Every event – whether simple or complex – requires careful planning if at all it is going to be a success. The planning itself shouldn’t be dismissed as a simple task, especially if the event is a major one. From the establishment of the budget to the promotion, identifying guests, and actually holding the event, organizing an event is not always a walk in the park. It comes with various hustles that require one to be properly guided.
Furthermore, no event is similar to the other in terms of budgets, goals, and the audience, among other things. There are companies like radio hire from where you can get the necessary equipment on hire. Whether you are planning your own event or you are brainstorming for a loved one, you are looking at the right page. Here are some steps to follow when organizing an event to make it as successful as it should be.
1. Have the Objectives and Goals of the Event in Mind
Event planning doesn’t mean jumping into searching for the venue or even the promotion of the same. All these are going to be quite hard to go about if you haven’t defined the objectives of having the event in the first place. Every event that occurs has a goal it aims at achieving. Every event organizer needs to have the goal of the event at the back of their mind even as they go along with the planning.
The goal is usually the reason you decided to have the event in the first place. Was it to drive new sales? Launch a product? Increase awareness? Whatever your goal is, it has to be defined from the beginning. The objectives will help you decide on things like dates, attendees, and location. Having the goals defined will help you move along with the event planning as smoothly as it ought to be.
2. Have a Budget
One of the earliest steps in event planning is creating a budget. This is what will determine how you will approach other aspects of your plan. The eventual success of your event depends on how detailed and clear your budget is and how diligently you are going to stick to it.
Let it include everything from the largest of expenses such as food, refreshments, and venue to things like entertainment, promotional material, and everything in-between. Depending on the kind of event you are holding, the folks over at greenlightbooking.com suggest hiring an experienced event entertainment company that will understand your needs and keep the guests happy. It is best to go for a reputed company that accommodates your specific needs and preferences. They can bring your ideas to life while enriching you with inspiration if you are out of ideas. You can also check out Experiential Events Marketing by IEG for more great options.
Right after you have defined your objectives and goals, sit down and map out your budget. It is always good to have some extra bucks just in case something unexpected happens within the planning phase of the event. You can base your budget on the following;
- Marketing and promotion- 35%
- Speakers and talents- 30%
- Printed materials- 20%
- Venues- 15%
As the plan solidifies the costs might change a bit towards the top or bottom end. This is why you need extra cash for flexibility in case something goes amiss.
3. Utilize a Team
You may choose to utilize a team depending on the complexity of your event. If it is a small event, you may do everything on your own without much help. If, however, the event is huge, you will need to pull together a team to help you plan. Divide the planning tasks among the people you have in your team so you have every bit handled separately. This will increase efficiency. AV equipment like video wall is affordable in general, especially if you know what you want in the first place and consider a launch mechanism Singapore as well.
4. Get a Venue and Pick the Date
The remaining part of the planning will depend largely on the date and venue you have picked. Venues can be hard to book especially with short notice. This is why you need to make plans early so you have it booked on time and tailor the rest of your plan based on the venue and the date.
5. Brand Your Event
To promote your event, you will need a name, theme, and possibly a slogan for the same. Give your event a personality so you have something to refer to when promoting it. Ensure that your branding reflects your organization, the purpose of the event, and the theme it will be portraying.
6. Create a Program for the Event
To accomplish the goals, you wish the event to accomplish, you will need to integrate a good program. With the agenda of the event, the sponsors and the target audience all know you can easily come up with a solid program for the event. Utilize your team on this so you have several suggestions to pick from. Create the program before you start promoting the event so your audience knows what they are expecting from the event.
7. Know the Tech Tools You Want to Integrate into the Event
You know the different aspects of the event and the tech tools that make it happen. This part is highly essential. Therefore, plan ahead of the event so you make sure everything is in place before the D-day. You could consider broadcasting it live on social media, have presentations done on-screen, and so forth.
8. Promote Your Event
If you are going to have a successful event, people need to know about it. This is why you will need to come up with a good event promotion strategy. Define the tactics you are going to implement in promoting your event.
As an event organizer, you need to have a guide to follow to make sure everything is perfectly done. The steps depend on the type and complexity of your event. The steps in this piece should provide general guidance on what you need to do.
How to Promote an Event
It might be challenging to market events because it demands a lot of effort from numerous teams inside an organization. Marketing a significant event can feel like climbing Mount Everest on a unicycle without oxygen, but you’ll be successful with the appropriate tools and approach. Learn some of the best event marketing techniques and resources to draw more people to your upcoming event.
1. Start with pre-event marketing by setting goals
Ensure you are clear on your objectives before marketing your event. It can be increasing ticket sales, generating buzz, or both. Setting goals in advance is essential for effective event marketing. Ensure sure they are understood by all teams participating in the promotion. Next, you should consider what you want to measure and how you’ll do it. Monitoring performance and adjusting as necessary is the only way to know if your strategy is effective.
2. Create a multichannel event promotion
It’s time to start implementing your event marketing strategy after establishing your goals and target audience. A multifaceted strategy is the most effective method to do this. This entails advertising the event using a variety of marketing techniques:
a. Plan your email marketing communication strategy well in advance. Emails of various types will require diverse audiences.
b. Social media: Create a unique hashtag for your event to use throughout your social media advertising. Check to ensure the hashtag isn’t already used before creating it. Employ eye-catching images, videos, and animations in your event promotion tweets to grab users’ attention. You should also use paid social media to increase attendance and public awareness of the event.
c. PR: It’s simple to become so engrossed in a digital promotion that you neglect tried-and-true conventional techniques like public relations. Use the PR team to promote your event through media alerts and event listings in various business magazines and newsletters.
d. Direct mail: It’s simple to overlook the effectiveness of traditional physical marketing strategies like direct mail in an era where digital is king. Consider using direct mail strategies for your VIPs by sending them a tangible invitation to the event, email invites, and social media promotion.
e. Website: An essential element of event marketing is attractiveness. It serves as the hub for all relevant data. Ensure your event website contains all the information required to encourage ticket purchases because this is where you should focus all your advertising efforts. A detailed schedule, speakers, hotel and transportation details, and all other activities are included. Remember to use your social sharing buttons to generate a lot of buzzes.
3. Use your current marketing initiatives
To effectively advertise your event, it’s critical to use your already successful marketing initiatives. The key is to work to connect your efforts with those you have already reached out to in your previous events; there is no need to recreate the wheel in this case.
4. Promotion during the event
The big day has arrived, and your event marketing strategy has paid off: the venue is packed with enthusiastic guests. Yet, your work is far from over. To keep the buzz going, you must keep advertising the event. You probably have an equal number of individuals who would have liked to attend your event but couldn’t, so keeping them interested in what’s happening is crucial. They will be more likely to participate in the following conference if you continue to engage them.
5. Post-event promotion
Even though the event may have ended, your work must still be finished. It’s crucial to consider all your marketing initiatives and complete the event in a style that can be used for future events. Gather pictures, videos, testimonies, feedback, and more throughout your event. Also, you can learn what went well and poorly by doing a post-event survey. You can combine various helpful feedback components into a marketing tool for your next event. Take an inventory of your resources and consider marketing opportunities.