Events - The 3 W's

Running a successful event will depend not entirely but really rather quite substantially on the 3 W’s. They are key to creating a buzz around your event, achieving your aims and providing valuable interaction with your customers.

1.       WHO

Who needs to attend your event to make it a success? Friends and family for support? Existing customers or new ones? Business contacts or even dare I say it rival businesses? Can you even get the press involved, even if it is just local press it is still great coverage. Who attends is up to you but make sure you invite the right audience for your event. Send appropriate invites, that get your message across and include key details - location and time of your event etc. Explain what the benefits of attending your event will be and remember to end with a call to action! If your event is trying to attract a new audience for your business remember to advertise widely and target your businesses tribe (your key consumer segment) Promote in places they go or in the media they are most likely to follow.

Think about what your audiences will expect as standard at your event, and then create a WOW factor that will get them talking about your event and embed your brand in their memory.

2.       WHEN

Decide on the key factors first – how long will your event take to plan? And when will it fit cohesively with the rest of your marketing strategy? For example if it is a product launch you need to make sure your product is finished, top quality and ready to sell! The time of day, week, month you choose to host your event should fit with your target market, for example working mums aren’t going to attend a mid-week event in the middle of the day. Remember to balance opportunities for increased footfall with the potential costs involved. And consider carefully how long your event should last, all day is a long time to fill!

3.       WHERE

Does your venue fit with the image of your business? Will it help create a theme or particular atmosphere, do you want guests relaxed or buzzing? Is your venue the right size? Forecast carefully the number of attendees, they won’t stay long if they feel like sardines ,but vast swathes of space don’t always feel that inviting either. Are you going to rely on your own advertising or can you attract a lot of people passing by. Remember to keep costs tightly under control as venue will most likely be your biggest expense. Make sure the venue is suitable for everything you have planned and design a floor plan to check everything will fit!

WWW is key to designing events that will be successful and engage your audience. Let me know what your three W's would be. Next time I'll be giving you great tips on promoting and marketing your business during the event

Event Management

Planning your event should incorporate everything that needs to take place in advance, and on the day itself. There are lots of elements to running an event so it is very important to have a clear plan and great organisational skills!

Firstly decide the purpose of your event and what your goals are, for example, to make sales  or new contacts. You need to do this so that you can work out what actions your attendees need to undertake whilst at the event. This way they won’t turn up and leave with no positive outcome for your business. Maybe have a contact form so that when people turn up they can sign in and leave an email address. Or do you need to make sure there is a demonstration of your product at the event so people are more likely to buy? Do you expect them to take any further actions after the event? Say to visit your website, if so do you need to hand out a business card or a voucher for the site?

Now you know what needs to happen at the event and what elements you need to include. Decide on the event itself, where will it take place, will there be a theme? If so how is it relevant to what you are trying to achieve and how does it represent your brand? Depending on the type of event you decide upon do careful research on local legislation, are there any rules you should be aware of in terms of health and safety or if you plan to serve any alcohol?

Begin to decide on the time frame involved. Decide on a suitable date for your event to take place and begin to create a schedule for all the elements you need to organise.  When will you have to book a venue? Send invites or place an advertisement? Do you need to plan any entertainment or activities?

Remember if it starts to become too complex break it back down to the goal you decided on at the beginning, you really don’t need a lot of bells or whistles! Is it a one off business launch or a little monthly catch up?  Plan the scale of the event accordingly! Make sure you stick to a budget otherwise costs can spiral. Remember sometimes the events that are free to set up are the most fun! As you have to think a little bit more creatively about venues and activities.

It can be a bit daunting arranging an event by yourself, so can you round up any helpers? Do you need any greeters or speakers at your event? Could you get them to carry out some market research for you while they mingle with your guests? Or could you combine your event with some other local businesses?

As for the day itself, plan how long your event will last, will it go on all day and people can come and go as they please or will it only last an hour and guests should be there for the duration? Plan what activities will take place and when. Don’t try to cram too much in, as schedules always slip a little and you don’t want to bombard people!

Most importantly make sure your event will be something to remember. As not only may you gain new custom from attendees. If your event is exciting, interesting and well planned it could increase exposure for your business through word of mouth promotion and this really is the best kind!