Events. What can possibly go wrong?

A great event can achieve a wide variety of objectives; stronger relationships, increased loyalty, motivated staff or channel partners, clearly understood messages; an enhanced reputation. The end result? Your event has delivered a real return on investment.

A badly organised event can undo years of work in building relationships; demoralise your staff; confuse your audiences; and, worst of all, ruin a great reputation. Too often events are left in the hands of an internal resource who is juggling many other tasks and deadlines. He or she doesn't have the time to devote to the detail, or the in-depth knowledge to maximise the opportunities. Here are some of the things that go wrong...

  • In the rush to book a venue, get the suppliers lined up and invite the attendees, people lose sight of the original business objectives.
  • You miss opportunities to maximise your results through PR, research, marketing strategy, design and digital media.
  • Events can too easily fall into the "same as always" format. Creative ideas are critical to making your event original and memorable.
  • The organiser doesn't know where to source the best value suppliers, or doesn't have the experience to negotiate the best deals.
  • The organiser lacks authority to galvanise managers internally to deliver their contributions by the deadlines required.
  • On the day, as the host, you are too busy fire-fighting to greet and build relationships with your internal and external customers.
  • Small important details get overlooked. If a delegate isn't allocated to a breakout group for instance, that will be one of the main things they remember about your event.
  • The budget spirals out of control.
  • Day-to-day pressures mean that no comprehensive audit is made of the event so you can't reliably judge the value it delivered.
  • Brand communication is not consistent or of the high standard required for the event to act as a powerful brand ambassador.

Make sure your event is managed by someone with the time and the skills to ensure it runs smoothly, impresses the attendees and gives you a good return on your investment.