.

  • Target personas guide value propositions, messages, channels and conversion paths
  • Marketing calendars sequence launch, early-bird, speaker and closing communications
  • Registration journeys reduce abandonment through clear choices, payment and confirmation
  • UTM conventions track campaign sources, media and registration conversion
  • CRM segmentation manages delegates, prospects, speakers, sponsors and VIPs
  • Data notices address consent, retention, access and sharing decisions

Participants can coordinate the schedules, production requirements and floor operations of an event.

  • Critical-path schedules connect programme, production, supplier and marketing dependencies
  • Run-of-show documents sequence cues, owners, timings and contingency actions
  • Production meetings coordinate staging, audiovisual, lighting, sound and connectivity
  • Floor plans control registration, queues, catering, exhibits and crowd movement
  • Load-in schedules coordinate deliveries, credentials, build windows and venue access
  • Daily briefing rhythms align front-of-house, production and client teams

Participants can identify, control and communicate event risks while addressing accessibility and sustainability.

  • ISO 20121 principles inform sustainable event objectives and procurement decisions
  • Risk registers score likelihood, impact, controls, owners and review dates
  • Incident response plans define command roles, communications and escalation thresholds
  • Emergency procedures coordinate evacuation, medical response, safeguarding and reporting
  • Accessibility audits address mobility, sensory, dietary, language and digital needs
  • Supplier waste plans reduce materials, food loss and disposal costs

Participants can manage live event operations, communications and service recovery decisions.

  • Command-centre protocols coordinate decisions, communications, logs and status reporting
  • Event-control checklists verify readiness before doors open to delegates
  • Radio discipline uses call signs, priority rules and closed-loop communication
  • Service recovery methods resolve queues, room changes, complaints and missed sessions
  • Speaker management covers green-room schedules, briefing, transport and stage calls
  • Real-time dashboards monitor arrivals, attendance, incidents, spending and satisfaction

Participants can evaluate event results and prepare evidence-based improvement actions.

  • Kirkpatrick evaluation levels distinguish reaction, learning, behaviour and results
  • Post-event surveys measure satisfaction, Net Promoter Score and content relevance
  • Attendance data compares registrations, no-shows, dwell time and session demand
  • Stakeholder debriefs capture supplier performance, issues, decisions and lessons
  • Event reports reconcile objectives, budget, risks, outcomes and recommendations
  • 90-day action plans assign improvements, owners, milestones and review measures

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Event charter template
  2. Venue and supplier evaluation matrix
  3. Event budget and break-even model
  4. Critical-path and run-of-show templates
  5. Event risk register and incident response checklist
  6. Post-event evaluation and improvement plan

Who should attend

  • Event Managers — need structured methods for planning and delivering complex events
  • Conference Coordinators — require control of suppliers, schedules and delegate experience
  • Tourism and Destination Officers — develop business events that support destination objectives
  • Hospitality Managers — coordinate venues, service teams and client event requirements
  • Marketing Managers — connect event promotion, registration performance and audience data
  • Corporate Communications Officers — manage leadership forums, stakeholder meetings and public events

Skills and tools covered

Event feasibility analysisConference programme designVenue sourcingEvent budget controlLive event operationsPost-event evaluation

Tools and standards

ISO 20121, EMBOK, RACI matrix, Kirkpatrick Model

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short instructor briefings to introduce methods, followed by case work based on conferences, corporate meetings and destination events. Group exercises apply event charters, supplier matrices, budgets, critical paths and risk registers to realistic planning decisions. Simulations address live issues including speaker changes, crowd flow, technical faults and incident escalation. Participants use application planning to adapt course documents to a current or proposed event. A certificate of completion is issued to participants who complete the course.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have practical exposure to events, conferences, hospitality operations, marketing campaigns or project coordination. They should understand basic workplace budgeting, supplier communication and spreadsheet use, and be ready to work with event documents such as agendas, quotations and registration reports. Prior responsibility for an entire event is not required. No formal event management qualification, specialist production knowledge, financial modelling qualification or prior knowledge of ISO 20121 is required. The course explains the event-specific methods before applying them.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should have some exposure to events, hospitality, marketing, communications or project coordination. You do not need a formal qualification or previous responsibility for an entire conference.

Bring a laptop if possible and details of a current or planned event, such as a brief, budget, agenda or supplier quotation. Course templates are provided, so no specialist software or production equipment is needed.

It is designed for professionals who support or manage conferences, meetings, exhibitions, forums, incentive events and destination events. It is particularly useful for people moving from coordination into wider planning, procurement or delivery responsibility.

This course applies project controls to the distinct realities of live events: delegate journeys, venue operations, speakers, registration, sponsorship, production and event-day control. It also addresses safety, accessibility, supplier scopes and post-event measurement.

Participants leave with an event management pack that can be adapted to their own event. The documents support approval discussions, supplier briefings, budget reviews, live delivery meetings and post-event reporting.

Each training day runs from 08:30 to 16:30 and provides about 6.5 contact hours, for approximately 32.5 contact hours overall. The ten modules progress from event strategy and feasibility through planning, delivery control and evaluation.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

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