Managing a 3,000-delegate conference isn’t just about logistics.
It’s about creating an experience where thousands of people can learn, network and feel part of something memorable, without ever seeing the months of planning happening behind the scenes.
For SQLBits 2024, we delivered end-to-end conference event management at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre
Conference at a glance
Client: SQLBits
Industry: Technology
Delegates: 3,000
Duration: 4 days
Venue: Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre
Sessions: 300+
Breakout rooms: 15
Exhibition: 3,000m²
Evening events: 3
Services: Venue sourcing, conference production, logistics, AV, supplier management
The brief
SQLBits is one of Europe’s leading technology conferences, welcoming around 3,000 delegates over four days.
Each year the event moves to a different venue, creating a fresh delegate experience while maintaining consistently high production standards.
For 2024, the event was hosted at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre.
The challenge was to design and manage every aspect of the conference experience, including:
- 300+ conference sessions
- 15 breakout rooms
- 3,000m² exhibition
- keynote theatre
- networking lounges
- evening events
- sponsor engagement
- delegate flow
Every decision was made with one objective: create an engaging conference experience from the moment delegates arrived until the final session ended.
Conference planning & event production
Our conference production team worked closely with AV specialists to design every element of the delegate experience.
Our conference supplier management covered
- AV production
- staging
- lighting
- rigging
- networking
- power distribution
- furniture hire
- catering
- merchandise
- exhibition contractors
- signage
- logistics
Working with our AV team to design the event, floorplans had to accommodate 15 conference rooms, an exhibition space and 3 large evening events.
Production by the numbers
- 5 articulated lorries
- 15 conference rooms
- 300+ sessions
- 3,000 delegates
- 70m projection wall
- 3 evening events
Conference venue sourcing
Our journey began long before the conference doors opened, as the SOMOS team scoured the landscape in search of the perfect venue for the SQLBits conference.
We reviewed conference venues across the UK, assessing delegate capacity, exhibition space, loading access, production infrastructure, accommodation, transport links and commercial viability before recommending Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre.
The venue provided the flexibility needed to accommodate keynote sessions, exhibitions, networking areas and multiple breakout rooms while maintaining excellent delegate flow.
Our conference venue sourcing experience includes projects at:
Conference design & delegate engagement
Our clients objective was to ensure engagement was high on the agenda, encouraging participation for sponsors, exhibitors and delegates – as such, a new theme is set every year. Being based next to Farnborough International Airport, this years’ theme was of course, Aviation!
We worked with the AV teams on the custom digital signage across the site, which complimented the aviation theme, this included departure boards, displaying the event programmes outside each room! In addition, a 70-metre projection wall, using a total of 11 projectors displayed live streams from each of the 15 rooms – delegates streamed the audio on their phones, allowing them to watch the sessions from the comfy beanbags we dotted around the exhibition hall.
We managed every supplier involved in delivering the conference, ensuring each contractor worked seamlessly as part of one integrated production team.
This included:
- AV production
- Rigging
- Furniture
- Networking
- Power
- Catering
- Merchandise
- Floor planning
- Logistics
The evening events we created and produced included:
- A board-games evening for 700
- A quiz-night for 900 people
- A themed party for over 1,000 attendees!
Creating an immersive aviation-themed conference
With the conference taking place at Farnborough International Exhibition & Conference Centre, the home of British aviation, we developed an event theme inspired by flight and travel.
Rather than simply decorating the venue, we wanted the theme to become part of the delegate journey from the moment attendees arrived.
Throughout the venue, airport-inspired design elements helped reinforce the experience, including:
- Airport-style departure boards displaying the conference agenda
- Custom digital wayfinding and directional signage
- Boarding gate-inspired room entrances
- A 70-metre projection wall streaming live sessions from across the event
- Airport lounge-inspired networking spaces
- Flight simulators and interactive activations
- Aviation-themed props and photo opportunities
- Branded aircraft installations and themed graphics
The aviation theme wasn’t simply a visual concept – it influenced navigation, networking spaces, digital content, signage and delegate engagement throughout the four-day event, creating a consistent experience from registration through to the closing session.
Every design decision supported the wider objective of making the conference feel memorable, engaging and unmistakably SQLBits.
Conference catering for 3,000 delegates
Providing catering for a conference of this scale requires careful planning.
Menus were designed around delegate wellbeing, dietary requirements and efficient service to minimise queue times and maximise networking opportunities.
Conference catering by the numbers
- 37,753 teas & coffees
- 6,580 desserts
- meals prepared across six professional kitchens
- eleven chefs supporting service
- five days of continuous catering
Inclusive conference design
Engagement is always at the forefront of our minds, and our teams work closely with our clients to ensure every one of our attendees are considered, from the most confident of individuals who want to experience absolutely everything, to the more introverted folk who are happy to observe from the side-lines.
Our three airport-style lounges included a ‘Meet the Speaker’ lounge, which enabled delegates to engage with speakers who are experts in their field. The ‘Community Travel Hub’ provided a space to meet a ‘buddy’ for an informal chat about what the conference can provide. Plane landings were screened on the walls of the hub and delegates could take advantage of the comfy plane seating we had installed.
And the ‘Inclusive Lounge’ was a safe space for delegates to relax and unwind, escaping from the busy expo.
In addition, we provided flight simulators, plenty of themed instagramable moments, such as branded aeroplanes and airline themed standees!
Results
Whilst the session content is undoubtedly the draw, the networking opportunities really do take conference engagement to another level.
- full capacity networking events
- exceptional attendee feedback
- sponsor engagement
- memorable themed experiences
- strong community building
- repeat attendance
Don’t just take our word for it.
The feedback following the event was overwhelming, with guests mentioning the talks, the learning opportunities and encouragingly, the friends they made, the inclusivity and the memorable moments.
Here’s just a handful of quotes from attendees, speakers, and sponsors.
Planning a conference?
Whether you’re bringing together 200 delegates or 3,000 attendees, we’ll help you find the right venue, build the right experience and deliver every detail with confidence.
Talk to SOMOS about your next conference.
Our conference event management services
This event demonstrates our ability to manage every aspect of conference delivery, including:
- Venue sourcing
- Conference production
- Delegate registration
- Supplier management
- AV coordination
- Exhibition management
- Event logistics
- Hotel management
- Catering
- Evening entertainment
- Delegate engagement
- Inclusive event planning
Whether you’re organising a conference for 200 delegates or 3,000 attendees, we provide complete event management from concept through to delivery.