September 20, 2019
If you have launched an event or worked in the events industry for any length of time, you know that reaching attendance goals sometimes requires more resources than planned. We’ve assembled the following reminders to help you succeed as you consider your next event launch:
- Assess your staffing requirements for marketing and customer service. Strong marketing and customer service support are critical components for a well-attended, cash positive event and it’s important to invest in this staff’s capacity.
- Start talking about a new event at least 18 months before the event for conferences and conventions of 200+ people.
- Post travel and program information before you open registration. Even if it is still evolving, even if it’s not complete, there should be enough details so people are able to commit to attending at their first visit to your registration site.
- Cultivate your circle of influencers, and get them excited about your event’s possibilities at the beginning of your marketing cycle. Treat them well, and give them incentives to help you promote your event. Give them early, sneak-peek information, and keep them up-to-date on event news.
- Outsource where it makes sense: If you have a strong internal marketing team, consider outsourcing some of the logistics planning so your team can focus on the marketing. These tasks are typically easier to outsource than others: sponsor management, registration and housing management, venue logistics, stage/keynote production, exhibit hall oversight, and fundraiser dinner planning. Utilizing your internal team with their unique gifts and supplementing with contractors as needed for additional support and expertise allows you to focus on the big picture.
- Event management apps are crucial to building efficiencies. We discuss one of our top picks in the next blog post.