Holding your society’s annual conference, or even its AGM, in Marrakech is usually a question of your own constitution rather than of the law. In Ireland, the Companies Act 2014 expressly allows a general meeting outside the State, provided members can take part electronically unless they all agree in writing; in the UK, the Companies Act 2006 allows electronic attendance and voting, and the Charity Commission for England and Wales expects your governing document to set the rules. On cost, our calculator puts a two-night conference for 150 delegates in a 3-star hotel, with two days of sessions, AV, a dinner, a hotel party with a DJ and airport transfers, at €42,680 to €69,850 before flights. To scope your event, our conference and seminar team in Marrakech replies within 48 working hours: send a free quote request with your expected attendance and dates.
This guide is for membership associations, professional bodies, federations and charities in the UK and Ireland. It summarises official sources read on 27 October 2026 and is not legal advice: your company secretary or adviser should confirm your own position.
Ireland: the Act deals with meetings abroad directly
If your association is an Irish company, section 176 of the Companies Act 2014 states that an annual or extraordinary general meeting “may be held inside or outside of the State”. There is one condition. Unless all the members entitled to attend and vote consent in writing to the meeting being held abroad, the company must “make provision for participation in any such meeting by the use of electronic communications technology”, in line with section 176A.
Section 176A, in force since 3 December 2024, sets the standard for that technology. Unless your constitution says otherwise, a company may run a general meeting wholly or partly online, as long as all attendees have “a reasonable opportunity to participate”. Members who join remotely must be able to cast a vote without being physically present, hear the chair, and speak or submit questions to the extent the constitution allows. In practice, an AGM in Marrakech means a properly run hybrid meeting, unless every voting member signs up to the trip in writing.
UK: companies and charities
Companies
The Companies Act 2006 only requires public companies, and traded private companies, to hold an AGM (section 336). If your society is a private company, any AGM obligation comes from its articles, along with the rules on where and how it meets. Section 360A confirms that nothing in the Act prevents a meeting where people “not present together at the same place may by electronic means attend and speak and vote at it”. A general meeting of a private company needs at least 14 days’ notice, or longer if your articles say so (section 307).
Charities
The Charity Commission’s guidance on charity meetings (CC48), which applies to charities in England and Wales, puts the governing document first. If you want virtual or hybrid meetings, it says you “should amend your governing document so that it specifically allows you to do so”, and check the clauses on notice and voting at the same time. If the document is silent on AGM notice, it suggests reasonable notice “such as a minimum of 3 weeks”; charitable companies must give at least 14 days. On venues, it asks you to think about accessibility, size, transport and equipment, and suggests paying attendance expenses in line with your expenses policy. Those questions deserve a written answer when the venue is a flight away.
Whatever your structure, take the decision openly: a resolution at the previous AGM or a board minute explaining why Marrakech serves members better protects the trustees or directors who chose it.
Protecting your quorum
Not every member will travel, so plan the arithmetic early. If your rules allow proxies, encourage members who stay at home to appoint one before the deadline. If they allow remote attendance, test the platform from the venue and keep a record of everyone who joins electronically, as CC48 recommends. Put the statutory business first on the main day, when attendance peaks: register, quorum check, accounts, appointments, resolutions. Leave the conference programme for afterwards.
Simultaneous interpreting may matter if your membership is international: our guide to conference AV and simultaneous interpreting explains the equipment. Our recording and AV crew can also capture the plenary for members who could not come.
A two-to-three-day format
Day 1, arrival. Airport welcome and transfers, badges and voting papers, a board meeting in the late afternoon to finalise resolutions, and a welcome dinner.
Day 2, the AGM and conference. Formal business in the morning, then panels, committee workshops and guest speakers in the afternoon. In the evening, the conference dinner at the hotel or in a privately hired riad.
Day 3, learning and departures. A morning of sessions or professional visits, then flights home.
For the room set-up, you need a plenary room with a top table, roving microphones for questions, a registration desk, and two or three breakout rooms. For larger gatherings, see our guide to conferences of 300 to 1,000 delegates; for travel from Britain and Ireland, our article on a company retreat in Marrakech from the UK or Ireland covers the practical side.
What does an association conference in Marrakech cost?
These figures come from the model behind our seminar and team building budget calculator, including a 10% contingency. They exclude flights, alcoholic drinks, tourist tax and organisation fees.
| Format | Included | Total budget | Per delegate |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-day AGM, 150 members, no overnight | 4-star hotel meeting room, breaks, lunch, AV | €9,570 to €15,125 | €64 to €101 |
| Conference, 150 delegates, 2 nights, 3-star | 2 days with AV, 1 dinner, hotel party with DJ, transfers | €42,680 to €69,850 | €285 to €466 |
| Conference, 150 delegates, 2 nights, 4-star | Same | €60,830 to €99,550 | €406 to €664 |
| Conference, 80 delegates, 3 nights, 4-star | 2 days with AV, 2 dinners, riad dinner with live musicians, medina rally, transfers | €47,828 to €80,696 | €598 to €1,009 |
| Board retreat, 20 people, 2 nights | 4-star hotel, 1 day with AV, 1 dinner, riad evening with musicians, transfers | €10,362 to €20,284 | €518 to €1,014 |
Hotel category moves the total most: for 150 delegates over two nights, going from 3 to 4 stars adds roughly €18,000 to €30,000 in the model, as rooms rise from €40–65 to €80–130 per single room per night. If you charge members a registration fee, the table gives the full cost to share out.
Timeline
Hotels in Marrakech are usually booked three to six months ahead, earlier in the busy seasons of March to May and September to November. If your constitution needs changing to allow a meeting abroad or remote voting, do that first, at a meeting held under your current rules. Then send notice in line with your articles or governing document, with the venue, how to join remotely, and the papers. Our planning timeline sets out the logistics week by week.
What Saphyyr Events does
We run the logistics of your conference: sourcing and booking the hotel and rooms, plenary and breakout set-up, sound, projection, recording and interpreting where needed, breaks and meals, the conference dinner, airport welcome, transfers and an on-site team from first day to last. One team in Paris plans with you, one in Marrakech delivers. Notices, resolutions and minutes remain with your board and company secretary.
Frequently asked questions
Can an Irish company hold its AGM in Morocco?
Yes. Section 176 of the Companies Act 2014 allows general meetings outside the State, but unless all voting members consent in writing, the company must let members participate electronically.
Can a charity in England or Wales hold a hybrid AGM abroad?
The Charity Commission expects your governing document to allow virtual or hybrid meetings explicitly, and to set notice and voting rules. Amend it first if it is silent.
What does a 150-delegate conference cost?
Our calculator gives €42,680 to €69,850 over two nights in a 3-star hotel and €60,830 to €99,550 in a 4-star, with two days of sessions, a dinner, a DJ party and transfers, before flights.
How far ahead should we plan?
Around a year if your constitution needs amending, otherwise six months, since hotels book three to six months ahead.
For your society’s conference or AGM in Marrakech, explore our event planning service and our seminars in Marrakech, or ask for a free quote with your expected attendance and dates.