Whether you have many years of experience in running a business, or you’re about to launch a startup, throwing a business event can be a great way to attract new customers and bring clients on board. Hosting an event can gain exposure and showcase what your business has to offer. Events can range from small-scale targeted events to bring in a niche audience all the way to large-scale events like a charity gala. If you aren’t sure where to start, here are 12 tips on how to throw an effective business event.
Set Objectives and Goals
To get the most out of your business event, layout objectives and goals from the beginning. Whether your aim is to attract local media, build a mailing list of potential customers, or spread brand awareness, outlining your goals will help you decide on what type of event will work best. Organisation is key, so it’s important that you research who your target audience is so you can get a better idea of how to structure your business event.
Work Out the Scope of the Event
There are numerous factors that you need to take into account before hosting a business event. Questions that you need to ask yourself include whether you plan to have refreshments, entertainment for guests, as well as speakers. Saxton can help when it comes to finding professional leading speakers for events in Australia. Having the right people to speak on your behalf can be a great way to promote your products and services and build interest in your brand.
Time it Right
To get as many attendees as possible, timing is a crucial aspect that you need to address before hosting your business event. There are key dates that need to be considered such as annual events or holidays that may compete with yours. Also, make sure that you address how much time your attendees will need in order to plan ahead, which will increase the numbers for your event. If you leave things until the last minute, don’t be surprised if you don’t get full capacity.
Pick Your Team
For your business event to run smoothly from start to finish, you need to identify who will be in charge of proceedings. Whether it is you as the owner, or another key employee, having one person take charge of the event and manage all the details is important. As a business owner, you need to understand the importance of delegation, especially before hosting an event. For your audience to stay interested throughout, your order of running needs to be a smooth transition. Once you’ve assigned roles and responsibilities, you will feel more confident about your event.
Think it Through
Planning makes perfect, so before the event takes place, you will need to have a sit down with your team and mentally walk through each step of the event. To do this effectively, try and envision it happening, and picture everything that you will need. Whether it’s chairs, napkins, clipboards, or a PA system, covering all bases is vital. Also, figuring out how much manpower you will need at the event itself is another important factor to take into account. Unfortunately, problems can and do occur from time to time, so having a backup plan will ensure that your business event runs according to plan without too many hiccups.
Set a Budget
Whether you’re a small business on a budget, or you have the cash to splash, working out the overall costs of the event is important. Depending on the type of business event you host, you may want to consider seeking a sponsor for your event who can share the costs with you. The last thing you want is to get into debt from your event, so working out the financial side of things from the beginning can help you keep in control of your spending and ensure you stay within your means.
Create a Marketing Plan
To get the most out of your business event, you need to allow plenty of time to get the word out. Creating a marketing plan can be a great way to spread awareness of your business event, helping to make sure that potential customers and clients are aware of your event. There are numerous strategies that you can take, such as using email marketing, creating a business page on social media, as well as placing an ad in your local newspaper. The more marketing tools you use, the better chance you have of filling up your business event.
Alert the Media
To build awareness of your business event in the community, local media are critical. To start, you should send local bloggers and reporters a press release that outlines what your upcoming event is all about. Inviting local media to cover the event, as well as sending them a follow-up press release after the event has taken place can be a great way to spread the word about your company, even for those who are unable to attend.
Build Buzz
Social media is used by billions of people across the globe, making it a perfect tool when it comes to building a buzz about your event. Creating pages on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter will enable you to engage with your target audience well in advance. To build excitement, make sure that you post pictures and news about your preparations. It’s important that you stay consistent with promoting your event, otherwise, you may not get the numbers you want on the night.
Develop Promotions
Once your business event is in full swing, you will need to work out how you will market your consumers. Whether it’s by using brochures, business cards, or discount coupons, there are lots of things that you can do to impress and keep consumers interested. It’s vital that you get your attendee’s contact information which you can use to send the latest news and developments of your company after the event has finished.
Stay Positive
For your business event to be the success you envisaged, it’s important that you remain positive from start to finish. How you conduct yourself will say a lot about you as a person and your business, so being upbeat and optimistic is key. Mistakes can happen, so if any problems occur during the event, try and stay positive and understand that it happens to the best of us. When networking with potential customers and clients, first impressions count, so possessing excellent communication skills is a must.
Follow Up
If you think the hard work is over once the event has finished, think again. It’s important that you check in on customers who attended the event to not only thank them for coming but to get feedback on their experience. To maintain a loyal following, you may want to provide a discount or free trial on a product or service that you offer. As a business owner, you need to learn the importance of constructive criticism. If an attendee wasn’t satisfied with your event, try and see their opinions as a learning curve.
When hosting a business event, being organised and in control from start to finish will help increase the chances of success. Impressing potential customers and clients should be your number one priority, so be sure to use all the tips listed.
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