Tips for successful events
Review previous events
Take time to analyse what you've done in the past, who attended and whether they are the audience you really want. Work out the actual spend and ask yourself what you gained from the event.
Which events have got the best attendance (not just in numbers but in quality of audience)? What content / format / activity has been most effective in achieving your objectives? And most importantly, what have you done with the new contacts and information you gathered at the event?
Current objectives
Think about your current business objectives and key messages. Are you trying to build brand awareness or closer relationships with existing customers? Do you need to educate new customers on products or services? Or do you need to create an opportunity to cross sell within your business? And what do you want people to leave thinking?
Every decision should be made with these objectives in mind, not because your MD likes to play golf!
Target audience
Bearing your objectives in mind, identify your target audience. Now think about what will attract them to an event, what will interest them? Look at it from the delegate's point of view. Much as you want to educate him or her about your products or services, no one wants a whole day of PowerPoint presentations and hard sales. Leave them wanting more - it could create an opportunity to arrange follow up meetings after the event.
Time is short and people leave the office less these days. They certainly don't want to be seen to be on a 'jolly' so the business element is becoming more important. Opportunities for interaction are attractive too - the audience wants to network, discuss and learn from each other as well as from you. People like to be involved and their experience is valuable, so why not send out a research questionnaire prior to the event to ask them what they want to discuss? Or use digital media to interact with your guests and create interest around the event to ensure that people turn up on the day. This will gain respect and a greater buy-in to your events.
Content content content
Once you've established your key messages and your target audience, make sure you follow through with relevant themes and content. Many companies fall short at this point, other business priorities take over and content becomes a last minute 'this will do' rehash of the same old presentations.
Think about your presenters and if necessary, invest in some public speaking training.
Consider using a professional moderator who will work with you to create stimulating discussions.
Ask whether interactive technology can help. There are systems that will provide you with a post event report, noting the audience's comments, questions, suggestions or other valuable information.
Execution
Only now are you ready to start looking for an appropriate venue. Too often a venue is chosen before the format is decided and the format needs to be altered to fit in with the venue's limitations.
Ensure that the venue location, the event date and time are most convenient to your audience. Always contract reliable and quality suppliers rather than cutting corners - it is better not to do an event at all than to risk looking incapable on site - it will reflect on your brand.
Communication with your audience is vital. Plan how and when invitations and follow-ups will be done and stick to the deadlines. The devil is in the detail – it's the small thoughtful things that make an impression on your clients. If you don't have the internal resources to do the time consuming planning, then outsource to a professional event manager.
Ensure that all suppliers have a final signed off budget and production schedule prior to the event. Always have plan B options in place – in the events world, anything that can go wrong generally will!
On the day, have separate front of house and back of house management teams. That way, when guests arrive they get the impression of a smoothly coordinated event – and know nothing about the frenzied running around that goes on behind the scenes!
Finally, make sure that the whole team is fully briefed and knows the itinerary.
Follow up
Few companies take advantage of post event opportunities – it may be as simple as thanking guests for attending, providing photos and copies of the presentations on your website or proactively arranging follow up meetings for further discussions. This is a perfect opportunity for the big sell as guests will be at their most receptive.
Finally, always do a thorough de-brief, reconcile the budget, take note of who attended and discuss what elements were effective in achieving your objectives so that you can continue to develop your event strategy and do it even better next time!