Webinar: Hosting An Online Event

May 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“Seminar, meet the web”…”Webinar!” Get it? Webinars are mainly used to present information on a certain topic, or to stage an online meeting.

Thousands of companies and individuals are using this technology to meet their goals.  Using webinars you can save money on travel costs, connect with people who are geographically removed and get your message out to an expanding audience.  This is not something that should be ignored.  So, let’s cover the basics.

First, decide what type of event best meets your goals.  An informational webinar on raising honeybees, followed by a question and answer period for your bee keeping supply customers?  An online meeting of company managers to review sales numbers?  Think through your objectives and choose a webinar or meeting format.

Now you’ll need to choose a host.  Different companies offer different features.  Fortunately, you’ve already thought about how you might be using this service, so you’ll know which features are most important to you.

Here’s a few popular hosts you could check out:

Costs range from free to about $100 per month depending on how many users you’d like to include and what features you need.

Once you’ve chosen a host, take the training and then practice, practice,  practice.  Get comfortable with the software and with dealing with issues that will arise.

Now it’s time to prepare your material and schedule your event.  Decide on a date and time and invite your attendees.  Some hosts offer ticket sales to your webinar through PayPal. Or, maybe your webinar is free. You decide.

When the scheduled date arrives, you get to host your first online meeting or webinar!  Expect some bumps in the road, you’re learning something new, right?  But give yourself a pat on the back, you’re adding to your skill set and this technology can expand your meeting space infinitely.

I’ll leave you with another great post on hosting webinars by professional writer Carol Tice, whose excellent webinars draw large crowds. Click on over to Entrepreneur.com to learn more.

Filed Under: Christian Retreat Ideas, Cost Saving Ideas Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Food Trucks At Your Next Event

May 20, 2013 By Leave a Comment

There’s a new phenomenon that is sweeping the nation.  It’s not “Gangnam Style” or the “Harlem Shake.”  Nope.

It’s Food Trucks.

Off-the-Grid-by-Art-PoskanzerCC

You know what I’m talking about.  They are trucks that sell, well, food.  They are all the rage here in Nashville, and they’ve become a culinary delight and movement on four wheels.  These food trucks have grown in popularity so much that several of them have formed an association.

These Food Trucks can be a tremendous asset to your event.  How?  Well, let me share with you four ideas on how to use the Food Trucks:

  1. Optional meal choice.  One night instead of the regular cafeteria food, you could work in some food trucks to vary up what people are eating.  This meal time could also be a great time of fellowship and mingling as people discuss and debate their choice of Food Truck.
  2. Celebration.  There is a huge fascination with Food Trucks.  For some reason people really like buying food out of a truck.  I haven’t quite figured it out, but it’s a big deal around good ole Nashville.  Working these trucks into your event, could be a way to celebrate a big achievement your company has completed.
  3. Advertisement for your event.  Churches in the Nashville area have started hosting a Food Truck night as an outreach event for the community.  Is there a place you could host a Food Truck night to help spread the word about your event?
  4. Fun factor.  Imagine the attendees at your event coming out for dinner or a break and seeing these trucks all lined up.  Seeing those faces is almost like seeing my 2 year old on Christmas morning.

Why not have Food Trucks at your event?  Those trucks love the publicity, to make money and will come to you.  Most of these Food Trucks are active in social media, and post where they are, which is more great publicity for your event.

Filed Under: Cost Saving Ideas, Food and Beverage Tagged With: , ,

The Sales Process And Your Event

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

My company uses The Sales Process all the time in our day-to-day work.  As representatives of many different artists and speakers, it’s our job to be able to sell them and make others aware of their ministry and products.

Are you familiar with The Sales Process?  If not, here it is:

  • Step 1: Greeting.  Engage the buyers.  Find out their name and a little bit about them.
  • Step 2: Profile.  Gathering information about the buyer’s needs
  • Step 3: Counseling.  Giving the buyer information based on what they said during the profiling.
  • Step 4: Production demonstration.  In this step you list features and benefits of your product.  For every feature there should be two benefits.
  • Step 5: Close the sale.  Ask for a commitment or time to call back.

I believe as Christian’s we should add a sixth step to The Sales Process:

  • Step 6: Be a servant.  Your goal cannot always be profit.  Have a higher purpose of being a servant.

Truth be told, we all like to be sold.

My family recently purchased a car.  I remember test driving with the sales man, asking him a question and him not knowing the answer.  Now we purchased the car, but it was the one we wanted and had our eye on for a while.

If I’m purchasing clothes for my wife, I need to be sold.  I’m completely lost here.

How do you sell your event?

Customer service agents should be regularly versed in The Sales Process.  Quiz them when you see them in the hall, and reward them when they answer correctly.

Nowadays, there are websites they can do the selling for you following The Sales Process. When you set out to write your sales page copy, keep these steps in mind.

When you send a booth out to represent your event, make sure the people working the booth know The Sales Process.

Anywhere you are selling your event, use the steps in The Sales Process.

Side note: Maybe you’re just the planner and have nothing to do with selling, but you do have to sell your services as an event planner.  Utilizing the steps in The Sales Process with the additional sixth step could change the way your clients view your abilities.

 

Filed Under: Marketing and Promotion, Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: ,

7 One-Day Events

May 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

So you need to plan a one-day event.  You have lots of options!  Which one of these seven options will best help you meet your goals?

calendar meeting note with pen

  1. Luncheon: Find a unique and beautiful spot to throw this mid-day meal.  Provide time for networking and talking, make sure the program is well planned, the speaker stellar, and the message clear.  The shorter the amount of time you have with your guests, the tighter the planning must be.
  2. Golf Tournament: Yes, these are often fundraisers, but what if you used this fun event for a different purpose?  This is a great setting for building relationships and you can use a breakfast or lunch to present a message.
  3. Reception: Music plays, hors d’oeuvres circle the room, guests mingle and chat.  You probably can’t have a lengthy speaker at this event, but nothing is stopping you from setting up a few information tables, and recognizing special guests.
  4. Meeting: This word doesn’t carry much joy for any of us, but a properly planned meeting can accomplish a good deal.  Offer light snacks or a lunch break and be sure to find a trained facilitator to be in control.
  5. Forum: A place where ideas on a certain topic can be discussed and exchanged.  The more recognized your experts- the better.  A widely recognized expert will not only do wonderful things for publicity, it will also draw other high quality experts.  Don’t slack on PR, let the local media know about your event and what you are working to accomplish.
  6. Conference (summit or symposium): Yes, people do run one-day conferences.  These are appropriate for a very narrow topic, or a group of people who can’t make it to longer events.  Streamline registration, and “concentrate” everything from speaker talking times to the number of breakout sessions.
  7. Seminar: What you are offering to teach is the main appeal to attendees so dedicate lots of thought to the topic and sub-topics.  Pay special attention to your presenters and handouts.

With just one day, you need to be even more careful that your event content is absolutely stellar.  Will people leave feeling like their questions have been answers and their expectations met?  Always define the goal of your event before choosing it’s format.  Have you ever used one of these one-day event formats?  What was your goal and was it accomplished?

Filed Under: Christian Retreat Ideas Tagged With: , , , , , ,

3 Ways To Stay Up To Date With Social Media

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment

If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big social media fan.  We’ve talked about social media a lot on this blog, as well as the importance of social media to the success and the marketing of your event.

A while back I shared with you some blogs that I read to help me on personal development.  Today, I wanted to share with you some blogs and resources that keep me informed on the latest developments in the world of social media.  Without further delay, here they are:

  1. Mashable.com.  Mashable is like a newspaper for all things Social Media, Tech and Tech Business.  I subscribe to their daily email updates which provides the reader with a recap of headlines from the day before.  To really stay up to date, subscribe to their Twitter feed as well.
  2. Microexplosion.com.  Bill Seaver, who runs Microexplosion, was instrumental in the design and implementation of the Ministry Serving Ministry blog.  Bill writes three posts a week: Monday stats (which I find very helpful to insights of consumers), a weekly post on usage of social media in marketing and then a Friday fun video post.  Bill has been a tremendous resource of knowledge and is worth the follow.
  3. SocialMediaExaminer.com.  Michael Stelzner is the Social Media Examiner.  He writes daily posts on all things social media.  I find his weekly “This Week In Social Media” posts to be the most helpful.  For added insight, check out his Social Media Marketing podcast.

The social media landscape is ever changing.  One day it will be this, and the next it will be that.  It’s important to continue to educate yourself and stay up to date with the latest trends, and these three resources will help you stay even more in the know.

What do you use to stay up to date with social media?

Filed Under: Marketing and Promotion Tagged With: , , , ,

3 Keys To Decision Making

May 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Us guys love a great sports story.  And when we can get an analogy out of it, we like it even better.

I was reading a story about the San Francisco 49ers, who went to the Super Bowl.  Their coach, Jim Harbaugh, made a big decision halfway through the season to change  quarterbacks.  Alex Smith had been their starting qb until an injury.  He was replaced by Colin Kaepernick, and that decision divided the locker room.

Can you blame the teammates for being divided?  The QB is the defacto leader for the team, and when he’s benched, many people get upset.

Think about the decision Coach Harbaugh had to make.  Smith was, and had been the guy, but he sensed a change was needed.  I’m sure Harbaugh had his reasons, but making that decision and sticking to it had to be tough.

As an event planner, big decisions need to be made every day.  You have to be willing to make those.

Here are 3 quick thoughts on decision making:

  1. Don’t be scared to make a decision.  Some leaders will let the consensus of a group make the decision.  I’m not sure this is the best way to lead.  Had Harbaugh let the locker room make the decision of starting QB, Smith probably would have been the guy.  They 49ers might not have made the Super Bowl.
  2. Stick with your decision.  Waffling is not allowed.  That is even more hurtful to the team.  For Harbaugh, there was really no going back.  If you thought through all angles of your decision, own it.
  3. 3.  Don’t worry what others think.  As a leader, you have to stand head and shoulders above the crowd.  Think Harbaugh cared what others thought of his decision?  I’m going to say no.  It was his and his alone to make.  Had it failed, he most certainly would have gotten the blame.

There is a new book out that I’ve just started called Decisive: How To Make Better Choices In Live And Work by Chip and Dan Heath.   I’m looking forward to digging into it deeper to help me make better decisions.

 

TAGS: San Francisco 49ers, decision making, leadership

Filed Under: Leadership Helps Tagged With: , ,
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