Project Management
Plan projects, deadlines and delivery. Gantt, speaker roster and marketing in one place.
Timeline
Tip: drag a bar left/right to reschedule; drag a task name up/down to reorder it within its group; click to edit.
β° Upcoming & overdue
Board
Drag a card between columns to change its status. Click a card to edit it.
Speakers & facilitators
Confirmed speakers can be published to the public convention page. Publishing shows an approved, public-safe summary only (never fees or contact details).
Who's in each session
βΎEveryone assigned to each convention session, at a glance. Update assignments in the table above.
Workshops
Numbered workshops (1a, 1bβ¦) are their own entities with a title + synopsis. Assign facilitators from the Sessions column above; published workshops appear on the public convention page.
Standalone sessions
Standalone sessions (Marketplace, Commissioned theatre performance, Legislative Theatre β¦) are not tied to an Act. Each is its own entity with a title + synopsis. Assign people from the Sessions column above; a published session's synopsis appears on the public convention page.
Scarborough Siesta
The Scarborough Siesta strand - its own sessions/activities, each with a title + synopsis. Assign people from the Sessions column above; a published session's synopsis appears on the public convention page.
Celebration
The evening Celebration strand (19:30 - 21:30) - its own sessions/acts, each with a title + synopsis. Assign people from the Sessions column above; a published session's synopsis and speakers appear on the celebration row of the public convention page.
π§Ί Marketplace stalls
Stall applications for the Marketplace - from the public application form, or added by hand. Confirm an applicant, then publish once they're ready to appear on the public convention page.
π¨ Art installations
Artist commissions for the convention - from the public application form, or added by hand. Confirm an artist, then publish once they're ready to appear on the public convention page.
π Live event reach
Campaigns
Open Campaigns βMarketing tasks
Risks & issues
Risks (might happen) are scored probability Γ impact; issues (have happened) are scored on impact alone. Open high-severity items turn the project status amber and appear in the Friday digest.
Decisions & lessons log
A lightweight record of decisions made and lessons learned. Lessons carry forward automatically when the project is duplicated. Entries can be deleted but not edited.
Event organisers
Yorkshire event managers who could run the convention β a starting shortlist to reference-check and quote, matched to the brief (full day at Scarborough Spa, three concurrent-track Acts, several hundred people, Community Fund + Arts Council funded).
The shortlist at a glance
| Organiser | Based | Best for | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| BeaconHouse Events | Newcastle | Big multi-track civic conventions β runs the Convention of the North | Format specialist Not Yorkshire |
| KDM Events | Yorkshire | Established full conference management; deep venue network | Yorkshire lead |
| Alrose Productions | Thirsk, N. Yorks | Values-led, low-impact production (Yorkshire Sustainability Festival) | Best ethos fit |
| BEE Events | York / Leeds | Full-service conferences, exhibitions and entertainment | All-rounder |
| ConnectIn Events | Leeds | Conferences, charity galas and activations | All-rounder |
| AYRE Event Solutions | Yorkshire | AV, staging and streaming for the rooms (50β500 delegates) | Production partner |
| Orchestrate Events | Vale of York | Smaller full-service; closest to Scarborough | Local Check scale |
| GOTO Events | Yorkshire | Participatory / charity activities | Celebration strands |
| Forte Events | London | Polished conference production; works Leeds venues (~Β£8k+) | Not Yorkshire |
| Scarborough Spa events team | The venue | In-house coordination; knows the building (to 1,300) | Talk to first |
The details
Produces the Convention of the North β a 650-delegate one-day civic gathering with a main plenary, concurrent breakouts and an exhibition (delivered at Magna, Rotherham). Almost exactly our shape and audience. North East, not Yorkshire, but works across the North β worth a conversation, and they may point us to a Yorkshire partner.
Convention of the North βΊOne of the region's most established conference-management agencies, with a deep North Yorkshire venue network; also delivers charity events and festival-style days. The Yorkshire "safe pair of hands" for a large managed conference.
kdmevents.co.uk βΊProduction partner for the Yorkshire Sustainability Festival β a multi-day, mixed public/private event with deliberately low-impact staging (reclaimed-timber stage, replanted greenery). Genuinely values-led; arguably the closest Yorkshire match to our "do with" framing and funder profile.
alroseproductions.co.uk βΊFull-service agency across conferences, exhibitions, entertainment and charity dinners β a broad in-house offer from venue-finding through to speakers and staging.
bee.events βΊRuns business conferences, brand activations and charity galas; positions itself around turning blank spaces into "bold experiences" β a fit if we want more of a produced feel to the day.
connectinevents.co.uk βΊFull AV, staging, set builds and live-streaming, explicitly scaling from 50-person seminars to 500-delegate flagship events. The option if we keep programme management in-house and want a partner purely for the rooms and staging.
ayre.events βΊA smaller, owner-run full-service operator and the closest of the shortlist to Scarborough. Good for coordination, but no evidence of civic-scale work β probe capacity for something this large.
orchestrateevents.co.uk βΊStrong on charity, sustainability and participatory activities, but leans experiential / team-building rather than conference. A possible fit specifically for the evening celebration and interactive strands.
gotoevents.co.uk βΊFull conference production (AV, staging, speaker management) with strong Leeds venue knowledge. Flagged so it isn't mistaken for local; a useful benchmark that full production here starts around Β£8k+.
forteeventmgmt.co.uk βΊThe in-house conferencing team handles events up to ~1,300 delegates and knows the building's quirks better than anyone. Engage them early whoever we appoint β and ask who has run large multi-room days there before; that's often the best local lead.
scarboroughspa.co.uk βΊHow to choose from here
- Brief the Scarborough Spa events team first. They may name organisers who've delivered comparable days in the building.
- Open two benchmark conversations: BeaconHouse (the format specialist) and KDM (the Yorkshire heavyweight).
- If ethos is the deciding factor, add Alrose to the conversations.
- Send a one-page brief β date, venue, three-track programme, headcount, budget band, the "do with" ethos β and ask each for two references from public-sector or community conventions of a similar scale. That reference check separates them faster than anything on their websites.
Sources
Convention of the North Β· Magna case study Β· KDM Events Β· BEE Events Β· ConnectIn Events Β· Alrose Productions Β· AYRE Event Solutions Β· Orchestrate Events Β· GOTO Events Β· Forte Events Β· Scarborough Spa
People appear here once you tick "Show this person on the Budget tab" on them, each with their fee and expenses. Click any Invoice, Paid or Notes cell to type straight into it. Mark each invoice amount Agreed (expected, not yet formally invoiced) or Invoiced - both still count toward the totals.