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: , , , , , ,

Getting Great Photos To Promote Your Event

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Photos can communicate buckets of information to your potential attendees.  Plus, crisp, bright, engaging photos will appeal to your guests and help them imagine themselves attending your event.  So how do you get these incredible photos?

  1. Hire (or barter for) a professional.  A professional photographer will have the equipment and knowledge needed to get you the best shots.  Potential attendees generally want to see photos of: the main event hall, the facility, people attending and an approximation of the accommodations.  Ask the photographer to give you a list of shots they’ll be trying for and add anything you particularly desire. If you’re hosting an event that will include more than a handful of people, consider reaching out to those already enrolled to see if someone would like a free ticket in return for photography services.
  2. Enlist the crowd.  I recently attended a wedding where the bride and groom posted signs that said “mark your photos with #custerweddingbells.”  Browsing Instagram later that evening I typed “custerweddingbells” into the search bar, and up came all the photos that had been so marked.  The wedding from the perspective of many guests!  What if you harnessed your attendees’ photos?  You’ll need to create a unique hashtag and advertise it.  You could even have a feed set up onto several screens that showed those photos during your event.  Fun!
  3. Take ‘em yourself.  Honestly, this is the least desirable option. You have a zillion things to do.  But, sometimes it happens.  Find or purchase a very small, high quality pocket camera.  Take some photos, and don’t be afraid to stage a few shots of laughing/smiling attendees if you need to. (You may not have time to wait for the perfect shot). Some photos taken by you are much better than no photos at all.

Great photos are worth the trouble!  They’ll be an important part of your marketing next year, so err on the side of “too many” incredible shots.  You won’t be sorry you have them.  Find a professional, enlist the crowd and have a small camera available for the shots you spot- I recommend doing all three!

Filed Under: Marketing and Promotion, Post-Event Follow-up Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Plan Your Event Like A Fortune 500 Company

May 1, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Get ready. I’m going to throw a meaty quote at you, but then we’ll unpack it.

Derek Gordon, Director of Marketing Communications at Thomson Reuters says:  “Our [event]  program is tightly integrated with all other aspects of the marketing program, including advertising, Web marketing, direct marketing, public relations, promotions, collateral material and field marketing… This tight alignment across all marketing programs ensures that when we engage a client or prospect at one of our event programs, the messaging, positioning, visual cues, and overall tone resonate, and reinforce our core outcome objective.”   (The Event Marketing Handbook, 2006)

This doesn’t apply all that well to me, you might object.  We’re (insert objection) smaller, not for profit, don’t even have an advertising department!  There’s still a major take away here.  Drum roll please.

An event is always part of a large whole.  And your job is to take a step back and understand the bigger objective.  Sure, you can plan an incredible event eight ways ‘till Sunday.  You can theme it, organize it, cater it.  But, when all that is done, will it have supported the greater work of the organization, cause or purpose?

Talking with a sales or advertising department, as well as executive level players is a starting point.  I’ve found taking 10-20 minutes with the decision maker in a department is best.  Inviting a large group of people to a round table meeting is just asking for trouble.  You’ll get too many opinions.  You need to speak with someone who not only knows their department’s objectives but has the authority to speak for those below them.  Then you can make progress toward identifying overarching goals.

Once you check in with leadership, boil down the information you have gathered to just a few sentences.  For example:  This year we’re hosting a luncheon for area non-profits.  We want the executive level staff to attend from non-profits within a fifty mile range.  Our goal is to encourage and network with them, gather their contact information and have each of them leave with a basic understanding of what we do.

Send your event mission statement to the chief.  (Not to multiple people!)  Once approved, you can begin planning an event that will support your specific objectives with integrity and style.  By involving key leadership, clarifying objectives, and weaving each event into the fabric of the greater organization, you’ll be planning even the smallest events like a Fortune 500 pro.

Filed Under: Pre-Event Planning Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Who Else Wants To Increase Their Value As An Event Planner?

April 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“No event planner is an island entire of itself.” John Donne. Well, that’s not exactly how the poet wrote that line, but it’s still true. No event planner pulls of an entire event without help. Allison Saget, an event planner for Fortune 500 companies, wrote in her book, The Event Marketing Handbook:

“It is important throughout your work life to develop a network of relationships.The people in my event network range from executives to technical support gurus to creative agencies. These individuals are experts in their field. I believe creating an event network makes you resource rich and will extend the value of what you bring to a program.”

So, it looks like we’re talking about more than having a few caterers and tent rental companies in your Rolodex, right? Think through your current resource network. I’m a visual person, so I’d probably sketch this out. I’d put pen to a large sheet of paper, jot down all of my event network members and pin it up somewhere near my desk. Excellent.  Now that you’ve identified who is in your network, consider ways to foster these relationships.  Send a note saying “thank you”, check in via email or telephone, write a recommendation on LinkedIn, or send a customer or article their way that would foster their business. What if you spent ten minutes a week fostering a relationship with one of these people?

Aside from cultivating the event network you’ve already established, also plan ways to expand this group. You might sign up for a conference, join the local chamber of commerce, invite a new acquaintance out to lunch.  Choose people that are modeling excellence, passion and innovation.  Try to connect with someone who could become an “expert source” at least once a month.  You won’t click with everyone, but those you do will be worth the failed attempts.

Sketch out your event network, and decide how you will deepen and expand it. You must be in charge of creating a support system for yourself that is professional and vibrant.  You’ll be delighted at the rewards you, your clients, and guests will reap from this investment.  Who do you count as a valuable member of your event network, and how did you first connect with them?

Filed Under: Leadership Helps, Teambuilding Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Answer These 5 Questions, Improve Your Next Event

April 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” — Zig Ziglar.

question marks

Wouldn’t it be terrible to spend loads of time, money and late night brainstorming to plan an incredible event that accomplishes very little?

Yes!  It would be!  You want your event to accomplish something very specific, and the more detailed you can be in outlining your goals before the planning stages, the better chance you have of hitting your event objectives.  Use these five questions to set up a “visible target” for yourself and your team.  Ready?

  1. Why should people give their valuable time and money to attend your event?
  2. What are you offering that is unique?
  3. Who is your target audience?
  4. What is your company’s number one goal for this event?
  5. Can you describe your event atmosphere with three words?

After you have spent time answering these questions, print out a fresh copy for yourself and take a walk.  Visit your planning team, a recent event attendee and the president of the company you represent.  Get their answers to these questions. You may be surprised.  You need to start this important conversation because it goes to the very marrow of your event planning.

This list should be used for each event you plan and should be filled out with as many specifics as possible.  For example, your target audience should not be listed as “women”, but instead, “18-25 year old women in Western North Carolina”.  This description will help you make all sorts of decisions about venue, advertising and even musicians!

Use these five questions to avoid “aiming at nothing” during your next event. Be specific in your answers, set up a target, point it out to your team, and “hit it” with intent and gusto!

Filed Under: Pre-Event Planning, Productivity Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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