By Eventtia

The mastery of event planning comes with experience, making tons of mistakes along the way, and having a trustworthy set of tools.

But not all people or marketing teams have the luxury of being able to take their time and deepen their logistic skills. As a matter of fact, they usually have to learn how to plan high-quality events on the go to achieve their business goals.

If you are one of those people, this article is for you.

Although there’s no formula on how to set up and manage exceptional events, there are plenty of steps you can successfully follow without having a planning background.

But before going in depth and analyzing these tips, let’s spend a few minutes defining a high-quality event.

Is it the one that attracts most guests?

Or is it the one that delivers the WOW factor?

The three dimensions of a high-quality event

A high-quality event is the combination of three aspects: flawless logistics, an impactful experience, and massive value (whether in terms of content or networking opportunities).

Flawless logistics refers to the attendee journey and how easy it is for your guests to interact with the event environment and elements. This part starts long before the event itself, with the website and the registration and payment procedures.

From there, the attendee journey continues with traveling to the event destination or venue, the check-in procedure, attending the knowledge sessions, networking, navigating through the venue, etc.

The less friction you generate between the attendee and the initial interaction with the event, the higher their impression is, conditioning a stronger level of trust.

An impactful experience, on the other hand, involves the emotional component of your event.

If you want to run a high-quality event, just handling the logistics is not enough.

On the contrary, you should pay special attention to your attendees’ feelings, which means you must design a gratifying experience that will create the desired impact.

Last but not least is the massive value your event can provide.

This part answers the question: Why should people attend?

Who cares if you want to get more leads or strengthen customer loyalty? People will only come to your event if there’s something in it for them.

From the caliber of the speakers to the type of prospects they’ll be able to meet at your event, there’s several attendance reasons you could explore, making sure your guests will get what they expect.

Having all this settled, let’s find out what can you do to pull off a high-quality event without any special training:

Tip #1. Focus on providing meaning

Every attendee has a hidden agenda or a series of expectations they want to meet. When planning your event, set aside some time to analyze people’s motivations and identify ways in which you could bring value.

For example, you could deploy two plans: one involving the networking experience, the other focusing on the content quality.

For the first plan, to make the networking as valuable and meaningful as possible, you may want to opt for a B2B matchmaking format, allowing your guests to schedule one-on-one meetings with those of interest.

As for the second plan, you could invite the best industry experts, set up workshops that can generate interesting insights, and provide your attendees a really powerful platform for knowledge transfer.

Tip #2. Pay careful attention to details

Be ready to be oblivious about the details.

It’s not your fault—it’s just the way the normal brain works (most event professionals have been trained to have the minds of superheroes), and you don’t know any better.

When managing an event, you’re expected to juggle multiple balls in the air at once: the catering, venue, surveys, attendee experience, engagement … and that’s only a few.

When you don’t have a planning background, it’s super easy to get lost in all these details, forget what’s important, or overlook something crucial.

This happens a lot, so be prepared to miss things.

That’s why you should never underestimate the power of sticky notes. Write down everything, even the smallest, most obvious details. This way, chances are you won’t forget as much as expected.

Tip #3. Standardize the event management procedures

Your company or institution probably won’t limit itself to one two events per year. Chances are the number of events will grow, and so will your responsibilities.

Luckily, most planning logistics are the same.

Starting with the event website and finishing with the networking interactions, you’ll be setting up the same dynamics and walking through the same processes.

To keep it simple, it’s good to come up with a planning protocol that will enlist all the required steps, possible challenges, and best ways to achieve your desired results.

This will help you “clone” the planning process and replicate it during the entire year when you’re planning different gatherings.

Tip #4. Digitize and automate the event logistics

Event logistics can become a nightmare in a matter of minutes, and if you don’t have the proper tools to handle it, you may end up canceling the whole event.

Apart from a lot of stress, tasks such as setting up a website, coordinating the online registration, and sending email campaigns can take a lot of time.

If you want to avoid doing heavy and repetitive work when planning an event, you must equip yourself with powerful tools, such as an event management software program that integrates all the featuresyou need.

From setting up an event website and designing the registration procedure to generating badges and creating meaningful networking experiences, a powerful platform will help you automate different tasks, which will save you tons of time and reduce the number of errors planners tend to make when they plan an event without any support.

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By Kristin Veach

Source: Event Tech Brief

Rachel Stephan, senior event marketing strategist at sensov/ event marketing, has spent the last 17 years helping event professionals and associations promote their conferences and congresses. One of the most effective event promotion strategies she’s found has been using influencers to spread the word within their networks.

Now with snöball, Stephan is on a mission to amplify the word-of-mouth effect and put the power of influencer marketing into the organizer’s hands. But rather than limit the number of influencers to a select few people with large social followings, snöball lets many individuals associated with the event distribute influence.

Boosting returns with influencers

Social media has shifted the balance of power between customers and brands. A study by Nielsen found 92 percent of consumers trust peer recommendation – while only 33 percent trust advertising.

Using Influencers – those who have the ability to influence the behavior or opinion of others – makes sense in today’s selfie, sharing, social society. Besides increasing reach and buzz, influencer marketing boosts returns too.

According to an infographic by St. Joseph Communications, influencer marketing results in an ROI 11 times higher on average than that of traditional marketing methods, such as TV, print, and desktop ads.

And, the infographic points out, for every dollar spent on influencer marketing, brands are earning $6.50 in return.

But unfortunately in the past, event organizers wanting to utilize an influencer marketing strategy have had to rely on manual processes like sending out one-off emails from speakers, exhibitors and other influencers to prospective attendees. And there’s been no way to track the results of those initiatives.

Stephan says that’s why snöball was born, “Designed just for organizers and planners, it makes it easy for everyone to spread the word in their networks.”

Creating a snowball effect

Recognizing our society is incredibly socially-oriented opens up a wealth of influencer opportunities at events. Unlike brands who typically just rely on celebrities, organizers and planners can tap into a much larger crowd of attendees, speakers and exhibitors to help share information about an event.

And since our society has become more accustomed to sharing, all of these event influencers also feel compelled to share with their networks – whether it’s to experience gratification, build credibility across their peer group, or just leverage the power of FOMO (fear of missing out).

If an event organizer can give all of these event influencers a tool that helps them to be more valuable to their peers and colleagues, these influencers can help grow the community around the event.

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19By Maria Waida

Source: Bizzarro

How do you optimize for online event registration? What are some tips you can use to improve your event registration numbers this year? Find out how to supercharge all areas of your online marketing plan and boost registrations in this practical event registration guide.

According to these 2019 event marketing statistics, 36% of marketers said their biggest challenge is increasing event ticket sales and registration. From event websites to advertising, there are lots of new tactics available for you to try out this year. Here are 18 marketing tips for you to experiment with in 2019.

Event Website Tips

1. Have a standalone brand.

Your event should have its own identity separate from your overall brand. Visitors who visit your event registration page online should leave with a strong impression of what they can expect, the overall vibe of the experience, and a sense of excitement for the upcoming event. Making your event registration page memorable is a great way to do that.

Use colors, fonts, and a great CTA form that is both unique and cohesive with your existing marketing. Make important information like locations and event dates easy to see and remember. Tailor your page content to the interests of your target audience and use videos or images that they will like.

2. Prioritize user experience.

A fancy event registration page means nothing if your users can’t figure out how to navigate it. Streamline your copy and design so that important information is made immediately available. Have a banner with your event name, dates, location, and other important information clearly visible. Use bold colors for buttons so guests know where to click when they’re ready to check out.

If you plan to showcase last year’s event videos or share your latest social media posts, separate your content into sections. Use a drop down menu or navigation bar that’s easy to read. No matter what design elements you choose, your event registration page should align with your overall vision for the event.

3. Show off your personality.

What makes your event brand stand out? Your event registration page is the place to flaunt it! Whether it’s bright and fun colors or minimalist and specific copy, making your brand stand out is as simple as showing people what you’re made of.

That doesn’t mean you need to come up with an entirely new concept from scratch. Think of your event personality as if it exists under the umbrella of your company brand. What aspects of its image would work well on your event registration website? Use those ideas in fresh ways to boost interest and increase ticket sales or registrations.

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Source: Eventtia

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Source: Eventtia

Like it or not, people often measure your value by assessing the way you communicate it.

If you try to praise your product, they’ll simply ignore you. If you try to make it “fun” and “entertaining,” they won’t get the main idea and forget you. If you try to sell it to them, they’ll probably back off and blacklist your brand.

Whether you’re in e-commerce or trying to advertise your event, the same rule will undertake your efforts: Marketing has become more about connecting than selling.

Along with that, relevant and meaningful narrative has taken the place of worthless advertising, banners, and flamboyant copy.

As the marketing guru Seth Godin highlights in one of his recent books,

“Marketing involves very little in the way of shouting, hustling, or coercion. It’s a chance to serve, instead.”

He also adds,

“Marketing is the generous act of helping others become who they seek to become. It involves creating honest stories—stories that resonate and spread. Marketers offer solutions, opportunities for humans to solve their problems and move forward.”

“That’s all well and good, but I’m not a marketer. I just want to promote my event,” I hear you saying.

No problem: We can help you play by the rules successful marketers follow, those of generating more value, connecting with your potential attendees, and having a positive impact on your community.

These tips will equip you with the necessary information to overcome the “ad-noise” and reach out to the right people (aka future event attendees).

Ready to do some work?

Let’s see how you can promote your event in 2019.

#1. Start long before announcing the event

Whether your intention is to increase brand awareness or attract new leads, promoting an event should be part of your long-term marketing strategy. You won’t be able to gain a mass of attendees if your company or business has no visibility or interacts poorly with its prospects.

Think about it: When you have a blog but no readers, don’t expect comments (except spam) or a big amount of organic traffic.

The same thing happens when you’re trying to promote an event without being active on social media or having an already existing audience that follows you and is aware of your brand or company.

First, you need to make sure that your marketing efforts are giving you results in terms of generating demand and gathering a strong audience. Then, worry about promoting your upcoming event(s).

#2. Display human emotions

Long gone are the days when brands have the same impact as real humans, so stop hiding behind social media posts or blog articles.

Regardless of the type of marketing campaigning, you need to make sure your message is personal and emotional. Sometimes it’s more effective to promote your event through company employees or a directive than just using the business avatar on social media.

Take a look, for example, at Gary Vaynerchuk, who’s using his identity to create online content and, apart from strengthening a powerful community, also attract new clients to his media business or promote different events and products.

People want to connect with other people, not with faceless, emotionless brands.

Use this to your benefit and make the effort to impersonate the identity of your brand and, subsequently, your event with the help of a community manager or someone from your team who’ll be in charge of communicating with the online audience.

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By David Meltzer

One of the best ways that entrepreneurs, startups, corporations, small-business owners, brands and individuals can position themselves in the market they serve, is to be significantly creative.

A unique, creative online and offline presence yields the attention that’s immensely important for any marketing you do. There are good examples of branding and offline presence everywhere, from Amazon Prime taping and branded boxes to Uber and Lyft drivers with stickers on their windshields and windows.

And when it comes to offline marketing, events are where the money’s at! Special events are a big part of my business, from my speaking engagements to the AMP Up networking events that my company throws. And I always do something out of the ordinary to provide added value for attendees and sponsors. Whether it’s inviting a magician to perform at a perception-themed event or creating custom video recaps for our sponsors to share, events that provide extra value will attract the right people.

Eventful marketing

Accordingly to a Forrester study, CMOs invest 24 percent of their marketing budget in live event experiences. This represents a direct impact of more $500 billion being spent in this industry worldwide.

For those without event planning experience, putting one on can elicit anxiety or even panic. In order to host the event of your dreams, there are two obstacles that most novice event planners have to deal with:

1. Visualizing, sharing and executing the vision for your event.
2. Finding the right vendors, at an affordable price, and in a timely fashion.

If you learn how to address these issues, you’re ensured to be in a better position to attract the right sponsors, sell enough tickets to attendees and create the awareness needed to earn brand credibility.

Related: 3 Tips for Hosting a Marketing Industry Event That Doesn’t Suck

Visualizing, sharing and executing the vision of your event

These three components of event planning are essential. You cannot put on a great event without all three. First, you need to have a clear vision of the event you want to plan. Second, be able to effectively share that with potential attendees and event sponsors. And third, you must follow through on that plan. If you fail to address any of these, your event will not live up to its potential to provide maximum value.

Visualization is probably the most difficult of these tasks, especially if you do not have previous experience throwing events similar to the one you are planning. Fortunately, there are technologies available to assist you with visualizing your event space.

One of my favorite examples of “event tech” provides you the ability to create an event in the VR environment, in a specific or generic venue, complete with everything your event needs: furniture, TVs, stage, lighting, catering, entertainment, branding, etc.

Here’s the best part: You don’t need headsets to use it! You can visualize the event with your laptop, desktop, tablet or even your phone.

This visualization also provides you with an opportunity to identify possible problems with the layout before you ever get to the venue. And it prepares you to share this vision with potential attendees, who are the most vital component of any event.

Source

In Start Your Own Event Planning Business, the staff of Entrepreneur Media Inc. and writer Cheryl Kimball explain how you can get started in the event planning industry, whether you want to work part- or full-time planning anything from a first-birthday party, bar mitzvah or wedding to political fundraisers and product launches. In this edited excerpt, the authors discusses eight different ways you can promote your event planning business to the right audiences.

As you develop your event planning business, it’s impor­tant to market in order to grow your client base. Following are eight ideas for advertising and promoting your event planning business:

Networking. For most planners, networking is at the top of the list in terms of developing a strong client base. Networking can help your business in two ways. If people have met you and know what services you offer, they may refer business to you or use your service themselves. Furthermore, networking with hotels, caterers and so on will give you a chance to meet some of the people whose services you may need as you plan events.

Advertising. Print advertising covers a broad range, from a free—or inexpensive—Yellow Pages advertisement to an ad in a glossy national publication costing tens of thousands of dollars. Most planners agree that an ad in the Yellow Pages makes good business sense. A line advertisement, simply listing your business name, is often provided free of charge when you connect your phone (if you have a landline). You can also opt for a display advertisement — the bigger, bordered ads in the Yellow Pages — but there’s a charge for these.

You may also want to consider advertising in your local newspaper or in a regional magazine, if you plan both corporate and social occasions. Because the market area for this kind of event planner can extend throughout a given county, a magazine focusing on that county can be an excellent one in which to advertise. These magazines can be geared to topics related to your service (e.g., gourmet food, floral design) or aimed at readers in a certain region. An ad in a regional magazine might be a good tool for reaching upscale consumers. A regional business magazine ad would also reach prospective corporate clients.

Business card. Don’t underestimate the power of this small but mighty marketing tool. Even in the computer age, a succinct, professionally printed business card is still critical. Consider it a diminutive brochure, especially if you opt for a tri-fold business card. Many planners opt for this business-card format because more information can be included than on a traditional business card, while the card remains small enough to be tucked inside a wallet or purse.

Include the name of your business, contact information (e-mail, phone and website address, for instance), your name, specialization, your logo, and some testimonials from past clients. Always carry business cards. You never know when you’ll run into a potential client. Ask vendors with whom you work (florists, caterers and photographers, for instance) if you can leave a stack of business cards in their places of business.

Source

In Start Your Own Event Planning Business, the staff at Entrepreneur Media Inc. and writer Cheryl Kimball explain how you can get started in the event planning industry, whether you want to work part- or full-time planning anything from a first-birthday party, bar mitzvah or wedding to political fundraisers and product launches. In this edited excerpt, the authors talk about the things that will help you succeed — and those that will make you fail — in the event planning industry.

Here are some of the pitfalls specific to the event planning industry:

Misunderstanding your client’s require­ments. If your client wants a con­servative business meeting and you deliver a Roaring Twenties theme party, you’re in trouble. Although this is an extreme example, remember that you need to know all your client’s requirements in detail before you can arrange a successful event.

Poor choice of vendors or site. Do your homework. Contract with reliable, repu­table vendors who can meet your clients’ needs exactly. If your caterer serves a terrible meal, it’s the caterer’s fault that he or she can’t cook. However, you’re the one who made the hiring decision, so you’ll take the blame. Be sure you can count on your vendors. Vet vendors carefully.

Lack of coordination between you and your team. Make sure you have a cooperative, “well-oiled” team (employees, vendors and temporary staff) around you and that everyone understands their respective roles in the pro­duction of the event. You know the adage—you’re only as good as your weakest link. Avoid weak links!

Inaccurate estimates. Your estimates should be as accurate as possible. If events go far over budget, your clients may end up having to pay more money than they can afford. Clients may feel “taken to the cleaners” if you come in substantially higher than you originally estimated. If, on the other hand, you consistently come in at or below your estimates, you’ll be eating expenses because you inaccurately estimated costs and can’t pass them along to your client, and that’s a quick way to stop your business in its tracks.

Inadequate control of costs. Take every reasonable opportunity to save. Pay atten­tion to where money goes. Compare costs and choose wisely.

Poor cash flow. One of the most effective ways to counter this is to require client deposits.

Inadequate insurance. Make sure you carry enough insurance to protect yourself in case anything goes wrong at an event. Most planners carry about $1 million of liability insurance. If you don’t have enough of the proper insurance, and if you’re involved in a lawsuit, you could end up in bankruptcy.

Poor customer service. The golden rule in the event planning industry is to make the event right. Nancy Lavin, a regional vice president of an asset management firm, has hired event planners for hundreds of events. “I understand if prob­lems arise at big events,” she says. “However, the complete deal breaker is poor service.”

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