A district conference serves several important purposes:

• provide educational/training sessions for the district members
• hold one of the quarterly District Executive Council (DEC) meetings for Club Presidents and VP's Education or their proxies
• hold one of the semi-annual District Council business meetings
• put on two of the four annual district contests
• present awards to individuals and clubs for achievement
• lets the district work towards its mission goals for both education and leadership
• introduce community leaders and Toastmasters to each other
• allow (if applicable) one or more International Director candidates to present himself/herself
• allow the district a chance to showcase itself to the district members

Most every district in Toastmasters International has a conference at least once each year. Most will have two per year, spring and fall. District 22 has the spring conference each April (sometimes May) and the fall conference in November (sometimes October).

Putting on a district conference requires much coordination with many volunteers. The time spent is hopefully over at least a four month period, six months is better.

Each district does things differently for its conferences. Some districts may have their conferences only on a Saturday. Others may have their conference on a Friday, Saturday and Sunday. District 22 normally has its conference on Friday evening and all day Saturday.

The District 22 conference has these main parts during the conference:

• Registration and Credentials: Check-in on both Friday and Saturday
• Friday Night Fun Event: Mostly a social event usually with some activity such as some form of Table Topics
• District Executive Council (DEC) meeting: Either Friday evening or Saturday morning
• Opening Ceremonies and the Parade of Banners:
• Educational Presentations: Normally four, two in the morning and two in the afternoon. However, this can vary. Also, there could be a number of concurrent smaller sessions. Te purpose of the sessions should be for membership building, Distinguished Club Program, and, training on the educational and leadership offered by Toastmasters.
• First-Timers (to a district conference) Recognition:
• Lunch and a Special Event: For the spring conference the special event is the Communication and Leadership Award given to a community leader selected by the District Governor. For the fall conference the special event is the Hall of Fame awards which recognizes distinguished clubs, Governors of the Year, etc. Both the spring and the fall present plaques to the newest DTM recipients.
• Contest #1: Spring conference it is Table Topics. Fall conference it is Evaluation.
• District Council Meeting: This is made up of the District Officers and the club Presidents and Club VPs Education. The meeting purpose is to handle district business. They main decision is the spring realignment of clubs within areas. Other special votes come along from time to time.
• Dinner and a Speaker: The speaker is often a visiting International Director. However, it can be anyone for any reason. Normally, the purpose of the speech is to entertain the audience.
• Contest #2: Spring conference is International Speech. Fall conference is Humorous Speech.

Ideally, a conference will pay for itself and maybe bring in a small profit. It will cost the district a few thousand dollars for everything in a conference. Costs to the district include:

• Meeting space
• Equipment for audio/visual, lighting, stage, tables and chairs, etc.
• Food and beverage
• Travel expenses for a special guest (but very, very rarely since NO travel expenses is normally paid for any speakers/presenters)
• Meal expenses for a special guest
• Awards (eg. plaques, trophies, ribbons, certificates, etc.)
• Decorations
• Signs, banners, handouts, fliers, registration packets, name tags, etc.
• Mailing/postage
• Hotel room of a visiting International Director
• Meals and registration fees of a visiting International Director

The sources of district conference income include:

• Registration Fees: Paid either by the clubs for their members or by individuals (including non-Toastmasters)
• Meal Costs: This should basically be a wash since the district charges the attendees whatever it costs the district for the meals
• Late Fees: A nominal fee, normally $5 or $10, for the clubs and persons who register after the registration deadline
• Store Sales: Sale of Toastmasters materials from the inventory purchased by the district/ Normally the sale prices is the same as it cost the district to purchase the materials (which included shipping/handling). Careful consideration should be given to which materials are made available since material can go unsold and become outdated.
• Miscellaneous: This could include silent auctions and other means of raising funds

It is possible to work a pack deal with the hosting hotel. Consider combining such things as rooms used at night by conference attendees and the number of meals purchased with the costs of the meeting rooms.

Note: Per the District Administrative Bylaws (Catalog #210D) Article IX, the District may not impose upon any club or any club member any costs for required district functions such as District Council meetings, contests (for contestants) or officer training (for club officers or district officers). This is kin to the old U.S. poll tax that was eventually outlawed with the XXIV amendment.

Before the conference can be announced to the district members, the "when" and "where" must be completed. Here is what needs to be done towards that:

• DATE: Determine the conference date. This is usually set by the District Governor and the District Lt. Governor of Education and Training.
• PLACE: Ideally, this is set 6 - 12 months before the conference happens. Select the host site for the conference. This is usually a hotel with sufficient meeting room space but also can be a convention facility that is near to a hotel. A signed contract needs to be finalized before the conference can be publicized. The process to get the contract signed can be a lengthy process since the steps involved include:
  • Host Site: Look at several sites to determine who has the best deal (e.g. meeting space, equipment/setup and cost). The needs of the district include:
    • Easy access for all attendees
    • Two large rooms, one for meals and one for educational sessions (theater-style seating). The expected number of people plays an important part here.
    • Stage for speakers and contestants
    • Stage props such as a lectern, a chair/stool, a small table and the U.S. flag
    • Audio-Visual equipment: microphones, sound system, large screen for projection. Ideally, the conference A/V chair person is involved.
    • Space in the hallways for tables to use for:
      • Registration: two tables (with four chairs) plus room to store boxes
      • Credentials: one table and chair
      • Sales: 4 - 5 tables plus room to store boxes
      • Presenters: 1 - 2 tables to display/sell their wares
      • International Director Candidate: 1 table to display campaign literature
    • One small room for the volunteers to store things and to use as a break room
    • One small room (can be the same as the above room for the volunteers) to briefly house the contestants for the lunch-time Table Topics and Evaluation contests
    • Hotel rooms for the attendees with a block rate for the conference
    • Restaurant facilities for meals for attendees such as Friday evening and Saturday morning
    • A very important consideration is the room(s) for the contests. No adjacent rooms should generate noise during the contest, particularly a graduation ceremony or wedding or reception. Check with the hotel on what else is booked at the same time as the contests.
  • Contract: Negotiate the contract. The contract needs to spell out all of the above items. Get the appropriate signatures. The District Governor needs to sign for the District.
• REGISTRATION FORMS: The registration forms, with instructions, need to be completed and available to everyone. They should gather such information as:
  • Specifics on the when and where of the conference, including directions and the start and end times
  • Name and contact information of the attendee (note, address is unnecessary
  • Current offices held and award level at for both education and leadership (eg. CC or ATMB,CL or DTM)
  • Clubs currently in
  • Meal tickets wanted with choice of food designated
  • Registration costs
  • Designations for:
    • First-timer for a conference
    • Toastmaster or non-Toastmaster
    • Guest of which Toastmaster (if applicable)
    • If under age 18
    • If staying at the host hotel
  • Instructions/designations for:
    • how to fill out the forms
    • who to make checks payable to
    • costs for all items
    • when late fees apply
    • where to send the forms

A district conference needs from 25 to 50 volunteers to set it up. There are many tasks to be done both before the conference and during the conference. From the start of the planning to when the conference begins, here is an overview of what needs to be done.

• DISTRICT LGET: The District Lt. Governor of Education and Training is responsible for a district conference, particularly the contests. This officer will work closely with the conference committee members.
• THEME: The theme for the conference needs to be determined. A logo will eventually need to be created to represent the theme. Both of these tasks can be done by the conference chair(s) or by one or more of the conference committee chairs.
• BUDGET: This is the joint responsibility of the District LGET, the District Treasurer, the conference chair(s), the conference treasurer and all members of the conference committee. A conference should pay for itself. Having a surplus is acceptable but should be kept to a minimum. All surplus monies go back to the district general fund.
• CONFERENCE CHAIR(S): One or two conference chair persons need to be selected. They should handle most of the remaining tasks. A conference chair(s) needs to be energetic, good with details and a real leader.
• CONFERENCE COMMITTEE: The conference chairs are normally selected by the Conference Chairs, with input from the District Trio. The conference chairs delegate the various conference duties to the Conference Committee Chairs and their groups. The Conference Chair(s) should have regular meetings with the Conference Committee Chairs to plan all conference details and to follow up on all aspects of conference planning. The District LGET, and possibly also the District Governor, should be involved with this committee.
• COMMITTEE CHAIRS:: Several committee chairs need to be selected. Each of them will select their own committee members/helpers as needed. These include:
  • Audio-Visual Chair: Handle all aspects of the audio-visual equipment and usage throughout the conference. At least two remote microphones should be available for the contests and the presenters/speakers. Ideally, this person is involved when selecting the conference host facility.
  • Conference Secretary: Maintain a list of all conference volunteers and their contact information. All other conference documentation is handled by this person.
  • Finance Chair: Work with the District Treasurer to handle all expenses for the conference.
  • Publicity/Promotion Chair: Put together all documents and other means used to promote the conference. This mainly includes the conference theme and its logo plus biographies and topics of all educational session presenters. This person, along with the Conference Chair(s), should go to as many clubs as possible promoting the conference. Ideally, a handout would be given at each club visit. This handout would include some specifics on the conference (e.g. when, where, costs, hotel rooms, etc.) and how to get the registration forms.
  • Registration Chair: Handle all aspects for registering the conference attendees. Since this is a huge task, this position requires someone very good at details, multi-task oriented and good at following through. This position creates the registration forms and instructions. This position puts together the registration packets for the attendees.
  • Sales Table Chair: Handle all aspects of selling the district inventory of Toastmasters materials. An inventory count should be made and an itemized detailed sheet drawn up of the materials available and their costs. District 22 has a merchant account and a credit card machine to accept MasterCard and VISA. All monies should be turned over to the Conference Treasurer along with an accounting of what was sold.
  • Friday Fun Night Committee Chair: Determine and handles all aspects of the activities for the Friday Fun event
  • Opening Ceremonies Chair: Handle all aspects of the Opening Ceremonies and Parade of Banners. This includes getting a group to present the colors, notifying the clubs to bring their club banners, get someone to announce the clubs during the parade, and, having a place to display the banners after the ceremony.
  • Education Chair: Handle all aspects of putting on the four educational sessions. This includes getting biographies for introducing the education session presenters, determining any special needs of the education session presenters, arranging for the introducers for the session presenters, and, printing and distributing and collecting the feedback sheets for the presenters.
  • Lunch Banquet Chair: Handle all aspects related to the conference lunch meal. This includes working with the Registration Chair to get the appropriate meal information on the registration forms, having meal tickets printed and appropriately distributed (usually via the registration packets) to the attendees, determine who is assigned to sit at the head table persons and prints their name tents, create the agenda for the meal event, and, maybe select the person to serve as Toastmaster of the meal event and the person giving the invocation.
  • Dinner Banquet Chair: Handle all aspects related to the conference dinner meal. This includes working with the Registration Chair to get the appropriate meal information on the registration forms, having meal tickets printed and appropriately distributed (usually via the registration packets) to the attendees, determine who is assigned to sit at the head table persons and prints their name tents, create the agenda for the meal event, and, maybe select the person to serve as Toastmaster of the meal event and the person giving the invocation.
  • Contest Chair: Work with both the LGET and the Contest Master to handle all aspects related to the district contests, possibly excluding the selection of the Contest Master and Chief Judge and their contest helpers, create the agenda for the contests which includes the names of the contestants.
  • First-Timer Events Chair: Determine and handle all aspects of the recognition of the person attending a district conference for the first time, work with the Registration Chair to determine which attendees are first-timers.
  • Arrangements Chair: Handle all aspects of items such as signs, decorations, table center pieces, etc. This will require coordination with the Registration Chair, the Credentials Chair, the Education Chair, the Lunch Banquet Chair and the Dinner Banquet Chair
  • Hospitality Chair: Two levels of hospitality can be done. One, a place to greet all attendees and let them socialize. Two, an area just for the conference volunteers, particularly at the end of the conference, as they unwind and debrief.
  • Sergeant at Arms Committee Chair: Handles all aspects of crowd control. This includes keeping people out of rooms until the appropriate time, collecting meal/admission tickets, first aid, working with the host site personnel for any needs that arise.
  • Credentials Chair: A past district governor will handle this
  • Division Host/Sponsor: This is the Division Governor that is hosting the conference
• PRIZES: The conference committee needs to determine if/how/when any drawings for prizes will be done. Obviously the conference budget is a factor in the value of the prizes.
• DONATIONS: If the members of the conference committee have the appropriate connections, donations are very welcome to help defray costs of the conference. These donations can include such things as:
  • printing
  • registration table handouts
  • signs
  • prizes for drawings
  • pens/pencils
  • note pads
  • buttons

Once the conference begins, many volunteers are needed to make it run smoothly. Here is an overview of the duties needing to be done by the conference volunteers (in addition to most of the ones mentioned above that worked on the pre-conference setup):

• EDUCATION SESSIONS: It may need to be determined what topics are desired to be presented during the four educational sessions. Otherwise, just select the four presenters (the next step) and let them propose a topic/subject.
• EDUCATION PRESENTERS: The persons that will be the presenters of the educational sessions need to be selected. They may need to base their presentation on the theme of the conference.
• CONTEST VOLUNTEERS: Several roles for the contests need to be filled. These include:
  • Toastmaster of Lunch Event: needs to know how to introduce the head table and the protocol for introducing special guests in the audience
  • Invocator of Lunch Event: keep it non-denominational
  • Lunch Event Speaker - In the spring this will be the recipient of the Leadership Award
  • Contest #1 Master: gets from the LGET the biographical forms of the contestants, briefs the contestants and have them draw for speaking order, arrange for the Target Speaker (fall Evaluation contest only) or create the Table Topics question (spring conference only), brief the Timers and the Sergeant at Arms, run the contest, announce the winners and give the results to the LGET
  • Contest #1 Chief Judge: gets the ten judges, two per division, for the contest, brings all appropriate judges forms and ballot counting forms, brings the script of rules to read to the audience, briefs the judges, handle any and all protests, give the notification of winners to the Contest Master
  • Contest #1 Ballot Counter #1: Assist Chief Judge with counting the ballots of the contest judges
  • Contest #1 Ballot Counter #2: Assist Chief Judge with counting the ballots of the contest judges
  • Contest #1 Ballot Counter #3: Assist Chief Judge with counting the ballots of the contest judges
  • Contest #1 Timer #1: Assist Contest Master by timing the contestants while they are competing
  • Contest #1 Timer #2: Assist Contest Master by timing the contestants while they are competing
  • Contest #1 Sergeant at Arms Helper #1: Assist Contest Master by handling the needs of the contestants while they compete
  • Contest #1 Sergeant at Arms Helper #2: Assist Contest Master by handling the needs of the contestants while they compete
  • Contest #1 Target Speaker (fall Evaluation contest only):
  • Toastmaster of Dinner Event: needs to know how to introduce the head table and the protocol for introducing special guests in the audience
  • Invocator of Supper Event: keep it non-denominational
  • Dinner Event Speaker: entertain the audience with your topic, your knowledge and your charisma
  • Contest #2 Master: gets from the LGET the biographical forms of the contestants, briefs the contestants and have them draw for speaking order, brief the Timers and the Sergeant at Arms, run the contest, announce the winners and give the results to the LGET
  • Contest #2 Chief Judge: gets the ten judges, two per division, for the contest, brings all appropriate judges forms and ballot counting forms, brings the script of rules to read to the audience, briefs the judges, handle any and all protests, give the notification of winners to the Contest Master
  • Contest #2 Ballot Counter #1: Assist Chief Judge with counting the ballots of the contest judges
  • Contest #2 Ballot Counter #2: Assist Chief Judge with counting the ballots of the contest judges
  • Contest #2 Ballot Counter #3: Assist Chief Judge with counting the ballots of the contest judges
  • Contest #2 Timer #1: Assist Contest Master by timing the contestants while they are competing
  • Contest #2 Timer #2: Assist Contest Master by timing the contestants while they are competing
  • Contest #2 Sergeant at Arms Helper #1: Assist Contest Master by handling the needs of the contestants while they compete
  • Contest #2 Sergeant at Arms Helper #2: Assist Contest Master by handling the needs of the contestants while they compete
• INTRODUCERS: Someone to introduce each of the four educational session presenters

Who is at the head table is a matter of protocol. Normally it would include:

• District Governor (seated to the right of the lectern)
• Lt. Governor Education and Training (seated to the left of the lectern)
• Lt. Governor Marketing (seated to the left of the Lt. Governor Education and Training)
• Immediate Past District Governor
• Conference Chair(s)
• Toastmaster of the Event
• Highest Ranking Board of Directors member present (seated to the right of the District Governor)
• Special Guest of Honor (seated to the right of the District Governor)
• Invocator
• Spouses/partners of any of the above

Their proper introduction is important. See the appropriate protocol here.

If time permits, and, it is the spring conference, an induction ceremony of the incoming district officers should be held. This allows a public ceremony for them plus gets their public commitment to serve the district.

One of the two International Directors will normally attend the district conference. This person is a special guest of the conference and should be treated as such. Proper pre-conference publicity should be given to announce the attendance of the International Director. The district will pay for his/her registration fees and meals.

Wow! The conference has ended and the clean up and the close up process is almost completed. All done, right? Wishful thinking. There remains more tasks to handle.

An International Director probably attended the conference. S/he will want to meet with the District Trio and the Conference Chairs to discuss how it went. What can be learned from it and done better the next time. Might want the Conference Secretary present too to take notes.

Conference Treasurer -- This person needs to make sure all of the financial matters get finalized. Pay the bills and turn the rest over to the District Treasurer. Paperwork is involved.

The Registration Chair should publish (email to the appropriate people is sufficient) a full accounting of the attendees. How many attended. How many no-shows. How much money was collected. How many attended the meal events. And any other fun statistics the Registration Chair wants to throw in are certainly welcome and useful.

Finally, the most important task of all needs to be done. Hopefully that has already been addressed. All of those Wonderful Volunteers need to be thanked. Without them, the conference would have gone nowhere. Right?!?!?!?!?! Besides, you want them to help out with the next conference. And that conference is just six months away!

For further reference see:

• Put on a Good Show: Meeting Planner's Handbook (Catalog #220)
• District Leadership Handbook (Catalog #222)

To help get a jump start on planning a district conference, here (in a self-extracting zip file) is a collection of various templates, forms, notes, etc. used in some recent conferences.