Marketers, we’ve all been there. Especially, special event coordinators. How do we create, plan, and execute a successful live event? It’s an interesting dynamic because it’s becoming harder and harder to get people out of their normal habitat to attend an event in unfamiliar territory that disrupts their day to get work accomplished.
It begins with the topic, targeting the right audience, and location, location, location! Hubspot talks a a lot about this with providing the right content to the right audience at the right time (Buyers Journey)
So how do you fill a room? Before I provide the steps required to be successful, it requires your sales team to do their part as well.
full disclosure: This is my least favorite part of marketing. If I could outsource the granular aspects of hosting an event, I would do so in a heartbeat!
Here are my (4) key steps to executing an amazingly successful event:
Step #1: Give yourself at least (8) weeks to start the plan of executing an event.
– Why? There are many moving parts that require detailed attention to make it a success (venue, event length, speakers, presentation content, venue amenities, swag bags, etc.)
Step #2: Create an agenda that flow well with your audience.
– Go over speaker arrangements, discuss and finalize their presentation content, firm up what the calls-to-actions will be when the event adjourns. I’ve seen really good success with sales reps having mini F2F meetings with their attendees either right before or after the event. The content is fresh in their minds and you can quickly pull out the pain they are currently having that you can solve
Step #3: Create a four-step email ‘subject line’ invite process that will maximize your guest attendance.
– Why? This has provided me with many successful events as I’ve been able to average an 85% show rate which isn’t easy to do. Ask any event coordinator!
Four-Step Email Flow (Subject Line)
- Email #1: Save The Date (4 weeks prior)
- Email #2: Registration is Now Open (3 weeks prior)
- Email #3: Space is Quickly Filling Up (2 weeks prior)
- Email #4: Last Chance (1 week and 2 days prior)
Step #4: Create a map of the event room layout and tag each guest with where they sat in the room.
Why? Document who asked what questions during the event. Assign a scriber or sales rep to help with this. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you can find and uncover new business by being this meticulous.
Follow this format and watch your ROI get bigger and bigger with your amazing marketing ninja skills 🙂