Conference vs Meeting- a debate that’s been running for as long as time began. Well, maybe not that long, but it’s one that stumps so many due to their similarities. Today, we’ll be outlining exactly what they are, and what makes them different.

Let’s get straight into it…

What is a conference?

A conference is an event which brings people together to discuss a particular topic. Conferences can be any size, be held anywhere, and be about any topic.

The joy of a conference is that it brings your delegates, attendees, and audience members to one place. Allowing the topic of your conference to be absorbed in a clear and unified manner.

There are many different types of conferences. These include:

  • Corporate Conference: An event for people who work in the same business/company.
  • Academic Conference: An event for researchers to present and discuss their work.
  • Educational Conference: Educators meet to discuss and share best practices.
  • Trade Conference: A large-scale event for the public and businessmen to network.

What is a meeting?

A meeting is a gathering of 2 or more people to discuss a topic. Meetings usually occur in a business setting. However, they can be held in all kinds of environments.

Meetings usually take place as platforms for people to make decisions together.

There are many different types of meetings. These include:

  • Decision-Making Meetings
  • Team Building Meetings
  • One On One Meetings
  • Collaborative Meetings
  • Brainstorming Meetings

Conference vs Meeting

Now, they are both events, they both bring people together, and they both include discussions of a particular topic.

So you may be wondering… what’s the difference?

Well, the key difference between conferences vs meetings is how formal both events are.

Think about it. Conferences usually take months of planning. Equally, everyone needs to know months in advance when it is taking place.

We at Giggabox organise conferences all the time and they usually need at least 2 months to be fully planned and completed.

Another big difference between a meeting and a conference is due to differences in their sizes. Typically, conferences can include upwards of 100 people. Whereas meetings usually consist of no more than 10.

Therefore, a much greater level of effort is put into the organisation of a conference. This is also due to the number of people that are attending.

Convention vs Conference

Conventions are collections of various groups of people discussing a common interest. Conventions can vary significantly based on their industry and profession.

Some well-known conventions include Comiket (Japan), Comic-Con (San Diego), and Gamescom (Germany).

The key difference between a conference vs a convention is in size. A convention is much larger than a conference.

Another big difference between a convention vs a conference is the fact that conventions hold delegates who represent different groups. Whereas conferences usually don’t involve various audience segments.

Conference Room vs Meeting Room

However, the big difference between a conference room vs meeting room is both in size and technical capability. With conference rooms often being much larger.

Conference rooms are usually equipped with various A/V equipment. These include projectors, computers, microphones etc.

Whereas meeting rooms are usually equipped with the bare minimum when it comes to technical equipment.

Ultimately the answer to the conference vs meeting debate comes down to a few minor things. Whether that’s down to differences in size, formality, or technical requirements. At Giggabox, we provide beginning-to-end conference production services for our clients. Click here to get in touch.

Get in touch with us

One of our highly experienced team will be in touch with you shortly.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Subscribe to our Newsletter