How do you align your event objectives with your organization's strategy and vision?

1 Know your why

Before you start planning your event, you need to have a clear and compelling answer to the question: why are you hosting this event? What is the purpose and value of your event for your organization and your audience? How does your event fit into your overall strategy and vision? Knowing your why will help you define your event objectives, which are the specific and measurable outcomes that you want to achieve through your event. Your event objectives should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

2 Align your objectives with your strategy and vision

Once you have your event objectives, you need to make sure they are aligned with your organization's strategy and vision. Your strategy is the long-term plan that guides your actions and decisions to achieve your vision, which is the ultimate goal or aspiration of your organization. Your event objectives should support your strategy and vision by addressing one or more of the following aspects: awareness, engagement, conversion, retention, or advocacy. For example, if your strategy is to increase your market share in a new segment, and your vision is to be the leader in your industry, your event objectives could be to generate x number of leads, increase brand awareness by y%, or establish thought leadership on a relevant topic.

3 Communicate your objectives to your stakeholders

Once you have aligned your objectives with your strategy and vision, you need to communicate them to your stakeholders, which are the people who have an interest or influence in your event. Your stakeholders could include your team members, your sponsors, your speakers, your vendors, and your attendees. Communicating your objectives to your stakeholders will help you get their buy-in, feedback, and support for your event. It will also help you set expectations, define roles and responsibilities, and avoid misunderstandings or conflicts. You can communicate your objectives through various channels, such as emails, newsletters, social media, websites, or meetings.

4 Track and measure your objectives

After you have communicated your objectives to your stakeholders, you need to track and measure them throughout the event lifecycle. Tracking and measuring your objectives will help you monitor your progress, evaluate your performance, and identify areas for improvement. You can track and measure your objectives using various tools and methods, such as surveys, polls, analytics, feedback forms, or testimonials. You should track and measure your objectives before, during, and after your event, and compare them with your baseline and target data. You should also report and share your results with your stakeholders, and celebrate your achievements.

5 Review and refine your objectives

Finally, after you have tracked and measured your objectives, you need to review and refine them for future events. Reviewing and refining your objectives will help you learn from your experience, identify best practices, and discover new opportunities. You should review and refine your objectives based on the data and feedback that you collected, and the lessons that you learned. You should also consider how your objectives align with your changing strategy and vision, and how you can adapt them to meet new challenges and needs. You should document and communicate your findings and recommendations to your stakeholders, and incorporate them into your next event plan.