Paloma’s top 10 event tips.
1. Work out the purpose
It is extremely important to state the purpose of the event in order to be able to plan its format, who is to be invited and what is to happen at the event. In most cases, the event is about you communicating something, and if this communication is to be clear then the message needs to have been properly worked out.
There are several different reasons why you may wish to arrange an event. The purpose may be to sell more products, gain more customers, build up your brand name or perhaps expand your network of contacts. Or then again, the purpose of the event may be to increase your staff strength? Whatever the reason may be, it is important to have a clear purpose that will allow you to continue with the planning.
– Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Many ideas that would not have occurred to you by yourself come from brainstorming with others. To deliver something good in the end, people need to work together, Camilla explains.
2. Research your target group – what kind of events do your guests appreciate?
The identity of your target group goes hand in hand with the purpose of your event. Build your event around your target group! If you are aiming to expand your staff, it can be a good idea to show what a generous company you are, so by all means emphasise the company’s strengths.
3. Planning and foresight are key
A well planned event is something people will remember. Guests often remember the food running out, or when the guests had too much to drink – but these are negative memories. As host, you want the guests to remember how good the food was, how well the drinks went with the food and how up-market even the non-alcoholic alternatives were. Ensure that you start planning early, and do not forget the details.
– The better you keep track of the details, the better the end result. It’s the details, such as the layout of the room, the food and the programme for the event, that create the big picture. If the details are missing, or if anything else doesn’t work, you need to put in 110 per cent if your guests are to go home happy, Camilla explains.
4. Go to other events to learn and gain experience from them
When planning your event, it can be a good idea to go to events similar to your own to see how they designed their event. By all means take a notebook with you so that you do not forget any brainwaves you may have, and bring back good and bad examples of what you would like to achieve and any nightmare scenarios.
5. Send out a stylish invite
Make sure that you send out your invitations in good time so that as many as possible of those invited come to the event. Your invitation should also ideally be attractive and tailored to the target group. At the same time, ensuring that the invitation contains the relevant facts – the venue, time, what is on offer and contact details – makes life easier for the guests.
6. Email marketing before, during and after
Did you know that, on average, office workers check their inbox around 30 times an hour? This means a lot of time spent in the inbox, making it a perfect place in which to market your event.
Using digital event tools as well makes it easier to contact the guest. These give you a readily available summary of the guest list, ticket sales, payment options, statistics and other information about the event. You can provide your guests with information about the event, perhaps release a fun item of news a day or two before, have a competition via email during the presentation and then, at the end, send out an evaluation form after the event. The possibilities are endless.
7. Social media – before, during and after
Using social media before, during and after an event creates further possibilities. Guests can use Twitter to ask questions if someone is giving a lecture. LinkedIn can be used to generate a discussion about the profession, while Facebook can be used to share pictures the day after the event. All under the same hashtag (#).
8. Plan the evening – create a schedule for food, drinks and activities
Before it’s time for your event, make a list of good things that could happen, and then next to it also list some less positive things and how you may deal with these should they occur. An example here may be the telephone number of the nearest pizzeria in case more guests arrive than you had planned for and the food runs out.
9. Arrange a good presentation
Time is the most costly commodity we have, and guests invest their own time when attending your event. You probably have a few words on your mind, and here a really good presentation is important. Among the most important aspects are making the content interesting and relevant, with pictures that match the content, using your company’s template for the presentation, and keeping everything just right. Just the right time, just the right content and just the right information for the time of day at which your event is being held.
10. Follow-up
It is always useful to learn from your mistakes, and an evaluation questionnaire can help with this. Send out an evaluation form about your event, which can conveniently be done by email, to find out what your guests appreciated and what could have been better. This is so that your next event will be even better!
If you are interested in our overall solution for event management and ticketing, read more here!
