Planning an event? 10 Tips to Help You Succeed

Events can be an integral part of a marketing plan; many businesses rely on them to build awareness and generate leads. But as you may have noticed, some events are better run and attended than others.  

​What are the keys to orchestrating successful events?
 
1) Know your objective and desired audience. 
Before you start planning the details, have a clear idea of whom you want to attract and what value you will be offering.

• Ask: Why would they want to attend?
  
• How do you add value? For example, is there a way to offer CE (continuing education) credits?
• Think about creating a memorable experience.  Having a drawings or competitions for prizes and serving food will help attract and engage your participants.​

​2) Planning
The earlier you can start planning, the better. For a large event like a trade show or conference, begin planning six months in advance.  
For local events, you’ll need at least 30 to 45 days to get things organized and arranged.
TIP: If you are using vendors, have all vendor contracts completed a few weeks before the event. If they don’t have a commitment from you, they might book another event.

3. Find Partners and Sponsors to share expenses.
Look for businesses that have complementary services or would like to reach the same target market. Coordinating with a non-profit and donating the fees charged is a great way to attract participants and make them feel good about your company and their spending time/money at your event!

4. Negotiate
Don’t be afraid to ask – many things are negotiable. How much a vendor charges might depend on how busy they are, so being flexible with your dates/specifications can help reduce their quoted price.
Tip: Determine your budget before meeting a vendor or sponsor, and think of what you can offer in return for sponsorship or a lower negotiated price.

5. Assign Responsibilities; communicate
If you’ve recruited partners or a team, break up the various elements of the event into sections; clearly define roles and responsibilities of each team member.
Communicating and collaborating with the people working with you is important.
 To keep everyone on the same page, create a document that details key elements of the event, timelines, and who is responsible. Have it easily accessible, easy to read and updated so everyone can refer to it and you can keep things on track.  Many groups use Google Docs to do this. 
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​6. Promote, promote, promote
Your goal is to get the right people to your event -- and enough of them to make it worthwhile.
Create a promotional plan for your event incorporating all the media channels available to you.  
If you are planning to host more than one event, pay particular attention to branding. Using the same template will build brand recognition; repetition is the key!
 

​7. Ways to promote your event:

• List on Eventbrite
• Email your list, encourage any advocates to share the event
• Know some bloggers or influencers? Contact them and ask if they’ll mention it.
• Use social media, for example:
  • Create a custom hashtag for your event on Twitter; encourage your followers to tweet about it.
  • Create an event on Facebook; encourage your followers to respond to the event. Post in relevant groups.
  • If appropriate, post on Instagram and LinkedIn, especially in relevant groups.
• If the promotion targets a local audience, you can write free posts on Alignable.com, Next Door, and other sites that target the local area
• Don’t forget to promote it personally at events and networking and professional groups you may attend. Hand out flyers; post them in coffee shops and other places where your target audience may gather.
• Check if there are local publications that have event sections. Is your event newsworthy? Send out a press release.

 
​8. Photograph Everything
Pictures can document the success of your event. Get pictures of the full room, event branding, speakers, and attendees enjoying themselves.

9. Have a dry run; then relax if everything doesn’t go exactly as planned
Hold a practice session, especially if you have several speakers and have everything in place before the event so you’ll be able to welcome guests. Create contingency plans. Things ALWAYS change – stay flexible and think of alternatives.
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10. Follow-up Immediately

• Upload your photos once the event is over and actively encourage users to tag themselves.
• Get feedback – send a survey or email asking for comments on what participants enjoyed/benefited from and what they would like to see different next time. Collecting and using feedback engages potential customers and helps ensure your next event is even better!

 
Thanks for reading!
 
Special thanks to Evan Carroll of www.attendedevents.com  and Debra Mathias, www.connect-to-clients.com – I really appreciate their willingness to talk with me and sharing their thoughts and expertise.