For more than 30 years, Special D Events has helped associations, nonprofits, foundations, and higher education institutions plan conferences that educate, connect, and achieve measurable results. We become an extension of your team, from the first planning conversation through the final report.
A successful conference takes more than coordinated logistics. It takes a partner who understands your mission, your members, and the outcomes you're working toward.
That’s why every conference we plan follows our Participant-Centered Meeting Design approach. Guided by empathy, one of our core values, we look at your conference the way your participants will experience it: how they register, how they move between sessions, where they network, what they eat, and whether every space works for everyone who needs to use it. Each of those decisions affects how much people learn and how connected they feel when they head home.
We pay the same close attention to the business side. Conferences carry real financial commitments, often signed a year or more before anyone arrives. Our planners build line-item budgets, track costs in real time, and flag potential overruns early, so your board and finance team aren’t surprised. (We consider two dozen contract clauses when reviewing a hotel contract, for instance.) Our national vendor relationships help us negotiate favorable rates on your behalf.
Bottom Line: One accountable team from strategy through post-event reporting, pricing that’s simple and transparent, and a conference your participants will be glad they attended.
Abstract management is the process of collecting, reviewing, and scheduling the presentations, papers, and posters submitted for a conference. It covers the call for abstracts, submission deadlines, coordination with your review committee, acceptance notices, and placing accepted sessions into the agenda.
For associations, professional societies, and research organizations, it’s often one of the most time-consuming parts of building the program. Special D Events manages the process from the call for submissions through presenter confirmation, so your program committee can focus on choosing the content.
Some clients hand us the entire conference. Others bring us in for the pieces their staff doesn't have time to manage, such as registration, hotel room blocks, or sponsorship and exhibitor management. Either way, we work alongside your team and adapt to the way you already operate.
Not sure which pieces to hand off? We'll work that out together on our first call.
Tell us about your conferenceWe gather people with intention. Every program we design centers on the participants in the room, creating experiences that mean something to them and results your organization can measure.
Our planning process keeps everyone clear on decisions, deadlines, and responsibilities, from the first conversation to the final report.
We learn about your organization, your participants, and what a successful conference looks like to you. Budget parameters and key dates are set here.
An agenda framework, venue and hotel options with real pricing, and supplier recommendations. You'll meet the planners who will manage your conference.
Contracts, registration, speakers, sponsors and exhibitors, food and beverage, audiovisual, and attendee communications, all tracked in one project plan.
Our team manages the conference on site. Afterward, you receive a financial reconciliation, participant survey results, and our recommendations for next year.
We partner with organizations whose conferences educate, connect, and inspire the communities they serve.
Professional associations & societies — annual meetings, member conferences, and educational programs, including abstract and poster management.
Nonprofits & foundations — conferences that advance a mission and respect a carefully managed budget. See also our convening planning services.
Colleges & universities — symposiums, academic conferences, and leadership summits.
Healthcare & research institutions — professional development and research conferences with speaker, faculty, and abstract support.
We also plan user conferences, leadership summits, and multi-day meetings for corporations.
See Corporate Meetings & EventsThe Social Purpose Real Estate (SPRE) Conference brought 225 nonprofit leaders, real estate professionals, funders, and community partners from across the country to Detroit for three days of learning, connection, and exploration. Hosted by the Community Spaces Network (formerly Nonprofit Centers Network), the conference paired educational programming with opportunities to experience Detroit and visit innovative community spaces firsthand.
Special D Events provided event strategy and project management, venue and vendor coordination, hotel sourcing and room block management across multiple hotels, speaker support, transportation, dine-around logistics, offsite event coordination, and on-site management. With participants moving among hotels, venues, and community experiences throughout the city, our team kept the program running smoothly so the client team could focus on its attendees, speakers, and mission.
We're proud of the long-term relationships we've built with associations, nonprofits, and foundations, some of which span decades.
The honesty and transparency with which you run your business is truly appreciated, and the professionalism and dedication of your staff is second to none. Thank you for restoring my faith in the event planning industry!
I especially appreciated the open communication about fees as we were on a tight budget. I felt like you are all trying to work with us and we are grateful!
Working the event and working with your team has been the best part of my job
Many of our conference clients also work with us on other gatherings throughout the year.
Tell us your dates, your expected attendance, and what you'd like participants to take home. We'll follow up with a thoughtful approach and a transparent pricing for our services.
Contact Us Or call us directly at 248-336-8600.Conference budgets are often approved by boards and committees. Here are a few resources to share with yours.
Our full list of conference services, certifications, and how we work alongside your team.
Download the PDFPractical steps for making your conference welcoming to every participant.
Get the ChecklistWhat to look for before your organization signs.
Read the articleA conference planning company manages a conference from early strategy through post-event reporting. That includes budget development, site selection and contract negotiation, hotel room blocks, registration, agenda development, speaker and abstract management, sponsorship and exhibitor management, food and beverage, audiovisual coordination, on-site management, and evaluation. Special D Events handles all of it, or the specific pieces your team would like to hand off.
Annual conferences, educational symposiums, leadership summits, member meetings, research and academic conferences, user conferences, and multi-day professional development programs. Our clients include professional associations, nonprofits, foundations, colleges and universities, healthcare organizations, and research institutions.
We become an extension of your team. Many clients keep content, speakers, and member relationships in house and ask us to manage sourcing, contracts, registration, logistics, and on-site operations. We’ll talk through the division of responsibilities in our first conversation, and adapt to the systems and processes you already use.
While some agencies base their fees on a percentage of the total event cost, our compensation is never tied to how much you spend. Our fees are based on the work required to plan and manage your conference. Your budget is a resource to manage carefully, not a revenue opportunity for us.
Nine to twelve months works for many multi-day conferences. Large annual conferences often need eighteen to twenty-four months, because the best venues, hotels, and dates book early. If your timeline is shorter, contact us and we’ll give you an honest assessment of what’s still possible. Read our guide on When to Hire an Event Planner.
Our planners include Certified Meeting Professionals (CMP), a Certified Professional in Catering and Events (CPCE), a Certified Event DEI Strategist (EDEIS), and a Destination Management Certified Professional (DMCP).
Yes. Special D Events is a national agency headquartered in Detroit, and we’ve planned meetings and events in all 50 states. When your conference comes to Detroit, we also serve as your destination management company.
