Plan your conference programme
You build a conference programme and need it to fit the venue with no speaker double-booked.
…
The short answer
Enter your event days with the venue-use window for each, your sessions and breaks with their durations, tracks and speakers, and a changeover buffer. The planner lays out the programme day by day and track by track with a start and end time for every item.
It flags a speaker booked in two overlapping items. If a day runs past the venue window, it shows the overrun in minutes. The planner does not move or trim anything to make the programme fit.
What to enter
- Each event day, with the time the venue is available from and until.
- Sessions and breaks in running order, each with a duration. Leave the track blank for the main room.
- Speaker names, spelled the same way each time. Separate several speakers with a semicolon.
- A fixed start time when an item must line up across tracks, such as a shared break or a plenary.
- The changeover buffer in minutes between two sessions in the same track.
How to read the result
Each day has its own table with track, start, end, type, title, speaker and flags. Items sorted by start time make parallel tracks easy to compare.
An item that ends after the venue closes is marked as past the window, and the day shows the overrun. A speaker clash names the speaker, the two items and the minutes of overlap. Items that only touch end to start are not a clash.
Limits
A blank duration is unknown, so the item is left unplaced and listed. A blank changeover buffer adds no buffer, and the planner says so.
You set how long each session or changeover takes, and room capacity, accessibility and safety are checked with the venue.
Using the result
Share the programme with speakers and the venue, and fix any overrun or clash before it is published. For a simple single-track day, the programme duration checker is a lighter option, and the event project checklist builder covers the wider task list.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional two-day conference
Fictional timings, to show a speaker clash and an overrun.
On Day 1 a fictional speaker gives the opening keynote from 09:00 to 09:45 and also leads a workshop in a second track from 09:30. The planner flags the speaker for a 15-minute overlap.
On Day 2 the venue closes at 12:00, but three sessions with a 10-minute buffer run to 12:50. The planner shows a 50-minute overrun and marks the late sessions. It keeps them as you entered them.
Use this yourself
Programme worksheet
List each item in running order for one day and one track, and check each speaker against the other tracks.
| Day | Track | Start | End | Title | Speaker | Clash or overrun? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- You have one room, a few sessions and a speaker list you can check by eye.
- The venue window is generous and the timings are settled.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- There are parallel tracks, many speakers and a tight venue window.
- Speakers are confirming at different times and the programme keeps changing.
- You want one person coordinating speakers, venue and suppliers so the programme holds on the day.
Want someone to coordinate the programme with you?
With outsourced event project management we lead the planning, coordinate your team and suppliers and oversee delivery, including programme timings and speaker logistics, within the scope we agree. You keep the decisions that are yours. Send us your programme draft, and we will reply with the level of support that fits and what it would cover.
Questions organisers ask
What happens if my programme runs past the venue window?
The planner shows the overrun in minutes and marks the items past the window. It does not trim or move anything.
How does it find a speaker in two places?
It compares each speaker's items on the same day. If two overlap in time, it flags both. Items that touch end to start are not flagged.
Why is an item unplaced?
Its duration is blank, or it has no start time to work from. Add a duration, or a fixed start time, or the venue start for that day.
Related resources
Content record: Written by the EventConsultant team to our editorial rules. Sources are listed on pages that rely on them.