How to choose a title for your conference
Choosing the right title for a conference is a decision that will shape the event’s identity, attract the right audience, and set the tone for presentations and discussions. Irrespective of the type of conference you are organising, the title plays a crucial role in marketing and positioning your event. It helps establish credibility, making your conference more appealing to speakers and participants.
KNE CLUE: WHAT TO THINK ABOUT WHEN CHOOSING A TITLE FOR YOUR CONFERENCE
When planning a conference and deciding on its name, one of the first questions to ask is, why does this event matter? After all, attending a conference is an investment—participants may need to cover travel, accommodation, and registration fees, making it crucial to establish the event’s value. A good title captures the essence of the conference and highlights why it’s worth attending.
Establish Value
To answer the question, why does this event matter?, you first need to consider who you are holding the event for, and what their priorities are. Are they academics or professionals, faculty lecturers or funded researchers, senior figures or students? Are they interested in practical workshops, in networking opportunities, or in gaining insights into new discoveries in their field? Once you have a better idea of these priorities, you can start to consider the type of conference you will need to organise in order to ensure it is a success.
There are various factors to consider at this point, such as the format (virtual / in person / hybrid); the scientific format (panels / roundtables / workshops), and the programme structure (parallel sessions / networking opportunities / cultural activities). But perhaps the most important at this stage is the topic of the event…
Consider topic
When thinking about the topic, you want to consider the needs and priorities of the delegates, but also the skills and interests of the speaker pool. Are there new developments or discoveries which are changing research in your field? Are there new laws or trends impacting current and future professional development? Is there a particular event or bicentenary you can use as the central focus of the conference?
There is no point in choosing a topic which no one is currently researching, as you will struggle to find speakers willing and able to present new original research. But equally, there is no point in choosing the same ‘hot topic’ that 20 other conferences are already presenting on – as it will be difficult to stand out from the crowd and prove your value. Equally, you need to balance breadth with depth – a really broad topic will potentially be relevant to many people, but each of them will perhaps only see one or two relevant papers; meanwhile a very narrow topic doesn’t leave much scope for a wide range of innovative new papers and will have a comparably narrower field of appeal for potential delegates.
Ensure appeal
Once you have chosen your overarching topic, it is time to consider the title of the event or, if it is an annual event, the title of the conference theme. This is a really important decision, as it needs to grab the attention of potential speakers and delegates, and appeal to them immediately.
Keep the title short, catchy, and value-focused. A strong title helps potential attendees quickly understand what the event is about and why they should be interested.
Think about the keywords associated with the theme. Including relevant keywords in the title makes it more discoverable in online searches and helps attract the right participants. Consider what researchers, professionals, or academics in your field would be searching for when looking for conferences to attend.
Use literary techniques to increase the impact of the title. Techniques like alliteration, rhyme, or wordplay can make the title more striking and easier to recall.
Don’t use unnecessary words. Avoid filler words or overly technical jargon that may confuse potential attendees or make the title unnecessarily long.
Include a subtitle if you feel it helpful to maximise the impact and appeal. A subtitle can specify what is unique about the event without making the main title too lengthy.