How to Plan a Tech Conference in Nairobi: A Checklist

To plan a tech conference in Nairobi, decide who it is for and why they would give you a full day, set a budget with one owner, and lock the date, venue and programme before you sell tickets. Bring sponsors in early, sell tickets by M-Pesa and card, run the day from one written schedule and follow up within a week.

Work through this checklist from top to bottom. The timings are suggestions for a one-day conference of a few hundred people or fewer.

What should I decide before I pick a date?

• One reason the conference exists. It might be deal flow for early-stage founders, hiring, or a gathering for one product community. Choose one to lead every other decision.
• One audience sentence. For example: "Early-stage fintech founders in East Africa and the engineers who build with them." It guides your choice of speakers, price and room.
• A budget owner. One person who says yes or no to spending.
• A headcount you can fill. Count the people you can reach directly through your community, your speakers and your partners, and plan from that number.
• A core team with named owners. Programme and speakers, partners and money, venue and operations, marketing and tickets. On a small event two people can hold all four.
• A clash check. Africa Tech Summit Nairobi, for example, runs on 10 and 11 February 2027 at Sarit Expo Centre (Africa Tech Summit). Check public holidays and the school calendar as well.

How far ahead should I start planning?

Here is an example timeline for a one-day conference. Stretch it for a bigger event.

1. 16 to 12 weeks out: purpose, audience, budget, date, a venue request and your first sponsor conversations.
2. 12 to 8 weeks out: programme outline, speaker invitations, sponsor packages sent and the ticket page live with an early price.
3. 8 to 4 weeks out: speakers announced, vendors booked in writing, volunteers recruited and marketing running in the groups where your audience gathers.
4. 4 to 1 weeks out: final programme, run sheet, speaker briefs, a venue walk-through with your AV team and attendee reminders.
5. Event week: a rehearsal, printed signage and name tags, and a final call with every vendor.
6. The week after: thank-you messages, slides and recordings, the sponsor report and a team debrief.

How do I set a budget for a tech conference?

List your costs first. The usual lines are venue hire, sound and screens, recording or livestream, catering per head, badges and printing, speaker travel and accommodation, photography, marketing, volunteer meals and transport, and a contingency line for surprises. Then list your income: tickets, sponsorship and partner support in kind, such as catering or prizes.

Get every quote in writing with the cancellation terms. Decide in advance what you will cut if sponsorship comes in lower than planned.

What should I check when I choose a venue?

Visit before you sign anything, and check these on the spot:

• Seats for your headcount in the layout you want (theatre, classroom or cabaret), plus space for registration, sponsor tables and breaks.
• Power backup, and what happens to the stage and the registration desk if the grid drops.
• Wi-Fi that holds up when everyone connects at once, and a wired line for the stage and any livestream.
• Screen, sound and microphones, tested in the room with your own slides.
• Step-free access, washrooms, drinking water and a place to serve food.
• Parking, lighting and how people get home after dark.

Our hall at 124 Manyani East Road seats up to 140, which suits a focused conference or a workshop day. You can request dates on our book the space page. If you want to see the room first, we run free tours Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm.

How do I build the programme and find speakers?

The programme is what people buy, so draft it before tickets go on sale. Map the day in blocks: an opening talk, two or three sessions that answer your audience's main questions, a hands-on format such as a pitch session, investor office hours or a short build challenge, and breaks long enough for people to talk.

Choose speakers who have done what your audience wants to do. Confirm each one in writing with the date, slot length, topic, who pays for travel and when you need their slides. Keep a backup for every key slot. A week before, send each speaker the audience sentence, the run sheet and the technical setup in the room.

How do I find sponsors for a conference?

Sponsors pay for access to a defined audience and a clear benefit: a demo slot, a hiring table, a named prize or a workshop they lead. Start these conversations early, because corporate budgets can take weeks to approve. Write one short package with two or three tiers, say exactly what each tier includes, and report back afterwards on what you delivered. Our guide on how to secure sponsors for your tech event covers the pitch and the follow-up in detail.

How do I sell conference tickets in Kenya?

Make paying easy for the people you want in the room. Communities can list events and sell tickets on community.hackhouse.africa, and attendees pay through Paystack by card or M-Pesa. Wherever you sell:

• Open with an early price and a clear end date for it.
• Offer a student or community rate if part of your audience cannot pay the full price.
• Put the date, venue pin, programme, speakers and refund policy on the ticket page.
• Ask on the registration form whether people agree to receive future updates. Kenya's Data Protection Act, 2019 requires express consent before personal data is used for commercial purposes (CIPIT, Strathmore University).
• Tell attendees in advance if you will photograph or film the event.

What should happen on the day?

Run the day from one written run sheet with times, owners and phone numbers, and give every volunteer one job: registration, speaker care, stage and timekeeping, sponsor care, or floor and safety. Open registration well before the first session and start on time. A timekeeper with printed time cards keeps speakers on schedule. Hold a five-minute team check-in at lunch to fix any problems.

Our guide on how to run a tech meetup in Nairobi covers the running order and the follow-up for an evening event.

What should I do after the conference?

Within a week, thank attendees, speakers, volunteers and sponsors, and share the slides and recordings you promised. Send a short feedback form. Give each sponsor a report on what they received: attendance, the sessions they appeared in, leads collected with consent, and photos. Then hold a team debrief and write down what to keep, what to change and what to drop. If there will be a next edition, announce its date.

Key facts

• Decide the purpose, the audience and the budget owner before you announce a date.
• Check for clashes. Africa Tech Summit Nairobi, for example, runs on 10 and 11 February 2027.
• Walk the venue and test power, Wi-Fi and sound in person before you sign.
• Our hall at 124 Manyani East Road seats up to 140. Request dates at community.hackhouse.africa/book-space.
• Communities can sell tickets on community.hackhouse.africa, paid through Paystack by card or M-Pesa.
• Get express consent before you add attendees to a marketing list.

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a tech conference in Nairobi?

It depends on your headcount, venue, catering, sound and recording. Build the budget line by line from written quotes and add a contingency line. For our hall, request your dates on the book the space page and ask us for a quote.

How early should I start planning a tech conference?

For a one-day conference of a few hundred people or fewer, start about 3 to 4 months ahead. That leaves time for sponsors to approve budgets and for speakers to commit.

How many people should I plan for at my first conference?

Plan for the number you can reach directly through your community, speakers and partners. Track how many registered people attend, and use that show-up rate to plan the next edition.

Can I host my conference at Hackhouse?

Yes. Our hall at 124 Manyani East Road seats up to 140. Request your dates on the book the space page and list the event on community.hackhouse.africa once it is confirmed.

Sources

• Book the Space, Hackhouse Africa, checked 5 Nov 2026
• Communities, Hackhouse Africa, checked 5 Nov 2026
• Africa Tech Summit, Africa Tech Summit, checked 5 Nov 2026
• An Overview of the Kenyan Law on Commercial Use of Personal Data, CIPIT, Strathmore University, checked 5 Nov 2026

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