5 Crucial Elements of A Successful Event

Written by Tori Metzger@torimetzger10 years ago

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Hosting an informational event is a great way to attract like-minded business people to your company and provide networking opportunities for yourself and those who attend. If you’re a small startup, you may not have the budget or capacity to hire a professional event planner to ensure your events run smoothly, leaving it up to you or someone else on your team to organize it all.

While you’re planning your next event, keep these important details in mind:

Proper Preparation

First and foremost, you should give yourself enough time to properly prepare for each and every detail of the event. Plan ahead and always give yourself extra time to fix any mistakes that may happen or any plans that may go awry. If you’re rushing to plan an event, you’re more likely to make mistakes, and less likely to be able to fix them during crunch time. Time especially matters if you’re looking to book a certain venue; this is why wedding planners usually book venues at least a year in advance.

Make lists. Making a task list incentivizes you to check off the tasks while keeping track of what you still need to complete.

Even though we all know this, I am confirming it now: you should not wait until the very last minute to finalize your event presentation. Have a co-worker review it the day before and save yourself the stress of proofreading last minute.

Snacks & Drinks

Do not – I repeat: do not – host an event without refreshments. Attendees are giving you precious time out of their busy schedules, and possibly traveling out of their ways to attend your event. Even if the event is free, you should definitely provide bottled water and a few other drink options if you’d like to mix it up. Your attendees will greatly appreciate if you provide granola bars or snack bags of pretzels/chips during their short visit with you.

If your event occurs during the hours of breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it is imperative that you provide a meal option for that time. Bagels & coffee are always an easy and widely accepted choice for breakfast. Jimmy Johns delivers “freaky fast” for lunch, and Chipotle has the best online ordering app, although they don’t deliver. Freshbox Catering is especially popular in Columbus with fresh, healthful sandwich & salad options. The price of the meal can also be included in the price of the ticket in order to cover the cost.

If you’re planning on providing a meal, always make sure you’re able to provide a/multiple vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options for any dietary restrictions your attendees may have.

Diversity

Be aware of the types of events you’re offering and the type of audience you want to attract. Do they match up? If you only offer informational events about one subject, those interested in that subject will be your only attendees. Try offering a mix of events that showcase a variety of skills and information. Invite other members of your team to present on topics they’re most knowledgeable about. A variety of event topics will result in a variety of event attendees. Make sure you share every area of expertise throughout your team, not just one, to show the array of professional knowledge across your company.

Market, Advertise, & Invite

Part of planning ahead is to allow time to market & advertise your event via social media, press releases, email campaigns, and personal invites to past attendees. Make sure your followers know about your event, and make sure they are invited more than once.

Briefly scanning one tweet or Facebook post is usually not enough to convince someone to register for an event. It may seem like you’re bombarding them with tweets and invites, but keep in mind that only a number of your Twitter followers see each tweet you send. It can be assumed that roughly only 16% of followers will see an average tweet. Give your audience as many chances as possible to register for your event.

Value

Last, but definitely not least, is to ensure your attendees are receiving quality knowledge, especially if they’re paying to attend your event. You should always guarantee a quality event, but as you ask for a higher price for registration, you must also deliver a higher quality event. Attendees should always feel as though they received more than they paid for, and never the opposite.

Remember that this could be an attendee’s first interaction with you and your company, so it’s imperative to make a positive first impression. If an attendee has invested his/her money and time into your event, they are also investing in you, and you must not make them regret it.

A long list of details must go into planning an event in order to make it successful, and if you do it right, it could mean big things for your business. Now go plan your awesome event!

Content strategist by day, coffee-fueled artist by night. Passionate about journalism, art, innovation, and start-up life. Always learning, reading, and seeking inspiration.