Planning an event efficiently to maximize the results

Organizations participate in events to enhance brand visibility, promote new and existing products, improve sales lead generation and develop incremental revenue sources. Events also help organizations to stay on top of the marketing trends, gain competitor insights, keep up-to-date with industry news, build new connections and further solidify relationships with current customers.

To draw maximum output from events, organizations should ideally follow a 5-pronged strategy:

1. Identify the Right Fit – Participate in events which can showcase the products to a maximum number of potential buyers or influencers.
2. Social Media Marketing Strategies – Create effective social media marketing plan to invite maximum prospects to the booth. This can include: sending informational emails to the target audience and initiating conversations with interested prospects; promoting event participation on platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc. ; updating organization’s website with event details and creating a landing page for online visitors to get additional information and contact organizations representatives to schedule a meeting during the event.
3. Promotion Strategies – Determine the best display options in accordance with the organization’s marketing plan and budgetary needs. Identify a comprehensive design for overall brand projection and select effective means of on-site communication.
   1. Innovative booth structures can create a buzz at the event venue and attract visitors.
   2. Distribution of promotional Giveaways that are cost effective and have high-perceived value can motivate visitors to enquire about the organization’s offer.
4. Ensure right team at right place – Select team members who are well-trained and well-informed about the organization’s offer to man the booth, to interact with visitors, to generate leads and secure sales. 
5. Post event campaign –Run a focused post-event email campaign to maximize the impact of the event on following proposed levels: 

• Prospects met during the event – Thanking them and fixing meetings for next level discussions.
• Prospects who sought more information – Thanking them for visiting the booth and sharing the required information and keeping them engaged.
• Prospects who didn’t show up at the booth but attended the event – Saying “you were missed” and sharing the key highlights of the activities at the booth.

The above practices will help organizations to achieve better visibility, generate leads and ensure greater ROI, while participating in an event.