Planning an event can be a stress-inducing experience.
The success of the event rests entirely on your shoulders. And hosting an event can be a pivotal first step into the limelight for any burgeoning business.
If you’re organising an event for the first time or you’re a seasoned events planner just hoping to brush up on their skills, you’ve come to the right place.
With this piece, we’re hoping to create a helpful resource that documents the first steps of planning an event.
Whether you’re attempting to organise a trader fair or a business conference that attempts to corral all of the leading figures in your industry into one space, you’ll find valuable insights into the main priorities for event planners.
Choosing the right venue
According to Vario Productions, an event can’t be deemed a success unless it is hosted in a suitable venue. Selecting the ideal venue isn’t just about viewing different spaces and electing to go for the most impressive one. Instead of being overawed by an eye-catching façade, you should prioritise venues that can cater to all of your requirements.
Depending on the reason for your event, you might value certain factors differently. If you’re hosting a dinner for an awards night for example, you might want to choose somewhere that is well known for combining high quality food with excellent service.
If, on the other hand, you are focused on safely squeezing as many people as possible into your networking event, you might want to opt for a venue with a larger capacity.
You can’t overlook the importance of toilets. Portable toilets are a great way to cater for an outdoor event.
A vital consideration for any event is location. If you’re expecting people to travel from slightly further afield, you’ll want to pick somewhere that has strong transport links. A central location that is accessible by multiple forms of transport is likely to attract more guests. And, if you’re expecting guests to travel from abroad, you need to pick somewhere that has accommodation nearby.
Booking the talent
Ultimately, potential attendees have to get something out of your event. This is sometimes called your value proposition.
It could be the opportunity to exchange ideas and contact details with the movers and shakers of your industry. It could be a chance to learn from a number of more experienced and better established business leaders.
Whatever it is, it needs to appeal to your target demographic.
Securing a headline event that really captures the attention of prospective attendees can be a real boon to your marketing attempts too.
How to market your event
Developing an immaculately constructed marketing strategy demands time and research. Once you’ve decided on a demographic to target, you should then use data-evidenced insights to maximise your ability to entice them to buy a ticket and attend.
For example, understanding the social media platforms that your chosen demographic are most likely to use will allow you to select the most effective marketing channels to use.
If you’re promoting an art exhibition that curates work from local artists, you might benefit from using targeted Instagram ads. If you’re hosting a business skills workshop, you might be better publicising the event on LinkedIn.
