Hosting Conferences that Leave Lasting Impressions

Guest blog by Samantha Valente | Director of Events at The Star Sydney

Hosting a conference is no easy feat – between the formalities and content creation, through to the AV and lighting, leaving a lasting impression relies on much more than just seamless execution from your production team.

As Australia’s leading integrated entertainment destination, the team behind The Star Sydney’s multi-award-winning, world-class Event Centre knows a thing or two about managing conferences that live on well beyond lights out.

Recently awarded the Best In-house Event Management Team at the National MEA Awards, we’ve compiled our tips on how to create memorable conferencing experiences to help you leave a lasting impression following your next event…

1. Suss out your space

The physical space you choose for your event is important because it will dictate the overarching guest experience. A space should be comfortable, spacious, accessible and convenient, but it also needs to be flexible to facilitate a natural flow of activities.

Built on the rooftop of The Star Sydney with views over Sydney Harbour, The Star Event Centre maintains a flexible 1,077 square metre space with other generous capacities including:

• Standing room for 2,200 pax
• Banquet-style for 960 pax
• Cocktail receptions for 2,200 pax
• Theatre-style for 2,676 pax

Think that sounds too big for your event? We also offer the capability to split the main room, holding 706 pax and 504 pax theatre style, respectively on each side.

2. Customisation is key

The Star is well known for their commitment to menu customization – [Read more about that here: How to make a BIG impression at events with food]. We also strongly believe that customisation is key when it comes to organising a memorable conference.

Personalisation is the flavour of the year, and for good reason. Clients want a conference experience that is bespoke and tailored to their unique objectives and simply won’t settle for less.

To navigate this, The Star Event Centre is uniquely placed to offer clients unrivalled customisation, granting them access to signature restaurants, entertainment options and world-class AV, all under the one roof. Boasting a comprehensive understanding of these options, our in-house events team can expertly weave together the components to deliver a flawless event that exceeds expectations – for clients and their guests.

3. A team of passionate professionals is paramount

When it comes to preparing a spectacular conference, pay careful consideration to the people you employ to pull it together – after all, they can make or break it. Place your project in the hands of professionals who are passionate about delivering results that leave a lasting impression.

At The Star we believe that it’s people that underpin the success of all client conferences. We’re also committed to investing in our people through training and other career-boosting initiatives to ensure each event professional possesses a comprehensive understanding of the ever-changing industry.

The Star Event Planners are considered a trusted partner for the delivery of the most engaging events that truly wow clients and guests time and time again. They know that the most impressive conferences are the most carefully planned and will work with clients to make their ideas a reality and ensure set up, sponsor requirements, food, accommodation and the space are meticulously tailored to their needs.

4. Don’t let technology be your travesty

It should come as no surprise that a conference with seamless tech integration is an absolute must.

We’ve all been on the flip side of this. Think: dodgy speakers interrupting speeches or PowerPoint presentations that won’t load. The outcome of this is messy and often overshadows what might otherwise be a wonderful guest experience.

Our approach is to deliver a tech experience that is so seamless that it goes unnoticed. As one of Australia’s most technologically advanced venues, our team can alleviate any cause for concern. Equipped with industry-leading AV technology, including one of the largest high-resolution light-emitting diode (LED) screens in any event space in Sydney, it boasts an endless variety of visual event production and broadcast capability with high speed fibre links on-site, making it possible to broadcast anywhere in the world.

Guest post by Samantha Valente | Director of Events at The Star

An Event Specialist with 8 years’ experience in Event Management, Experiential & Brand Marketing and Venue Operations, Samantha has worked on major entertainment events such as the ARIA and AACTA’s Awards, as well as global brands like Microsoft and Activision. Currently leading a large team at The Star Sydney, implementing all event elements across property within our Restaurants, Bars and the multi-purposed Event Centre.