[header] How to lead a conference [title] Find a venue. [substeps] It is important to have a general idea of how many people you expect to attend the conference before booking a venue. If this is the first year for a conference, or the number could vary quite a bit, you may want to choose a hotel or conference center that will allow you to expand or scale down depending on the type of turnout you receive. 
[title] Schedule a keynote speaker and session presenters. [substeps] A keynote speaker is someone well-known in the field that has something to offer to all participants and will open up the entire meeting with his or her presentation.