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
- Someone who is in your industry.
- 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.