Convention vs. Conference

Main Difference

The main difference between convention and conference is that convention is a large-scale meeting in which people can share their own ideas, views, or opinions whereas a conference is a meeting in which the audience is not generally allowed to participate and is bound to hear to speakers.

Convention vs. Conference — Is There a Difference?
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Difference Between Convention and Conference

Convention vs. Conference

A convention is a kind of gathering whereas a conference is a kind of seminar or a symposium.

Convention vs. Conference

The convention is a less formal kind of meeting, and it is light-hearted conversely conference is a more formal kind of meeting compared to the convention.

Convention vs. Conference

The convention is a large-scale meeting in which a group of people shares works and common interests to reach a specific point to make decisions on the other hand conference is a meeting of people on the solution of any problem, finding a fact, or discussion regarding any topic.

Convention vs. Conference

A convention is held for once in a few years to acknowledge any event or a milestone contrarily conference is held to exhibit scholarship on the given subject.

Convention vs. Conference

The convention is a mutual meeting in which the participants are allowed to discuss and share their personal views on the flip side conference is a speaker-oriented meeting in which speaker is sharing his/her thoughts, experiences, and knowledge, and the rest of the people are listening to him/her carefully.

Convention vs. Conference

A convention is a network where you can share your thoughts and learn from your peers. On the contrary, a conference is a place where you can learn from the experts or the leaders of a specific

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Convention vs. Conference

The mass of people in the conferences is not specified while the conference target a specific audience.

Convention vs. Conference

A convention is a big platform for a healthy discussion. On the other side, a conference is a platform mainly for gaining some knowledge.

Convention vs. Conference

The duration of a convention is one week or one and a half weeks inversely the duration of a conference is shorter of one to three days.

Conventionnoun

A meeting or gathering.

The convention was held in Geneva.

Conferencenoun

The act of consulting together formally; serious conversation or discussion; interchange of views.

Conventionnoun

A formal deliberative assembly of mandated delegates.

The EU installed an inter-institutional Convention to draft a European constitution.
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Conferencenoun

(politics) A multilateral diplomatic negotiation.

Conventionnoun

The convening of a formal meeting.

Conferencenoun

(science) A formal event where scientists present their research results in speeches, workshops, posters or by other means.

Conventionnoun

A formal agreement, contract or pact.

Conferencenoun

(business) An event organized by a for-profit or non-profit organization to discuss a pressing issue, such as a new product, market trend or government regulation, with a range of speakers.

Conventionnoun

(international law) A treaty or supplement to such.

The Vienna convention at the Vienna Congress (1814-15) standardized most of diplomatic conduct for generations.

Conferencenoun

(sports) A group of sports teams that play each other on a regular basis.

Conventionnoun

A practice or procedure widely observed in a group, especially to facilitate social interaction; a custom.

Table seatings are generally determined by tacit convention, not binding formal protocol.The convention of driving on the right is reinforced by law.

Conferencenoun

A constituent tournament of a sports league in a given season.

Conventionnoun

a large formal assembly;

political convention

Conferencenoun

(obsolete) The act of comparing two or more things together; comparison.

Conventionnoun

something regarded as a normative example;

the convention of not naming the main characterviolence is the rule not the exceptionhis formula for impressing visitors

Conferencenoun

(Methodist Church) A stated meeting of preachers and others, invested with authority to take cognizance of ecclesiastical matters.

Conventionnoun

(diplomacy) an international agreement

Conferencenoun

A voluntary association of Congregational churches of a district; the district in which such churches are.

Conventionnoun

orthodoxy as a consequence of being conventional

Conferenceverb

To assess (a student) by one-on-one conversation, rather than an examination.

Conventionnoun

the act of convening

Conferencenoun

a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)

Conferencenoun

an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members

Conferencenoun

a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic

Comparison Chart

ConventionConference
A large scale meeting in which a group of people shares work and common interests to reach a specific point to make decisionsA meeting of people on the solution of any problem, finding a fact, or discussion, regarding any topic
Formal
LessMore
Audience Involvement
AllowedNot allowed
Paper Reading
Not allowedAllowed
Duration
One week, one and a half weekOne to three days
Kind of Meeting
MutualSpeaker oriented

Convention vs. Conference

Convention and conference refer to a similar meaning. Convention and conference is anything like a meeting of people, get together, or gathering. Both the words have similar meanings, and so they cause confusion for the English language learners.

The convention is a kind of gathering, whereas the conference is a kind of seminar or a symposium. The convention is a large-scale meeting in which a group of people shares work and common interests to reach a specific point to make decisions, whereas a conference is a meeting of people on the solution of any problem, finding a fact, or discussion regarding any topic.

There is a difference in status between convention and conference. The convention is a less formal kind of meeting, and it is light-hearted. The conference is a more formal kind of meeting as compared to the convention. A convention is held once in a few years to acknowledge any event or a milestone. On the other hand, the conference is held to exhibit scholarship on the given subject.

The mass of people in conventions is particular, e.g. there are conventions for the youngsters called youth convention. Similarly, there is a student convention that targets students respectively. The mass of people in the conferences is not specified as the conference is on a general topic, and any person belonging to any age can attend it depending upon his/her area of interest. However, the type of conference target its specific audience, e.g. the conference with the topic “The Growing Rate of suicide Due to Depression,” will attract the people who are depressed or are facing some problems.

The participants are not just allowed but encouraged in a convention to discuss and share their personal views. The conference is a speaker-oriented meeting. A speaker is sharing his/her thoughts, experiences, and knowledge while the rest of the people are listening to him/her carefully at a conference.

What is the Convention?

A convention is a large-scale meeting in which a group of people shares works and common interests to reach a specific point to make decisions. A convention is held once in a few years to acknowledge any event or a milestone.

A convention is a less formal kind of meeting. it is a light-hearted meeting that is organized by an organization, club, or conference union. The mass of people in conventions is particular, e.g. there are conventions for the youngsters called youth convention. Similarly, there is a student convention that targets students only.

The participants in a convention are not just allowed but encouraged to discuss and share their personal views. Conventions give you a chance to share your thoughts, interests, etc. Conventions often take a light note by allowing the members to share any funny thing related to the topic under discussion.

In other words, a convention is a gathering of people, which is convened to enable the people to give a voice to their views and opinions. A convention can also be formal having the members, representatives, or delegates, accordingly.

There are different types of people from different backgrounds who can get participated in a convention. All these people gather at conventions can share similar interests and can make a decision. The duration of the convention is longer. It can exceed up to two weeks or one and a half weeks. One week is the normal duration of a convention.

There are group discussions, stage plays, and other types of interactions between participants in a convention. However, a convention does not have any reading sessions. It has numerous innovative programs that help participants to interact. Mainly, a convention is a platform for discussion.

Examples

  • A political convention – in which an assembly of leaders of a political party gather to make a decision
  • A national convention – organized by a country or nations
  • A student convention – organized specifically for the students

What is the Conference?

The conference is a kind of seminar or symposium. It is a meeting of people on the solution of any problem, finding a fact, or discussion, regarding any topic. The conference is a formal kind of meeting as compared to the convention. The conference is a speaker-oriented meeting. A speaker is sharing his/her thoughts, experiences, and knowledge and the rest of the people are listening to him carefully.

The mass of people in the conferences is not specified as the conference is on a general topic and any person belonging to any age can attend it depending upon his/her area of interest. However, the type of conference target its specific audience, e.g. the conference with the topic “The Growing Rate of suicide Due to Depression” will attract the people who are depressed or are facing some problems.

A conference can be a large event with thousands of visitors/attendees, or it can be a small workshop or seminar containing fifty attendees. The duration of a conference is for a period of one day to three days. The organizer of a conference is known as a ‘director.’

Moreover, there are national as well as international conferences. National conferences are primarily attended by the people of the same country in which the conference is taking place. The international conference contains visitors from all around the world.

The conference is the best place or platform where you have the opportunity to present your work as a talk or as a poster. Various conferences have specific objectives. In brief, a conference is a meeting for the consultation, exchange of information, or discussion having a formal agenda.

The word conference also refers to paper reading in the seminars. The paper presenters are known by the name ‘delegates.’ The delegates present their papers and answer the questions of the participants at the end of their reading session. The attendees learn new strategies, facts, and market trends through these speeches.

During conferences, activities like group discussions, stage plays, etc. are not held. Most of the conferences are research-oriented in nature. As the name suggests, the conference is a meeting where people ‘confer’ about any topic. The speakers and topics of conferences are selected before it takes place.

Examples

  • Business conferences
  • Sports conferences
  • News conferences
  • Settlement conferences
Conclusion

Convention and conference both are types of meetings that have similar dictionary meanings. But the detailed study reveals that convention and conference are different in the type of their audience, the information they share, the way of imparting knowledge, etc.