Whether you’re throwing a launch party to bring your business to the world, or inviting your loyal customers to be part of a celebration to honour a milestone in your business growth, running a business event can be a positive way to make your business boom.

But how to do it without breaking your budget – and your stress levels? Kirsten McVean speaks from experience…

Tips for Running a Successful Event

Events come in all forms – seminars, conferences, dinners and product launches. The list can roll on! They provide an organisation with the ability to increase brand awareness and grow a client base. An event requires planning, commitment and creativity to ensure that it becomes a successful and memorable experience for both the attendees and the organisation itself.

Want to ensure your event is a success? Follow this step-by- step process.

1. Outcome

Consider the outcome you require from the event. Is your objective to make a profit, are you intending to increase your client base or are you aiming to build brand awareness?

2. Dates

When do you want to hold your event? What dates work for your business? Consider dates such as public and school holidays that can be an issue when it comes to booking corporate events.

3. Location

Where is the best location for your event? Where are the majority of your clients based? Consider venue options that are close to public transport and have parking within walking distance.

4. Budget

How much would you like to spend on the event? Then build a budget that suits your requirements. Source quotes from all the relevant suppliers and develop a strong budget for your event.

5. Venue

Similar to location, select a venue which is going to be attractive for your client base. Prior to making the final venue selection, it’s smart to visit the venue before the big day to make sure it has all the requirements you need, such as a projector, screen and suitable seating.

6. Program

How you, would like to structure the content of your event? Think back to the outcome you’re hoping to achieve and now think about the information you want the attendees to hear. To have that covered, make sure you source specific speakers that have expertise in this area.

7. Marketing Plan

For any event, it is critical to develop a marketing strategy to ensure you achieve the required outcome that will help your business goals. As you’re developing the plan, don’t forget to consider social media and promotional material – then base this around the requirements of your target market.

8. Logistics

A project plan should be developed at the beginning of the event to ensure all, the day-to-day logistics are completed successfully. This includes managing attendee registrations, liaising with suppliers, developing a running sheet and managing queries and RSVPs from any potential attendees.

9. On-site

On-site is where the action happens! Here is where you will need to ensure that you have all the relevant material delivered to the venue, manage the venue set-up and have the required staff to handle all your attendee registrations and queries. Think of having a door prize – that you can award to someone whose business card you pull out of a bowl (or similar). This gives you a reason to collect people’s contact information for potential follow-up. A goodie bag, with promo material and sample products from an interesting collection of non-competing businesses, can be an effective way to create a positive event. Including food gifts as part of the goodie bag contents can be a good idea but play it safe choosing the items – these days, with so many food allergies, it can be hard to find something that suits everyone.

10. Post-event

Consider running a post-event survey of attendees to ensure that the success of the event can be measured. This gives you the power to use the information you gather positively - by making improvements to future events for an even better result. 

Kirsten McVean is an experienced event manager and runs her own business, Kirsten McVean Event Management. You can connect with her via her website.