The ABC's of Conference Planning

Looking for a how-to book aimed at planning religious conferences? The Christian Conference Planner has tapped the experience of 24 meeting planners around the country to provide a book full of advice and how-to information on planning all kinds of events-from retreats to annual meetings, seminars and workshops.

Published by Summitstar Press and written by Angela Yee, service and communications pastor at Bridges Community Church, Freemont, California, the 242-page soft-cover book promises practical, easy-to-follow advice for dealing with and surmounting the “unique challenges” Christian organizations face in planning events.

“Christian conferences and retreats have a special twist to them: 1) limited financial resources and 2) primarily being run by volunteers. This book was written with those needs in mind,” writes Yee in the introduction pages. She adds that the other difference in planning Christian conferences is the emphasis on the spiritual. “This book approaches conference planning from a foundation of prayer and a reliance on God.”
There are chapters on concept development, planning timetables, coordinating staff, determining site requirements, working on-site, menu planning, speakers, audiovisual and other technical needs, transportation, exhibits, registration, marketing, crisis management, and post-meeting procedures. A chapter on prayer looks at ways to integrate prayer into the program and to recruit prayer partners.

The book does include some samples of forms and templates. However, a companion book, The Christian Conference Planner Toolkit, also written by Yee, offers a much more in-depth selection. The 304-page softcover book includes 200 document samples. These range from spreadsheets that track and calculate budgets to site-inspection checklists, speaker forms, and exhibit management forms. The book comes with a CD-ROM with all the forms and templates. Purchase both books in a $49.99 combo pack, or buy one for $34.99. For more information on purchasing, visit www.summistarpress.com