31 Mar

An event can be a powerful marketing tool, and every business should consider them as a valuable development initiative. However, whether the event is big or small, it must be carefully structured around a dedicated plan. So, to design an event to promote your organisation, you must begin with a strategy. This will ensure that you don’t miss anything and can ensure that the project succeeds. But how do you build your event strategy in the first place? 

Start With a Goal in Mind

While it may sound counterintuitive, start at the end and work backwards. Or, more accurately, define your ultimate goal and then work out how you’re going to achieve it.

Define Your Vision

So, what is your vision? For example, do you want to increase awareness of your brand, or do you want to promote a product or service launch? Are you organising this event on behalf of a client, and if so, what is the ultimate objective? Be careful to define this properly, and then ensure that everyone involved in your event has this goal or vision clearly in their mind.

Figure Out the Timeline

Next, work out a timeline. What will it take to put everything together during the planning stages? Will you need to attract sponsors, search for and schedule some talent, plan site visits, and liaise with third-party providers? Itemise each task and estimate how long it will take you to complete them. Always err on the side of caution by adding some buffer time to each task. People almost invariably underestimate the time any work can take, and it is best to be safe.

Develop the Schedule

You’ll now arrive at a schedule that will be your event’s backbone. Some people may choose to use an event strategy template here to make this part of the planning process more manageable.

Work Out the Sums

In the next stage, calculate your budget. You can apportion a cost to each of the work tasks in your schedule. You must also add a contingency, typically a small percentage on top, just in case. Be very careful when planning your budget, as this part of your work will tell you if the event will likely be financially feasible. You may also need to arrive at a final number to charge your client or set your entry fee, whichever is appropriate.

Pitch to Prospects

Once you are happy with your vision and budget, you need to prepare to pitch your event to key people. These could be customers of your client or your own prospects. How will you reach these prospects, and how long will it take you to engage them?

Measure Everything

Before you get things underway, ensure you have a way of measuring every element. In particular, always keep to the schedule and stay within your budgetary constraints. Then, as you market, see how much traction you’re getting. Are you attracting enough social shares, for example? It’s important to measure everything so you can refine your strategy as you go and will have the necessary data to report back to key stakeholders.

Get the Best Support

And remember, you will need to get some experienced, dedicated and enthusiastic staff members to help the event run as smoothly as possible on the day. Don’t underestimate this critical part of your event strategy and action plan, as the staff members will represent the public-facing part of your organisation.

Hire Your Staff

To ensure that you hire the best possible people, whether as promotional staff, brand ambassadors or any other function, work with the experts at Eventeem.