How does it feel to organise a conference?

I have often asked myself this question. I’ve walked into these big events, surrounded by tons of people, and wondered what makes all that possible and what the process behind it is! I recently had the privilege of joining the organising committee of the University of Manchester ITL Teaching and Learning Conference 2024. Throughout the process, I gained invaluable insights from reviewing paper submissions, planning sessions, and engaging with attendees. Here’s a glimpse into my journey and some reflections on what I learned.

Starting with the Basics: Time Management and Multitasking

In my opinion, the most important element to consider is time management. Balancing the myriad tasks that come with organising a conference can prove challenging! Particularly when you have a full-time job, finding time for extra activities can be difficult. Make sure you are able to commit! Prioritising tasks and creating a detailed timeline can really save you when dealing with multiple tasks at the same time. In my case, I ended up reviewing papers for the conference while being away at a different conference—what a challenge!

However, it’s not as bad as it sounds! If you feel that there is more than you can handle, speak to others and discuss a way to re-arrange your duties. Surround yourself with a reliable team and trust them to handle their parts. You don’t have to do it all alone!

The Submission Storm: Reviewing Papers

Ah, the paper review process! This process is similar to marking, in a sense. However, unlike coursework scripts that likely share similar topics and structures, conference submissions can vary greatly due to different formats and perspectives. Does it make it less tedious? Kind of! Reviewing hundreds of papers will be challenging, of course, but reading about interesting topics will make time flow quicker. In the end, it won’t be that bad and you will feel like you have learned something new! Each submission provides a unique perspective and potential contribution to the field. However, maintaining objectivity is essential and can be difficult! It’s easy to get swayed by a well-written introduction or an impressive set of data, but I learned to dig deeper and evaluate the core contributions, methodologies, and most importantly, relevance to the conference themes of each paper. Developing a set of criteria to guide the review process was probably the most important step in ensuring consistency and fairness.

It takes a while to complete the review, but in the end, you will be (or at least feel) wiser than when you started!

Building Relationships: Academics are Humans Too!

One of the most rewarding aspects of organising a conference is the opportunity to build relationships. Whether it’s connecting with keynote speakers, collaborating with co-organisers and session chairs, or interacting with attendees, the social aspect is, for me, one of the key strengths of the experience. Indeed, consistent and clear communication is essential. Keeping everyone informed and in the loop helps to prevent misunderstandings and ensures that the event—and all the steps pre-event—runs smoothly. This experience made me even more aware of the importance of being approachable and responsive. A quick reply to an email can show your excitement, and a friendly chat today may result in a great professional (or even personal) relationship tomorrow!

Prepare for the Unexpected: Flexibility and Problem-Solving

No matter how meticulously you plan, there will always be unexpected challenges. Maybe a speaker cancels at the last minute, or technology decides to take a day off (the odds of this one happening are about 999% based on personal statistics)! In these moments, flexibility and problem-solving skills are your best friends. I remember one particular moment when our session’s projector refused to cooperate. After a few moments of panic, we quickly restructured the schedule, adjusted the presenters’ timings, and managed to wrap the session in time for lunch! It wasn’t perfect, but the show must go on! And in all honesty, I believe the participants would have been more upset about missing the lunch break than rushing slightly through their sessions (I may be wrong though… never take for granted academics’ priorities!).

So, my takeaways: Stay calm, take it easy and slow, and always have a Plan B (and maybe a Plan C, D, E, and F)!

Sit Down, Keep Calm, and Chair Sessions!

Chairing sessions was the cherry on top of the conference cake. It’s where all the planning and hard work come together, and you get to see the magic happen in real time. Introducing speakers, managing Q&A sessions, and keeping everything on track is challenging but rewarding. You are timekeeping to ensure that the sessions run on schedule while trying to follow the presenters’ discussions (partly because you are interested in them and partly because you are the one required to keep the discussion going if there are no questions). At the same time, you are praying that IT doesn’t play any more tricks on you! That one-hour slot can easily feel longer due to your brain trying to multitask.

The most important takeaway? Think of yourself as a machine! Be present and engaged—but not too much, otherwise, you forget to keep the time! Focus on the time, but not too much, otherwise you miss what’s happening in the session. Pray for IT not to have any issues, but not too much, otherwise, you get detached from reality and forget what’s happening around you! So, basically, be a machine and multitask, sharing equally your attention and senses across all the tasks (good luck with this one!).

Reflecting Back and Moving Forward

Looking back, organising this conference was a mix of emotions—excitement, stress, joy, and relief. Each experience, from the initial planning stages to the closing plenary, was valuable for me. Time management, submission reviews, effective communication with peers and participants, flexibility and adaptability, and active engagement are skills that extend beyond conference organising and I believe will benefit me in my everyday life.

Would I do it again? Absolutely! Despite the challenges, the satisfaction of seeing a successful event and the impact it has on the community is immensely rewarding. Plus, there’s always something new to learn and ways to improve.

So, to anyone out there considering taking on the challenge of organising a conference, I say go for it! Experience the process, learn from the challenges, and most importantly, enjoy the ride! And don’t forget—it also looks good on your CV! 😊

If you are interested in being part of the University of Manchester ITL Teaching and Learning Conference committee for 2025, please get in touch with the team at teaching.learning@manchester.ac.uk.

Alternatively, take a look at our conference minisite

Enjoyed the read? Follow Pietro for more on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietro-paolo-frigenti/.

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