Planning an Event
Now here is an article that will be of interest to most of us. How do you start an event and what are steps in getting there? Lets break it down into simple steps.
1 Set a budget
First-thing-first, craft a strategic budget. Set it up well in advance, considering factors like:
2 Determine your Goals
Define your objectives early: whether it's lead generation, brand awareness, or sales promotions. Do ensure to make goals specific and measurable.
3 - Create a project plan
The plan should be something along the lines of a Gant Chart with lines for concurrent work and interdependencies that can’t be started until other items have been completed.
4 - Keep you plan up to date
As you work through the plan you will be able to: work more efficiently, complete tasks on time, and will it help give more focus and team resource to the items that are falling behind schedule.
5 - Make your plan flexible
You will make mistakes. Even experienced planners make mistakes which is OK as long as you learn from them. Your project plan is the perfect place to record you mistakes and to comment on what could be done better next time. Ensure the plan has space for additional dependencies. You will be at amazed at the difference it can make.
6 - Learn from your plan
As you gain more experience you can build on your original plans and add more line items to help you from falling into previous pitfall mistakes. At the end of the day you will save time, money, and resource. Remember this is the stuff that gives you the edge over your competitors.
7 - Use a software planning tool
Project management software is a force multiplier. It helps you organise your time and resource management, create reports about business and employee performance, and get a better idea of what’s working and what isn’t. Project management software can also make team collaboration easier and more seamless than ever before. Todays
PM software mostly runs online, so safeguarding your security is quite important. With your system, you’ll be able to determine which users have access to which parts of the platform, and how often you update passwords and security protocols. When selecting a software provider, take a look at the security safeguards they have in place to protect users, including firewalls and encryption. In summary if you use the KISS principle (Keep it Simple Stupid) you should have minimal problems.
领英推荐
8 - Working with a team
Assemble a winning team for your events success. Ensure your team have effective networking skills. Encourage them to initiate conversations, collect contact information, and follow up promptly after the event. Networking is a powerful tool for building relationships with potential clients and staying connected with industry peers. Work closely with your marketing team to develop effective strategies to identify key products or services to highlight emphasising your brand's value proposition and differentiation.
Prepare your team for success. Schedule pre-event meetings to align on goals, tactics, and messaging. Define specific roles for each team member to maintain focus up to and during the event. Establish clear behavioural guidelines, emphasising professional communication and proactive engagement with the event attendees.
9 - Use social media
Maximise your marketing impact by announcing your attendance to existing customers and followers with engaging posts. Share crucial details such as local parking, public & private transport and a location map for easy discovery. Utilise event hashtags to broaden your reach and connect with a wider audience.
After the event, write a comprehensive blog post recapping your experience. Share highlights, key takeaways, and any exciting connections made. This not only reinforces your company's presence in the minds of attendees but also provides valuable content for those who couldn't attend and all things being equal you can be sure they will not be missing out of your follow up events.
10 - Consider merchandise
Elevate your event and leave a lasting impression on the people who will attend with some essential merchandise. Here are some popular and versatile merchandise ideas that are often well-received:
Tote Bags: Practical and reusable, tote bags are useful for carrying event materials and can feature the event branding.
Water Bottles: Branded water bottles are both practical and environmentally friendly, encouraging attendees to stay hydrated.
Notebooks and Pens: Useful for taking notes during the event, branded notebooks and pens are common but appreciated giveaways.
Lanyards: are versatile and stylish accessory for business needs, perfect for holding ID cards, keys, and other essentials.
Thank you.
Gill.
'Planning an Event' was an extract from our October newsletter. You can read them all by following this link:
Local SEO and Guest Post Expert??
3 个月good advice????