Scott Draughon plans all of his firm’s conferences in-house. The Jacksonville-based attorney has hosted several high-level computer law and technology conferences, including one last year that drew more than 400 attendees who came to see a panel of experts that included Steve Forbes.

Even though Draughon’s conferences are successful, they are time- and labor-intensive; some took more than 2,000 hours to plan. And most events have some glitches.

“When I did a conference in Gainesville with Jack Kemp two years ago, the logistics of getting everybody to come in to Gainesville were highly problematic,” Draughon recalls. Although the conference was in Gainesville, Draughon felt there were no accommodations in that area that were appropriate for a speaker of Kemp’s stature. So he put up his speakers at the Ponte Vedra Inn, a luxury oceanfront resort about 20 miles south of Jacksonville. What Draughon forgot about, however, was the 2 1/2-hour ride they had to take to get to the conference site.

“There are a number of things that can go wrong when small businesses plan their own events,” says Caren Berg, a senior account supervisor with Boardroom Communications in Plantation who plans meetings on behalf of her clients. “For many people, it’s money well spent to hire a meeting planner because the burden is taken off their shoulders.”

That’s good advice, but in these days of belt tightening, many small-business owners might be tempted to save on meeting planner fees — which can run about 20% to 30% of the overall program cost for an average meeting.

For those who decide to go it alone, here are some tips from the experts on how to plan a successful meeting:

-- Allow yourself plenty of time. According to Meeting Professionals International, an industry trade group, the average lead time for planning a small meeting with less than 50 attendees is six months; for meetings with 50 to 100 attendees, start planning a year in advance.

-- Team up with a partner. Draughon co-sponsored his last two technology conferences with the University of North Florida and the University of Florida Levin College of Law. “Universities are an excellent partner for these kind of things,” he says. “They can deliver the kinds of facilities and planning capabilities that really help small-business owners get their feet on the ground.”

-- Clearly define the objectives of your meeting. Do you want to motivate salespeople, educate your staff or increase your client base? Once your goal is
defined, make sure that your planned program actually helps you achieve it.

-- After you have defined the objectives, consider your intended audience. Decide whom it is you want to reach, and design the program with the audience in mind.

-- If the purpose of your event is to increase sales or attract clients, make sure you get a return on your investment. Capitalize on your new sales leads by converting them after the event. Follow up with attendees, add them to your client database and stay in touch via communication vehicles such as newsletters.

Remember that event planning takes time — time that many small-business owners would rather spend drumming up business or managing their staff. “Like anything else, it’s a cost-benefit analysis,” says Berg. “What’s more valuable, your money or your time?”