Business, Events, Trade Show
People love to travel to events and see new places. Most large conferences choose big metro areas because they have the hotel capacity and the draw for attendees. These huge cities also offer a great way to entertain customers and leads. The drawback is you are hosting an event outside of your home city – and that comes with a host of pitfalls. Here are the top 6 tips for hosting a destination event.
1. Do a site visit whenever possible.
No pictures, no second-hand account, will give you the kind of impression as being on-site yourself. You are able to walk the space, get an idea for flow, smell, parking, and all the little details that can get lost in images and videos. Learn more about site visits here.
2. When not possible to do a site visit – get an expert and knowledgeable second-hand account.
Yelp and Google are great for restaurant reviews for a night out with friends. I do not suggest using them exclusively for your out of town evnet. Every major city will have at least one Destination Management Company (DMC). These companies help you find the best venue for your event, entertainment and act as a sounding board for all of your ideas. They will help you to schedule, negotiate, plan transportation and more. They are the next best thing to being on-site.
3. Pack / Ship your Event Box
I have a box that travels with me to every event. It has the basics of duct tape, zip ties, pens, pads of paper, small first aid kit, scissors, screwdriver and a small hammer. I have fixed almost everything with this particular kit. Other items go in and out of my kit as the event call for it but that is my core and it travels with me. Make sure you have your basics. Learn about what I keep in my trade show box.
4. Arrive to the event at least 24 – 36 hours ahead of your event.
Arrive at your destination and do a walkthrough of the venue as soon as you are able to. It is amazing what an extra 4 – 10 hours can allow you to do in case of unforeseen events.
5. Always be nice to every on-site staff member at the venue before, during and after your event.
I have a policy of arriving at a venue with a small thank you gift and giving it during or before set up. I let the venue know that this is a thank you for the crazy request I know I will end up having. This can be a basket with snacks or a case of beer. If I have not been to the venue before I will stick with the snacks. I then say my please and thanks you’s every time I interact with the venue. The venue staff has the ability to make or break your event. They can have the thing you need or even solve a problem before you know it is one or they can sit back and watch you sink.
6. Roll with the punches
All events have hiccups. When you are away from home and your safety net – small things can feel huge. When things go wrong; take a step back, take a breath, and find a plan.
I had one event where I had specified that the tables should be in a square. In my mind, this meant the tables along the outside edge with an empty space in the middle. When I got onsite, I had 6 tables all pushed together to create a very large square – that I suddenly had to decorate. I redid some of my other decorating plans and had the time to work with the hiccup. If I had arrived later, I would not have had the time to make the table look amazing.
Out of town or destination events are a great way to build customer loyalty or extend the reach of your trade show booth. Have fun planning them!
Business, Events
Growing your business or book of sales is a hard thing to do. Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to grow your business – especially a service-based business.
How do you build up that word of mouth? Host a networking event.
Here are 5 Tips to hosting the Perfect Networking Event
- Pick the right venue.
- A good networking venue will have three things,
- Enough room for people to mingle without feeling claustrophobic. I would take the sitting capacity of the room and subtract 10.
- Acoustics that can handle the size crowd you want. You want people to be able to talk easily without yelling. Crowds can get loud but you don’t want it so loud that people cannot network.
- Good finger food and drinks.
- Timing is Everything
- See who your target market is and decide if you want to do a breakfast or happy hour event. You can do an informal survey of your target audience. Now, realize that no time will be perfect for everyone. I like to give people 15-30 days notice that the event will be happening.
- Make signing up and signing into the event easy
- There are a ton of apps that can help with ticketing, reminding people about the event, sign in and event follow up. You want to have as little friction as possible for your attendees. This also allows you to network at the event, not have the manage everything.
- Market it as Exclusive.
- I recommend doing exclusive events where you have a certain target and allow only a set number of people to attend on a first-come, first-serve basis. I want my attendees to feel like they have access to an exclusive group of people. Then, I post about the event during and after. You have to be invited to the event but anyone can see that the event happened.
- Be the connection.
- During the event, make sure you are introducing those that don’t know each other. Ask what your attendees are looking for, what their business needs, and make the connections. This will give you credibility and build your brand. People will come to see you as the person who can help build their business and will go to you when your services are needed.
Hosting a networking event is a simple but effective way to grow your personal brand and build a pipeline.
Check back soon to see the free Networking Event Checklist.
Business, Events
I am a true believer in corporate seminars to showcase your knowledge and bring in new customers but they need to be done right. Everyone can rent a room and have some tables put up but if you want to take the event to the next level.
If you want your event to stand out and be elite – it is all in the details.
Here are 5 tips to elevate your event.
- Have the venue double up the table clothes. Most venues have the white table cloth as their standard and it is see through. You do not want your attendees looking at the bolts on the table and not your speaker. Having them double up the table clothes will alleviate this issue.
- Include pens and logoed paper. Give your attendees something. To write on and with. I will often create a new landscape document and place two logos at the top. Then have a local print shop copy and cut the paper in half. You get note paper without having to pay for note books. If you do not have logoed pens, watch the sales at the office supply stores. You can get good pens inexpensively.
- If the tables are round, include a centerpiece. You will want it no more than 12 inches tall so people can see over but it will break up the vast expanse of table and bring the room together.
- Have a greeter – not a sign in sheet. You want your guests greeted with a smile and a welcome. Ask their name and sign them in. Do not ask them to write their name and email down. Then give them all the information they will need for the event and then welcome them to join. You then have a secondary set of greeters who will chat and network with your guests.
- Provide good food and drinks with good table wear. Do not use paper plates and plastic cups at your high end events. I would suggest bringing in a catering company that also provides staff for set up, service and tear down. This is a very simple change that can elevate your event.
I have always said that anyone can put together a good event but putting together a great event is all in the details.
Events, Non-Profit
Sponsorships are a great way to raise a significant sum of money for your non-profit. Now, if you are offering a table of 8, an ad in the program that no one reads, and a slide on the presentation deck…
…you are doing it wrong.
Now, I take that statement back if you are raising money for baby animals, children, or a major illness. If you are raising money to give sick children a puppy, that is a trifecta and I wonder why you are on my blog.
Here is the deal, people are giving your their money for some perceived value. If you are not gaining the level of sponsorship that you want – you need to up the value. Here are some ways I would do it.
Annual Sponsorships
Going back to the same well over and over again will eventually drain it dry. Or you will get smaller portions of water. If you do more than one event a year that you ask for sponsorships I would suggest creating an annual sponsor package. This package can have different levels but a sponsorship to the events is built in.
For example, if you host a gala and a golf tournament, put an annual sponsorship together than includes a table and tee sponsor, with additional marketing on social media, at the non-profit head-quarters, on email campaigns, and your website. This allows you to approach people once a year and provide them value all year long.
Beyond the Table Sponsorship
Why would someone sponsor a table, fill it with the people who work for them or their friends, and have no one outside of the organization know that they sponsored a table.
Extend your sponsorships out to include the following
- Photo Booth Sponsorship
- I personally love to sponsor the photo booth at events because you know that at least 30% of attendees will get their picture taken in it and then your logo is plastered all over their pictures.
- Bar Sponsorship
- People spend a lot of time in line or waiting for their drinks. Use that time to promote your sponsors and provide them extra value.
- Water Station Sponsorship
- This is especially good for all day or multi day events.
- Ticket Sponsorship
- Goodie Bag Sponsorship
- You can have one company provide logoed bags and others can pay to have items put into the bags. This is great for golf tournaments and conferences.
Ask Your Donors
My last thought is to ask your top donors what they would like to do or where they would like their name placed at your events. You can gain some amazing insights from the people who support you.
Think beyond the cookie cutter sponsorship and your event and its profits will grow.
Business, Events, Non-Profit
We all want our events to be well attended, with new prospects that match our target market. One of the best ways to do this is by partnering up with other business owners to host events.
Why Should You Partner Up
- Larger Pool of Potential Attendees
- Bringing on another business also brings in their customers and potential customers.
- Expense Sharing
- While face-to-face selling has proven to be one of the most effective ways to close a deal, there is only so much time in the day. Hosting events is a great way to talk to more people and have them come to you but they can get expensive. Bringing on a partner allows you to share the costs of the venue, foot, etc.
- Brand Awareness Boost
- Having your event partner market the event will boost your brand’s awareness and you can gain customers down the road.
How to Pick the Right Partner
- Make a List of Potential Partners
- Someone who is in your industry.
- For the fashion industry Clothing and Jewelry
- One of your vendors or suppliers.
- Farmer that supplies the produce for your ice cream shop
- A business that has referred previous customers to you
- Accountant and Financial Advisor
- A complimentary business
- Real Estate and Insurance
- A person with a large following
- Local celebrity, author, chef
- Narrow down the list to see whose market fits your target attendee the most.
- Ask if these people want to be involved.
- Have a clear idea of costs, who will pay for what, and the amount of people you want to bring in before you reach out to them.
- Make it clear that you would like them to invite their customers to the event.
- Have three dates for them to choose from
Make the Most of a Partner Event
- Have a giveaway that allows you to collect attendee information.
- Introduce your customers to your partner
- Make sure to provide some value to the attendees
- Networking, free food, a seminar, etc
- After the event
- Type up all attendee information and give the list to each partner
- Do a quick meeting to discuss the following
- What was good?
- What could be improved?
- What are the costs associated with the event?
- Did we get a good return on investment?
- Would we do one again?
- When will we do one again?
Partner events are a great way to get your name out there and gain a bigger following. You can do them in person or online. You can also extend the partnership through guest blog posts, Facebook or IG Live Q & A’s and general promotion of each others business.
