Trade shows are an investment. Learn how to get the most out of them when attending with our 6 tips.
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When you are ready to speak at shows you can see my Tips for Speakers!
Event planning in general is not easy, our goal is to make everyone enjoy the event if not feel genuinely happy – and you can never make everyone happy. It is a constant dichotomy that is at play. So how do you manage everyone’s competing wishes?
I set people and their wishes into different tiers and use that as my hierarchy of event needs.
The person who is hiring me is the person that I listen to the most. If I have been hired by an organization or committee, I have them appoint a point of contact and decision maker. I did an event recently where the CEO wanted to make some changes at the event (think 15 minutes before we started to serve food), and I still turned to my point of contact to approve those changes. I am happy to shift things on the fly and a good event planner can make miracles happen but I do not take direction from just anyone.
I always bring up food allergies and ask if anyone will need any special accommodations. I want to make every one who is attending feel welcome and to enjoy the event. Vegetarian options are easy but knowing about major food allergies and conveying that to the caterer is crucial. Also, do you need a sign language interpreter? Do we need to make sure that we have wheel chair accessible spaces? Do we have people who cannot eat certain food due to their religion? I want the host to tell me about their guests and how we can make sure they all enjoy the event. Learn to avoid Event Food Pitfalls here.
Events often come with a VIP Tier and these people pay extra to be treated well. I am not changing the menu for them or having the caterer make special food, but I will bring out extra bread and ensure that they receive a higher level or service.
The guests at the event are there to enjoy, but we cannot please everyone. If you are serving soda, people will complain about the type. The key is apologizing for the inconvenience and then offering alternatives. You also get very good at seeing who just wants to complain, who is trying to flirt with the servers, and who has a genuine concern.
Their tier system allows you to know when to make major changes and when to just move on. Knowing who your main client and stakeholders are is the key.
Remember that not even an ice cream shop can make everyone happy – some people don’t like ice cream, others will want a flavor that isn’t offered, and others will be angry about where the milk came from.
Your job when planning an event is to make the client happy and as many of the guests as possible.
A trade show is not done until everything is packed up and you are on your way home. If it is a multi day show, your job and marketing lasts long after the trade show floor hours. The hours after the trade show floor closes are precious and you need to use them. Here are the ways you can.
Grabbing a cup or coffee with a prospect or customers is an underused opportunity. 30 minutes can help to close a deal, understand pain points, or clear up a misunderstanding.
People often drop their guard more during a breakfast also. Breakfast is often a personal or family time so people are more relaxed. You need to use this time to your advantage.
If you have a smaller budget, skip the expensive dinners and unlimited bar tabs. Consider taking a mixed group of prospects and customers to go carts, on an exclusive tour, or any other activities.
You will stand out from the crowd, mingle more than a sit down dinner, and save money. To learn more about help planning out of town events read here.
If you have the budget and the team to work it. After hours parties for clients and prospects can have a great ROI. You keep people away from your competitors and your sales people can get to know your guests in a less formal environment.
Limiting the type and level of liquor can help keep you on budget. Offer signature cocktails to give the event a more branded feel.
Those chance meetings while relaxing after the show in the bar can turn into great conversations and opportunities.
For the money you are spending at trade shows, you need to take advantage of every opportunity to talk to your customers and prospects.
Scholarships are a great way to help people and to use the money you raise. It is also a great way to look into the future. Here are the way to put together a scholarship that will last and that will grow.
Before you get into budgeting and even fundraising for the scholarship you need to decide who is going to administer the scholarship and the type of person who you want to receive it. These are the questions to ask.
Once you have answered these questions then you need to figure out what your budget will be. Now this is the hard part because you can decided to just give $500 every year out of your budget but what happens in a lean year? What happens if you don’t have the money?
To make sure that your scholarship lasts, you need to plan for the long term. That means setting aside more money that you need each year into a savings or a fund. You should talk with a financial advisor about the best vehicle for you and your organization. But if you put $1000 away each year and give out a $500 scholarship then you will be years ahead. You will be able to eventually give out more scholarships or larger amounts. Learning how to manage your lean months will help you put this money away.
I know that it is tempting to give away all the money that you can each year, but if you can set some aside and put some into savings, you will be able to help more people in the future and for longer.
Non profits often experience lean months where donations dry up and hard choices have to be made on who to help. This doesn’t have to happen – you can survive and even thrive in the lean months and here is my suggestion on how.
You need to know when your lean times are happening and when you receive an influx of donations. You need you analyze your financial records and see where the peaks and valleys are. You cannot fix the problem until you know where it is.
Ask donors to sign up for a monthly give. Work with your bank or credit card processor to set up a monthly give program. Most people will sign up for this and then forget that they have it going. This gives you a constant stream of income.
Can you adjust when your fundraisers happen to have them happen before or during your lean months? You can experiment with smaller events in these seasons. Also, shift the type of fundraiser you are holding. You can reach different audiences with different fundraiser types.
I have written about this before in this blog but planning ahead and getting yearly sponsorships allows you to budget better and get bigger gives from your corporate partners.
Do you need the office or can you work remotely and save the overhead? A storage unit can hold items just as well as a storage closet – and they are less expensive. Can you bring in college students to help with projects? Many schools require their students donate time to their community and there are many college organizations that also require service to non profits.
Many large corporations have programs where they give gift cards and other items to 501(c)3 Charities. Also, consider using a credit card that gives you cash back or points to pay for everything, then immediately pay the card off. You can use that money or the points to get auction items or even items to reward your employees at the Holidays.
You can eliminate your lean times so that your non profits can continue to serve those you are called to help.
Events often seem to exist in a parallel universe and we as event planners want that. We want to transport our guests into the event, we want them to forget the outside world, even their friends and family, and just enjoy.
People can leave their morality and ethics at the door of your event and you have to decide when to get involved and when to just walk away.
When you see someone slip into the rooms of a person that is not their spouse, what do you do?
When you see drugs being sold, what do you do?
If someone asks for a bribe to get something done at your event, what do you do?
The first line you draw is your personal and professional safety. Always put into your event contracts that you have the right to walk away or even leave an event if you are afraid for your personal safety. If a customer balks at this, walk away from the customer. You need to make sure that you are safe. You cannot run your event planning business without you.
Professional safety is the next line. I will not be involved in anything illegal. I do not let customers break the laws or break a contract.
If a customer books a vendor outside of me, I always ask for the contract. (Learn more about Vendor Interviews) This allows me to stay on top of what other vendors needs are and what we can and cannot do. One clause I am careful to pay attention to is around tipping and staff requirements. I need to know if I can tip the staff, if they need food etc.
I always try to feed maintenance and on-site staff whenever possible. Hungry people are not happy people, setting aside plates for them is a simple way to keep people happy. I also keep cash on me to tip people out at the end of the evening. People now know me at my local venues, remember me, and I get amazing service. Treat people well and they will do their best for you. (Tipping is different than a bribe. That is my ethics line.)
The next line is event and client security. If I see issues at my events, I will find my point of contact at the event and let them know and ask what they would like to do. We can ask those in question to leave, have them escorted out, call the authorities, or drop it. I let them know that the decision is up to them but that they will also be responsible for their decision.
The final line is morals. I do not get involved in people’s personal lives. If they want to sleep around, how do I know that they don’t have an open marriage and their partner is fine with it? As long as they are not interfering with my event and not being indecent in the hallways – that is on them.
This may seem like an long list to walk through but it has been developed over years and many events. I have learned what my hard and fast lines are and when to walk away. My good name and that of my business are what is at stake. I keep the highest ehtics and my clients know that.