Orchard OCD International Scientific Conference
Event Consulting | Event Leadership | Event Delivery
Client
Orchard OCD
Sector
Healthcare & Medical Research
duration
8 months
Event Duration
2 days
About the event
Orchard OCD is a UK charity dedicated to advancing research, improving treatment and increasing understanding of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
Following a successful collaboration with Founder Nick Sireau on the AKU Global Patient Workshop, Natalie was invited to lead the planning and delivery of Orchard OCD’s International Scientific Conference. Without an in-house events team, the charity appointed Natalie to provide event consulting, leadership and end-to-end event delivery, taking responsibility for planning, supplier management, delegate acquisition and onsite delivery.
From the initial funding application through to conference close, Natalie provided a single point of leadership across planning, suppliers, delegates and onsite delivery. Working alongside a trusted network of event professionals, she combined event consulting, leadership and delivery to provide Orchard OCD with the event expertise and capacity the charity didn’t have in-house.
the challenge
Building on the success of its previous conference, Orchard OCD wanted to create a larger, more ambitious event that would increase its impact within the global OCD community.
The vision was to expand the conference from one day to two, increase capacity from approximately 100 to 300 delegates, and create greater opportunities for learning, collaboration and networking. The charity also wanted to make the conference and its content more accessible, attract internationally recognised speakers, generate income through a new ticketing model and create lasting educational resources that would continue to benefit the community long after the event had finished.
As a small charity without an in-house events team, Orchard OCD wanted to outsource the planning and delivery of the conference, allowing the Trustees and scientific committee to focus on what they do best – developing the scientific programme, engaging speakers and advancing the charity’s mission. Natalie was appointed to provide the leadership, expertise and trusted event team needed to bring that vision to life.
Results
300+ Delegates
Expanded attendance from approximately 100 to more than 300 delegates across two conference days, welcoming researchers, clinicians, healthcare professionals and people with lived experience from around the world.
£13,000 Ticket Revenue
Developed and implemented a commercial ticketing strategy that generated more than £13,000 in ticket revenue while maintaining an accessible pricing model through early bird, NHS and student pricing.
£20,000+ Budget Savings
Through strategic venue sourcing, supplier negotiations and ongoing budget management, savings of more than £20,000 were identified and reinvested to enhance the overall delegate experience.
Global Access
Every conference session was professionally recorded, creating a lasting educational resource for researchers, clinicians, students and people with lived experience to access the latest OCD research and clinical insights worldwide.
Strategic Planning
With funding secured, the focus turned to developing a clear delivery and commercial strategy for the conference.
Natalie developed the event plan, delivery timeline and live budget tracker, alongside a delegate acquisition strategy designed to maximise attendance while maintaining accessibility and supporting the organisation’s objectives.
This included introducing early bird pricing, discounted NHS and student tickets, targeted ticket offers for key audience groups, coordinated email campaigns to the existing database, speaker-led promotion across LinkedIn and social media, and ongoing ticket sales reporting throughout the campaign.
Regular planning meetings ensured budgets, ticket sales, marketing activity and project milestones were reviewed throughout the eight-month planning period, enabling informed decisions to be made quickly as the project evolved.
Building the Delivery Team
Delivering an international scientific conference required experienced leadership, trusted suppliers and a team that could deliver with confidence.
Through McDonnell Marketing, Natalie procured and managed specialist suppliers across venue sourcing, audiovisual production, branding, photography, videography, print, signage and event technology, negotiating contracts and managing supplier relationships throughout the project.
Alongside specialist suppliers, Natalie assembled and led McDonnell Marketing’s trusted event delivery team, responsible for speaker logistics, delegate communications, registration, exhibitor coordination and onsite operations, ensuring every workstream progressed smoothly from planning through to delivery.
Delivering the Conference
Across two conference days, Natalie’s team managed every operational aspect of the event, allowing Orchard OCD to focus on its delegates, speakers and scientific programme.
The charity curated the scientific programme and introduced the speaker faculty, while Natalie’s team managed all speaker logistics, communications and scheduling for 35 internationally recognised speakers from across the world. Alongside trusted suppliers and delivery partners, the team coordinated 26 scientific poster presentations, four exhibition partners, delegate acquisition through targeted email campaigns and ticketing initiatives, delegate management, and every operational aspect of the conference, with Natalie providing overall event leadership from planning through to onsite delivery.
Every presentation was professionally recorded, creating a valuable educational resource that continues to support clinicians, researchers, students and people with lived experience around the world long after the conference concluded.
CLIENT FEEDBACK
Natalie is an amazing events organiser. I’ve worked with her both for an international conference on Alkaptonuria, a rare genetic disease, and an international conference on OCD. In both instances, the quality of her work was outstanding – very well organised, super responsive, and with excellent attention to detail. I thoroughly recommend her.
Nick Sireau – Founder
Orchard OCD
Thank you all SO MUCH for the incredible work you’ve put into this event! I’ve been receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback since Day 1 and I’m still receiving emails from delegates expressing their gratitude for organising such a fantastic conference and congratulating on the professionalism of the delivery! PS: even among speakers and chairs, many have been saying this has been the best conference they’ve been to over the last 20 years, and these people have very high standards..so a HUGE WELL DONE TEAM!!! We made it!!!
Margherita Zenoni
Orchard OCD
SERVICES PROVIDED
Event Consulting
Strategic advice, planning and commercial guidance from concept through to successful delivery.
Event Leadership
Leading the project, managing stakeholders and providing a single point of accountability throughout the event lifecycle.
Delegate Acquisition
Developing ticketing strategies, email campaigns and promotional activity to maximise attendance while maintaining accessibility.
Speaker Management
Managing speaker communications, logistics and scheduling to deliver an exceptional experience for speakers and delegates.
Venue & Supplier Management
Venue sourcing, contract negotiation and management of trusted suppliers and specialist delivery partners.
Event Delivery
Managing every operational detail onsite to deliver a seamless experience for delegates, speakers and stakeholders.
Whether you need support with strategy, project leadership or full event delivery, we’d be happy to talk through your plans and see where we can help.