Why outsource your events?

If you are in charge of organising your company’s conferences, exhibitions or client events, there’s every chance you may have asked yourself this question at some point. And the chances are you’re not alone.

Many marketing departments are under pressure to deliver on a big remit, or a wide range of objectives, but at the same time are finding themselves struggling with a lack of internal resource or that there are simply not enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Finding the time to plan an event from start to finish is no mean feat, and the planning process can take anything from a few days to several months - dependent on the complexity of the event project.

If you don’t have sufficient events expertise within your team, or even enough of a team to be able to manage an event, then here are just a few ways in which outsourcing your event management requirements can really benefit your organisation:

1)   It will save you time

If you have a small team that are already stretched, having someone else take on the lengthy processes involved in some of the event planning can be a godsend. Venue finding, contract negotiation, sourcing suppliers and managing the event logistics can be hugely time-consuming. Wouldn’t you rather free up your team to focus on the more strategic elements of the event such as the event content, or how you are presenting your corporate brand at the event?

2)   You will get the right experience

Anyone can organise an event can’t they? Sure they can, but you're not going to get close to the same levels of experience as someone who is an expert at running a wide range of events on a daily basis. You wouldn’t leave your company finances or IT support in the hands of someone with no financial or IT experience, so why run the risk of doing this for your events? You only get the one chance to make a great first impression so surely it’s worth investing in having that experienced pair of hands on your side to help you get it right?

3)   You are guaranteed trusted suppliers

Having an experienced events partner on your side that has established and long-standing relationships with great venues, caterers, speakers, AV companies, etc will give you access to a network suppliers who are affordable, reliable and professional. You won’t need to spend the time shopping around to try and find the best provider and you can rest assured that there won’t be any last-minute hitches or let downs on the day. Total peace of mind for you and for your brand.

4)   You will have a single point of contact

There are usually multiple suppliers involved in every event, so having just that one point of contact to manage them all, along with the process of multiple contracts and invoicing saves you huge amounts of time and effort.

5) It provides an extra resource for your team

All good event agencies look to build a relationship with you, their client, and should be mindful of the key knowledge that you hold about your business. Even if you have some level of experience in events, outsourcing some or all of your event needs simply means you have a temporary extension to your team, providing you with an increased level of expertise, service and support that would not be available otherwise. Outsourcing does not mean the event is no longer your baby. You are the expert in your field and you understand your business better than anyone. You should look to the event agency for the support you require to deliver an exceptional event that achieves the goals set by you.

In summary, an event should inspire your audience – get them talking, recommending, re-booking, investing, developing and generally enhancing your reputation. If it goes to plan, the positive feedback is fantastic for your people, productivity and profits. But, if it’s poorly executed, your brand and business could suffer seriously from the fallout.

So, why take the risk by trying to manage everything yourself? Why not put your event in expert hands?