Hosting events outside of your cultural norm can be difficult. If you do it wrong, people will drag you through social media and scream about cultural appropriation. But as the world becomes evermore multi-cultural, hosting cultural events is a great way to get your business name into new communities and expand your own horizons.
So how do you host these events? Here are my tips.
Find a cultural expert
Find someone in the cultural community that you are wanting to host and bring them in as a co-host or sponsor. Run your ideas and planning strategy by them. Ask them for food and decoration recommendations. And listen to them. They are your life line, don’t throw it away.
Be Genuine
People see right through a marketing or sales gimmick. Do not throw these events just to get some quick sales. You need to be ready to start and create lasting relationships with the people you are inviting. This is a long term play, not a short term gain.
Share the Experience
Do not invite just one subset of people. Include your entire customer list if possible in these events. Help promote the community you are trying to reach to your current customers. Ask your expert to provide some educational materials or speakers for those who do not know what the Holiday is all about.
These events are a great way to expand your network and your brands reach but they need to be done correctly. Do not pander, do not host these events just to make a quick buck. Host these events to learn and build lasting relationships for your business.
Questions to Ask of your Cultural Expert
What dates should we plan around or avoid?
What colors should be used and avoided in the invite and decorations?
What images should be used in the printed materials?
What kind of decorations should we have?
Who should we use for catering?
Should we make this family friendly or a business mixer?
I have been very lucky in the last six months to enjoy some amazing experiences. It wasn’t the entertainment or the food that made them amazing. It was the service. It was how all the guests were made to feel special and the consistency of that feeling.
You can give your event or trade show attendees the same feeling as an all inclusive resort with these tips.
Ask for and use your attendee names.
People love to hear their name. You can give your event a high end feel with this simple thing. Have your servers ask for people’s names and then write them down. Each time they go to ask if they would like another drink or something else they can glance at the diagram to remember the names. Trade shows you can use people’s name badges as triggers. Personalization will make you and your event stand out.
Eliminate the wait where ever possible.
People do not want to wait in long lines for registration or any other part of your event. Streamline your registration process with technology. Get your guests into the event they are there to enjoy as soon as you can. The bar is the one exception to this but anything more than a 7-10 minute wait is too long.
Be consistent.
You need to put thought into every aspect that your attendees will come in contact with. From the entrance to the exit, have a consistent feel and service. One wrong move at the end of an event can leave attendees with a bad taste in their mouth and an overall bad impressions.
One glaring example I find at events is that the main ballroom is beautifully decorated and the bathrooms are a mess. A simple flower arrangement and some additional lighting can make a huge difference is almost every room.
Remember that service is not what you do for a person but how you make them feel. Great customer service is focused on making your attendees feel like they are the most important people in the room.
Volunteering for nonprofits is fulfilling and fun. I love helping and seeing the impact that I make. I have helped many nonprofits with their benefit events and over the years (many, many years) have created a way to streamline one of the most tedious parts of the events – the planning meetings.
I have been in many meetings that devolve into gossip, this is how we have always done things, and getting nothing done. Bad meetings waste time and demoralize your volunteers. Here are my tips to run an effective meeting.
Have an agenda.
I know this sounds rudimentary but so many people do not take the time to put together an agenda for their meetings. I also add check boxes next to the topics so people can check off what we have talked about. You are also able to keep people on topic by pointing out that you will cover that idea later in the meeting. If you are on a time crunch, put times next to each topic and move on when you hit your time.
This requires a leader that is willing to keep people in line and volunteers who are willing to subvert themselves for the greater cause. If you have a lot of leaders, rotate who leads the meeting and continuously point out that you have not gathered for you but for the cause. This can help curb hurt feelings and power mongering.
Set a Time Limit
A good meeting time frame is 1.5 hours. First 5 minutes is introducing new members to the group and the last 10-15 minutes is going over the tasks that everyone has been given and ensuring all are on the same page. How you carve up the rest will determine at what stage you are in your event planning.
A trick that an organization used in college was 3 pros and 3 cons. When discussing a motion or vote, the group as a whole was only able to voice 3 pros and 3 cons. People become more thoughtful and recognize that they cannot speak just to have their voice heard. It helped us cut meetings almost in half.
Host meetings at a neutral location
There are plenty of co-work spaces, libraries, and office buildings with open conference rooms that you can book and use for free or a nominal fee. Having your meetings at a neutral location keeps people from stressing over cleaning their homes, allows all parties to leave when needed, and keeps the subtle power plays to a minimum. You can often bring in water and snacks to hold people over as you chat.
If you know of a semi-quite restaurant that is willing to host you, this allows people to order food and drinks as they want. Stay away from the major holidays and most restaurants are very happy to have a low-key group of people come in.
Have a scribe for the meetings
A lot is said and a lot of ideas are thrown around, having someone take notes is a huge help. You can vote on positions or you can rotate them around. The scribe owns the last 10-15 minutes of the meeting to do a quick refresh of what tasks were handed out and when they need to get done. These notes are put into a master calendar that tracks the task, the owner, the due date, and the progress. This helps keep everyone accountable and allows the event to move forward at a good pace.
I know that with these tips you can keep volunteer frustration down, engagement up, and money rolling into your nonprofit event.
Print media is not dead. It is alive and well and when done correctly it will help push your business and events forward. People love receiving a good piece of mail – especially if it is hand addressed. Print allows you to leave a more lasting impression than a social media post. But who you print with is almost as important as what you print.
Here are the 5 questions to ask to choose the right printer for each job.
Do I need help designing the print product?
Most printers have an in-house design team that will help you create your masterpiece. If I am needing help from start to finish, I will pick a local company because I want someone that I can meet with through the process. Most online companies do have a design service but there is something about a face to face that I prefer. The other thing that I consider is if the designer will charge me for the project or by the hour. I prefer the designers that will work with me through a project price rather than a per hour price.
Can they do the print job?
I love my print department at the local Office Depot but they have some serious in house limitations. If I need a complicated job done, I will pick one of the specialized local print shops. If I need a job fast, I will choose Office Depot. If I need business cards, I will often use one of the popular card printing companies. Each company has a set of skills and expertise that you need to take into your decision.
Do I want someone local?
I prefer to work with local small businesses. I want the relationship with the owner or my rep. Being able to pick up at the last moment is a huge plus as well. The local printer can also become a referral source for your business. 90% of the time I go with the local printer for large jobs. Going local cuts down on shipping costs and if something is wrong, you can go in and talk to them. A fun plus is that they will often give you a tour of their facility.
Do they fit my budget?
Small businesses run on margins, sometimes it is cost effective to go with the big national shops because they can spread their costs out over multiple customers. Make sure you have a budget in mind and you are upfront with the designers and printers. You cannot have gold foil embossing, special cuts and folds, and more on a minimal budget. The right printer will help you to put together the print material that will fit your budget and help you reach your goal.
Do I like who I am dealing with?
You want to have a good relationship with your rep at the print shop – whoever that is. Having someone to call and bounce ideas off of, ask for quick quotes, or call for an emergency can be crucial for your business. You want to trust that if something goes wrong, they are there to help you fix it. This is the most important item for me. I will only do business with those who I trust.
Printing is still a huge part of small business. Know your goal and the outcome you want for the print piece and your print shop will help you to get there.
2020 is here and I am motivated to get all sorts of things done. I am sharing my 2020 plan so that you all can help me stay on track. So here are my plans for this year.
Release my first online course March 1, 2020.
I have been working on this course for over a year but had some time issues in 2019. Planning my wedding became a huge part of my life – even with a wedding planner so I had to set this aside. I now have all of the equipment and software I need and no longer have an excuse. Beta Tests will start in early February for anyone interested in Effective Trade Shows for Small Businesses.
Gain 3 outside Social Media Management Clients by April 1, 2020.
I have been helping a select set of companies with their social media content and strategy. I am picky about my clients because I want to ensure I am the right fit for them. This allows me to hone in on their needs and help them to grow their business. I will start marketing for this service in February and already have a few prospects in the pipeline. Reach over 1k followers on Facebook and Instagram by August 1.
This is a huge jump but I know that it will help. I am expanding my blog and social media topics beyond business events and trade shows in 2020 which will help to expand my audience.
Release the second set of online courses September 2020.
I will be releasing How to Be the Perfect Bridesmaid/Man. So many blogs and books focus on the bride and leave the bridesmaids/men out. I want to share my hard won knowledge as a bridesmaid, maid of honor, and bride. I am not shying away from the hard topics i.e. Do you really want to be a bridesmaid? Can you afford it? How do you deal with the bridezilla? What is really expected of you?
These are big goals but I have a plan. I also am going to be working with a coach to help me stay on track. Having an accountability partner is essential.
Let me know what your goals are and how Events Made Sane can help your business grow in 2020.
The one biggest tip I can give people to sell more items at a trade or craft show is to elevate your booth.
No, I am serious.
Elevate your tables to bar height.
Why?
People will stop to look at something on their eye level.
They feel more comfortable stopping if they do not have to stoop or bend to look at items.
Create product groups and tiers on your tables so people can identify items at a glance.
This has years of consumer science to back it up. The most expensive items at most stores and the most expensive shelf space is at eye level of the target market.
Walk down the cereal aisle at the grocery store at the see how the boxes are merchandised. The healthy and “adult” cereals are at your eye level. The cereals that are targeted towards children are one shelf down.
Here is a great example of this by Basilwood Farms.
Notice a few great details
They have table cloths to give the booth a polished look.
They have maybe 3-4 of each item skew out on the tables to keep it from looking too cluttered.
I know they have more product under the tables so they don’t run out but putting everything they brought out would overwhelm people.
They have simple portable lights on their product.
Their lights are not shining at their customers, they are catching the shimmer that is infused into many of their products. Always use lights like this when possible.
Everything fits into the “Farm” theme.
Wooden crates and metal buckets help to organize items and give the booth a welcoming feel.
They carry these themes into the business cards and their website. It is one cohesive image. You can check them out here.
Basilwood Farms is a great example of a company that knows who they are and how to present a cohesive image from their farm store, website, booths and printed materials.
My second tip for selling more at trade or craft shows – be like Basilwood Farms. Know who you are and take that through everything.
Basilwood did not pay me to write this post and I do not get any kick backs from the sale of any items. They are a great company who graciously allowed me to write about them and their craft show booth. Support your local businesses whenever possible!
