Associations organise events for different reasons. It could be to inform members with a seminar or workshop or to celebrate with a dinner. Either way, effective event management is crucial for any association.
But planning a successful event is not as easy as it seems. From preparing flyers and marketing the event to managing registrations and researching suitable venues, the minute details of event planning can be overwhelming.
The Office Logistics team offers helpful tips collected from our years of experience in events management. Here’s our best pick:
Learn more about your audience
Successful events always start with research. The content of the event highly depends on your target audience, their needs, interests, and current issues affecting them. Design the event based on this data and you’ll give your audience more reasons to attend.
Make SMART goals
In order to measure the success of any event, a set of goals must be clearly defined. These include how the budget will be spent and the expected returns of investment. Results of the events can also be measured in terms of social media engagement, number of new members, and other pre-defined indicators.
Reach out to your target market
Thanks to social media, event promotion has never been this easier. Prior to the event, you can initiate marketing campaigns through newsletters, blogs, and other social media profiles. And to drive maximum engagement, make sure to highlight a call-to-action and enumerate the benefits of the event in your message.
Create a contingency plan
Anything unexpected can occur during the event. However, the last thing you want is to bring inconvenience to attendees. For this reason, a contingency plan must be provided ahead of time. This enables you to foresee possible issues and lay out specific measures to address them.
Connect with topnotch suppliers
Your suppliers can either make or break the outcome of the event. To avoid potential inconveniences, make sure to choose your suppliers ahead of time. The decision must be based on verified reviews or referrals from trusted users. This step encompasses those that handle the venue, catering, refreshments, and all audio-visual equipment needed for the event.
Hire an engaging speaker
Events are an opportune time to leave a lasting impression to attendees. So in choosing a guest speaker, it pays to have someone whom the audience respects and knows well. The speaker must also be relevant to the topic and knows the content well. Of course, a little bit of sense of humor won’t harm.
Ask for feedback
You’ll never know how the event has turned out unless you ask. But by doing so, make sure that majority of attendees will respond. One way to do this is by distributing questionnaires that are quick and easy to complete. You can also include open-ended questions to ensure your audience can provide their own suggestions.
When in doubt, outsource
Planning and managing an event can be very overwhelming. This is why most associations outsource—even those with a very tight budget. In reality, letting a reliable company manage your events can save you tremendous time and money. Through outsourcing, you can now focus on growing the association while letting a team of event experts do the hard work for you—all within your specified budget.
We hope these 8 tips will help you get started. If you need further assistance, feel free to contact us today.
Office Logistics has more than ten years of experience in helping businesses manage important events. We’d love to work with you.