To plan or not to plan… an event

Event planning and management

Events, whether online or offline, big or small, are an important way of engaging with your audience. When done correctly, even events behind a screen, can be an intimate experience that creates value for clients, members, colleagues and even employees.

With technology making geography an obstacle of the past, it is much easier to get an audience together in one place. ‘Business as usual’ is now no longer just 9-to-5 in the office, and it has become common that business is done completely behind a screen as part of a hybrid model. This includes events, whether social or corporate, being now held online on platforms such as ZOOM, Go Meetings, Live Storm and many more.

It’s crucial to remember that often, nothing really beats meeting clients, prospects, and the media face-to-face; especially after 18 months of working from home, but it is just as important to consider whether in person events suit your audience and objectives. For example, if you don’t need much audience interaction can you host a webinar presentation and virtual Q&A? If there are only 10 attendees, can you have an intimate discussion online or do you need to host dinner and drinks instead? These are the sorts of questions to ask yourself when planning events to ensure maximum satisfaction and input of attendees.

As event planners we’ll be there to take care of asking these questions, as well as, well pretty much everything from sourcing venues or platforms, inviting guests, creating invitations and emails, and being there on the day (whether online or not). We like to think on our feet and adapt to changing situations which makes us the perfect fit for companies and organisations trying to break the mould with their industry events whether a small member webinar or an annual scheme event. The act of event planning is crucial to make sure you can enjoy your event and get the most from the experience so leave the planning to us!

For an event to be successful, it needs to be managed well and needs to achieve its goals. The stressful task of event management involves a whole heap of tasks and responsibilities; from the mundane and simple to the more complex but breaking it down into smaller goals can make it much easier. We like to do this for our clients. We break events down into key planning steps to ensure we devise successful and memorable, trade shows, seminars, retreats and webinars.

There are 5 keys steps to successful event planning:

1. Research and set your goals: The first step is most important as without research an event is unlikely to achieve its objectives. It is vital to find out exactly what the event goals are – are you raising money, training, networking with other professionals, sharing new ideas, etc.? At this stage you need to know the budget for the event, the date, and about how many people are expected to attend.
2. Design your event: At this stage you will need to start finding a venue that accommodates the type of the event, the number of guests, the theme, and the purpose of the event. It might mean you need to sort staff or find out if you can work with venue staff to make sure things run smoothly. This is the time to delegate tasks!
3. Brand your event: Does your event have a name? Does it have a tagline? How will it be advertised? Can you brand your online platform or event space? These types of questions can make branding your event so much easier. Answering them will help you understand where, when and how you need to start publicising the event. Don’t forget you can use a newsletter, social media posts, videos, unless it is a private event, in which case do you need invitations?
4. Coordinate your event: The fact you have reached this step means the event is close! Everyone involved with the event should know what is expected of them by this point whether online or in person. Consider a schedule and a checklist to help keep track of everything and everyone involved. This stage is hard work! But it’s why event planners like us are successful – we have impressive attention to detail.
5. Evaluate your success: The event may be over, but you’re not finished yet! Evaluating the event once it has finished is hugely beneficial to a company. What went wrong? What went well? These are the things you need to consider so you know how to improve next time. Consider publishing an attendee survey to help collate statistics and evaluate each of the goals you set out in step one.

Let us help you to create an intimate experience that ensures value for your clients, members, colleagues and even employees. Get in touch today!