Your boss may have chosen you to plan the next event, and now you are panicking. However, there is no need to panic. The step-by-step guide below will help you with all you need to plan the next best event.
Figure Out Your Timeline and Goals for the Event
Start by thinking about why you wish to host the event. Do you want to grow sales revenue and customer base, recruit new employees, or educate customers? Expand your event goal so that it can help you target specific attendees. Moreover, setting an event timeline will assist you in managing your planning on time. Ensure you do not pick a date when several other conferences are being held in your target industry. This is because of decreased turnout and increased rental prices, and it will be hard to stand out.
Determine Your Budget
Establish how you will pay for everything, including the speakers and food. Some things you need to consider when making the event budget include the following:
- Software needs
- Logistics of the event (venue, staff, size, length)
- Amenities
- Experience necessities
Build a Marketing Campaign
It is essential to develop a singular vision event theme that you will build your market campaign around. The theme should revolve around the initial goals and the target audience. In strategic areas, you can place A-Frame Signs with your marketing theme and other event details. After that, engage multiple channels your marketing team has at their disposal. Design your marketing in terms of copy and graphically around that core theme.
Locate and Book a Venue
When selecting a venue, choose a location that is easy to access for most of your leads, consumers, and target audience. Create a shortlist of the areas you wish to explore based on referrals from other businesses, local trade publications, and popular event venues. After you have decided on a date, booking your venue before you can start advertising is essential.
When selecting a venue, you should consider the following:
- Size. Consider how many people will be attending the event and whether you may require different rooms for breakout sessions.
- Accessibility. Does the venue choice have accessible elevators and entrances?
- Parking. Whether the venue has parking and if it is easy to access.
- Cost. It is vital to consider the deposit fee for the venue and whether there will be any additional costs.
- Insurance. Consider what liability rules the venue has.
- Does the venue have a cellphone and wifi connection? And if your event needs microphones and speakers, will they be easy to set up in that venue?
Select Your Tech
A lot of software exists that can help you with your event. Event management software can be helpful with promotion, registration, organization, and planning. When choosing a tech with multiple tools, ensure they integrate before you pay for it. So that you make sure there is a seamless user experience and attendees get a smooth experience when registering.
Find Your Vendors and Partners
Some venues may offer their specials like A/V offerings or in-house caterers. If the platform does not allow outside vendors, check to find deals you can benefit from, like discounts for certain attendees. For venues that permit external or third-party vendors, shop around to secure the best deal. Apart from sights, sound, and food, look into transportation, wellness offerings, temping agencies, and security.
It is also essential to find potential partners who can assist in organizing and funding the event. Combining resources will help reduce the costs, both financial and for resources, and to boost attendance by reaching untapped markets your partner may have access to.
Determine Your Main Attraction
Figure out what will make individuals attend your event. Depending on the event and your attendees, it can be the speakers or the subject matter. Speakers are an integral part of any event. They provide the necessary expertise and knowledge to educate, inform and entertain the audience. Speakers establish credibility and help engage the audience in a meaningful way. They can provide unique perspectives, inspiring stories, and valuable insights into the topic of the event. Additionally, speakers can create a more interactive environment by taking questions and engaging the audience in discussions. By choosing experienced speakers like findersspeakersco.com’s speakers for your event, you can make it a success and ensure that your audience gets the most out of the event.
Discover ways to get your audience excited and motivated.
Create a Plan for Forming New Bonds and Relationships with Your Attendees
Even though the event has not yet happened, you should have a strategic planning process. Develop a plan for growing the relationships that the event generates. You can lay the groundwork at the event for future relationships by providing free swag with information about your company. It can be binders, totes, pens, or magnets. With this, even after the event, the attendees will still have your company on their minds when they access the swag they got.
Final Thoughts
Follow the above steps to organize and plan one of the best events, which will leave you, and your attendees impressed, motivated, and excited.
