Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A key aspect of your business is its marketing. Sometimes its wise and advantageous to host marketing events. No matter what you’re showing at your marketing event, you want it to be as successful as possible. The following contributed post is entitled, Creating The Perfect Marketing Event.
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When it comes to driving your business, one way in which you can do this is by hosting an event that shows your potential customers, business partners, and suppliers who you are and what you are really all about.
A great event can leave everyone who attends in a state of amazement about your business and they may well be excited about everything that you have to offer. They will be looking towards the future and waiting to see what you do next. It is a great way of creating a real buzz around what you do, and what you could do in the future with their support.
Business events can be a great opportunity to unveil something exciting that you might have been working on. Make sure that if you are doing this you providing plenty of anticipation for this part of the event, and building it up in the minds of the attendees.
Budget Effectively
Events can be costly to run and the costings may vary depending on the number of people that you are planning on inviting. First up you will need a suitable venue that is easy to get to, is the right size, and has the right facilities. Make sure that you visit before booking.
You may want to hire caterers for the event, as well as a crew of experienced technicians for operating any sound, lighting, or video equipment. Shop around for quotations on all of these services, but be sure to check on what exactly is on offer.
Events may throw up surprises that you have not budgeted for. Problems that occur as you prepare for the big day may end up throwing you considerably over your budget. A vendor may fall through, and a last minute replacement may mean paying more. Prepare yourself for the fact that things may go wrong and allow a little bit extra spare in your budget for an emergency.
Source Everything That You Need Early
Start buying everything that you need as far in advance as possible. For outdoor events you may need generators, for such important aspects of your event planning, allow lots of time to source everything. Rushing around at the last minute may lead to mistakes being made and everyone involved being stressed and on edge about the event.
Market The Event Well
Although your event is designed to market your business, you will need to make sure that you market your event well. Give your attendees plenty of chance to plan to come. You can send out postal invites as this puts something physical in their hands. You may also want to send emails and take to social media to drum up interest in the event. Try to give some kind of indication of what the event is about and what may be expected, but if you are unveiling a new product or service, be sure and keep the main surprise for the actual event.
Getting people to RSVP is a great idea as it will give you an indication of how many people may actually end up coming, and it also means that your guests will need to demonstrate their commitment to coming ahead of time. You could follow up any invitations which have not had responses with a phone call.
Speeches
Your event needs a core message and you should include interesting and captivating speeches that help you to get this across. Be sure to utilize your most charismatic speaker and try and include relevant video or visual aids to help put the point over. Don’t get bogged down in figures, instead make sure your speeches centre on ideas and concepts.
Management Is Key To Success
The key to a successful event is having the right people in the right places. Delegate areas of responsibility to the best placed team members. You will need someone to liaise with caterers and any waiting staff that you have brought in. Someone will need to take control of the entertainment aspect and ensure that all speeches, presentations, and entertainment are running to a tight program.
You will need some of your best communicators out and about helping your guests and mingling with them. They will be in a great position to get feedback on how the event is going from the perspective of the attendees, and they can also do their best to help deliver the overall message that you would like your guests to take from the event.
