The recipe for successful events

How many events have you attended? What impression did they carve into your memory? Events are an effective way to boost business and create employee loyalty, however, planning and running an event can be extremely complex and time-consuming! An event of any size will consist of multiple moving parts, some of which are not always under your control. As such, it is vital to retain a holistic view of the process throughout. 

The most common mistakes people make regarding events are timescale and marketing. Many make plans with short notice periods, lacking time for marketing activities, leading to poor attendance rates and financial returns. Fortunately, these mistakes can be avoided with the right balance of definition and planning.

Over the next two weeks, we will be examining the necessary considerations and steps in order to reap the benefits of a fruitful event, starting with the often underestimated research and definition phase. How can you get this fundamental aspect of event management right in order to achieve maximum success? 

1. Research and definition: Conducting thorough research will help you to map out the basic skeleton of your event and pre-empt any unexpected occurrences. It will also provide a sense check against what you’d like to deliver as opposed to what is realistically possible!
2. Firstly, determine and document your event goals. 
3. What are you trying to achieve?
4. Who is your audience and what is their demographic?
5. What is the size of the audience?
6. What kind of venue would be the most suitable for an event of this kind?
7. When is the right time to hold your event? You may want to consider the time of year, the season, specific dates and crucially the time of day!
8. What are the specifics of the event? 
9. Are your ideas or vision of the event feasible?
10. Are you facing any time constrictions imposed by either the venue or key attendees, speakers or guests? 
11. Ideally, you have a 4-6 months window in which to organise your event but naturally, this is not always the case. 
12. Ensure you avoid the key public, religious or school holidays. 
13. What is your budget? This will essentially determine your offering, allowing you to prioritise spending and further shape feasibility. 
14. Your major cost drivers will include : 
15. Venue rental and insurance (if applicable)
16. Food and drink requirements; naturally, this could be dictated by event numbers, venue capacity and potentially ticket sales!
17. Entertainment, guest speakers or presenters; their charges as well as travel, accommodation and other consumables should be factored in accordingly.
18. Do you require any décor for the event over and above that provided by the venue?
19. Company staff if applicable will also require travel expenses, accommodation and most importantly their absence from core business activities will potentially mean a loss in revenue and must be taken into account within your financial planning. 
20. Marketing costs, including traditional media, website advertising, social media promotion, signs and paper marketing material.
21. Determine whether you need any additional hardware/software audio visual equipment for the event.
22. Can any of the key items be covered by the event team in order to reduce expenditure?
23. Other sundry or miscellaneous items… 

1. You should spend time defining your team that will be responsible for producing the event. A key element of team definition is gaining buy-in on a wider scale from all levels of the organisation with an emphasis on management. Their “sponsorship” and support are vital to your success. 
2. Appoint an event manager who is able to maintain accountability and visibility of the whole event, but one who understands the importance of delegation!
3. Appoint key individuals dictated by the nature of the event, such as a venue manager if dealing with a large event or unusual location. 
4. Identify people with the necessary key skills to manager speakers, sponsors, handle publicity and perhaps most importantly a troubleshooter for the event day itself to deal with any unforeseen issues that may arise. 

Watch this space for the second instalment next week in ‘the recipe for successful events’. Accessible from Monday 17th Feb, we will focus on the detailed planning and delivery steps that will ensure your event run without a hitch and your guests leave with the ultimate positive impression of you!