Event Marketing: The Key to Building Brand Awareness

Posted on September 22, 2022September 30, 2022 by Alice Momo

A recent survey found that more than 55 percent of people who love a brand will purchase the product. In event marketing, part of your marketing strategy is to get your brand in front of customers at trade shows, retail facilities, and even sporting events. A considerable advantage of event marketing is that it allows you to build brand awareness.

Keys to building brand awareness in event marketing include in-person and online events. Moreover, as a marketing agency, you should think broadly to reach new audiences.

Here’s more on the keys to building brand awareness with event marketing.

In-Person Events

Meeting people personally helps showcase your brand when marketing an event. It’s one of the significant advantages of event marketing. You can explain the details of your brand and how it will help your life or your business.

In-person events build relationships when marketing an event. You get to shake hands and give out business cards or brand literature.

Moreover, when learning how to market an event, you can take your time with potential customers and clients. Part of your marketing strategy means ‘selling’ your brand, talking about its positive attributes.

There are several in-person events, such as trade shows and seminars. In addition, think about events where your product is a major sponsor.

Online Events

Virtual events will continue to grow in a post-pandemic world and are one of the benefits of event marketing. Online events are critical when thinking about how to market events and how to promote an event.

Your marketing agency might conduct seminars online, but your marketing services should also consider online giveaways, flash sales, and live streaming. Think about online events using audio, video, photos, and multimedia. You can tighten your presentation and make it well-scripted and smooth.

Virtual events are cheaper and have a more extensive reach.

Think Broadly

Think outside the box when creating ideas about how to promote an event. Aside from the traditional events, take your marketing services to community fairs, festivals, fashion shows, charity events, or even a corporate merger.

Being in unique locations helps you attract a new audience to your brand. It’s also unexpected. With fewer marketing agencies at these events, you’ll have more one-on-one time with those interested in your brand.

Regardless of where you’ll be, promote it on social media! Letting people know your location will attract more people to your event.

Keys to Building Brand Awareness at Event Marketing

Keys to building brand awareness in event marketing include in-person and online events. As someone in event marketing, you must also think broadly when building your brand at marketing events.

Contact us and let us help you build your brand awareness at your next marketing event. We can help you take your brand to the next level by connecting with potential clients and customers. Increasing your brand awareness helps boost your bottom line and increase your revenues!

What to Include In Your Conference Planning Checklist

Posted on August 16, 2022August 15, 2022 by Alice Momo

The famous quote “if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail” is true in business and life in general. Conferences are important no matter the industry, but making sure it’s effective is critical. Planning and hosting a conference is a lot of work, but it can be a rewarding experience.

Whether it’s your first time or you are an experienced pro, having a checklist of items to tick off as you go helps. Here’s a conference planning checklist to help make sure you don’t forget anything.

Goals and Objectives

First things first: define your goals and objectives clearly so you can measure the success of the conference at the end. Without having an end goal, it’ll be difficult to determine whether your conference was a success and worth the effort.

Some things you may want to consider when setting goals and objectives include:

The purpose of your conference
Whom you are trying to reach with your conference
What do you want attendees to take away from your conference

Timeline

Start planning your conference at least a year ahead. Develop a timeline of events so that you have enough time to plan and execute everything.

Create a month-by-month or week-by-week timeline of tasks. This will help you stay on track and avoid last-minute scrambling.

Create a Committee

You’ll need a team of people to help you plan and execute the conference. Create a committee with various people in charge of different aspects of the conference.

Put different people in charge of logistics, marketing, and finance.

Setting up a Website

Nowadays, it’s essential to have an online presence for your conference. Setting up a website is a great way to promote your event and keep attendees updated on the latest news. Make sure to include important information like the date and location of the conference, as well as an agenda and speaker lineup.

When it’s time to actually plan the event, there are a few key things you’ll need to take care of.

Budget

How much money do you have to work with? This determines factors like the size of the venue, the number of attendees, and the length of the conference.

Event Staff

You will need event staff to help with set-up, registration, and other tasks on the day of your conference.

Make sure you have a plan for how you will staff your event, and that you have enough people to cover all of the tasks that need to be done.

Create an Engaging Agenda

An important part of any conference is the agenda. This is what determines the flow and overall tone of your event. When creating an agenda, include a mix of activities and speakers that will appeal to your target audience.

Strike a balance between informative and fun, so that people leave feeling like they’ve learned something new while also enjoying themselves.

Some things you may want to include in your agenda are:

A welcome session
Keynote speeches
Breakout sessions
Networking opportunities
Entertainment

Venue

The next step is to confirm the date and venue for your conference. There are many important considerations when deciding on a venue like capacity, sufficient exits and entrances, amenities, and accessibility.

Consider AV equipment, Wi-Fi, power outlets and electricity supply, and other technical needs when choosing a venue. Make sure the venue you select can accommodate all of your needs.

Speakers

Your conference speakers are an important part of your event. They should be chosen carefully to ensure they are relevant and interesting to your target audience.

When choosing speakers, make sure to consider:

The overall theme of your conference
What your target audience wants to hear
The speaker’s credentials
How the speaker will deliver their presentation

Marketing Your Conference

Once you have all the logistics sorted out, it’s time to start promoting your event. This is an important step in making sure people actually show up.

Create a marketing plan and budget for promoting your conference. Then, start spreading the word through social media, email marketing, and other channels.

Some things you may want to consider when marketing your conference are:

Your target audience
Your budget
Your marketing channels
Your conference website
Your conference branding

Food and Drink

Food and drink are an important part of any conference. Attendees will need to be fed and hydrated throughout the day, so make sure you have a plan for this. You may want to consider catering or providing snacks and drinks that can be purchased on-site.

When planning food and drink for your conference, make sure to consider:

The number of attendees you are expecting
Any dietary restrictions that attendees may have
The location of your conference
Your budget

Conference Swag

Conference swag aka promotional items is a great way to promote your brand and thank attendees for coming to your event. Some ideas for swag include t-shirts, tote bags, water bottles, and notebooks.

Put this in your budget and make sure that each attendee will be able to receive a swag bag.

Event Insurance

It’s always a good idea to have event insurance, in case anything goes wrong.

This will protect you from any liability if something happens at your conference.

Evaluating Your Conference

After your conference is over, it’s important to take some time to evaluate what went well and what could be improved. This will help you plan an even better event next time around.

Go back to your goals and objectives to see if all your KPIs were met.

Conference Planning Checklist

With this conference planning checklist handy, it’s time to start planning. The most important part of any conference is starting early and having a clear idea of your goals. Want help getting started?

While this is a basic list to get you started, having an innovative team on your side is where the magic happens. Partner with us to execute bold and creative events that your attendees will remember for a long time. Get in touch today to start the execution of your bright ideas.

How to Leverage On-Demand Content In Online Conferencing

Posted on August 14, 2022August 15, 2022 by Alice Momo

Online conferences are here to stay. The writing was already on the wall with so much of the working world moving online. Then COVID-19 turbocharged the transition, and there’s no going back.

30% of organizations used online conferencing for the first time during the pandemic. Since then, there’s been a 100% increase in video conferencing software in 47 states.

Preparing for an online event like an online webinar is a lot of work. It takes an average of between three and six weeks to promote even a small online event, for instance.

Do you really want to have to prepare on-demand content, too?

Let’s take a look at some ways that on-demand content can enhance your online event.

On-Demand Content Impresses

To understand how on-demand content can help you have a legendary online event, it’s important to first understand what on-demand content is.

To visualize on-demand content and how you might use it during an event like an online webinar, let’s use television as an example. Once upon a time, broadcast television was the only game in town. A program would be aired once, where it would be picked up and translated by an antenna into quality entertainment.

Now think of an online platform like Netflix. They’ve got a backlog of every single episode you could ever hope to see, just waiting for you to click and get carried away.

The Netflix model is the on-demand content business model. It’s also a good representation of how on-demand content can supercharge your online event.

Think of the quality of an older TV show, where they faced far greater time and budget limitations.

Now think of a Netflix original. Content created for on-demand platforms often resembles mini-movies. Sometimes they even outrank the big screen in terms of ambition and production value.

Imagine being able to have your own Netflix-ready moment at your next online event.

On-Demand Content Lets You Focus on Your Customers

When we’re focusing on webinar hosting, we’re not usually trying to rush against the clock to create high-quality content. Yes, we want to showcase ourselves and our businesses as thought leaders in our industries. We don’t exactly want to be editing video down to the last available second.

When hosting an online event, we want to focus on delivering a quality experience and connecting with our audience. Working with an on-demand content creator lets you focus on these aspects by leaving the rest to the professionals.

Even better still, working with an on-demand content creation company can give you the best of both worlds. You can discuss your audience with the creative team, and they can create high-quality video, audio, or written content to address your customers and their specific needs. Then you can follow through with post-event interactions.

It’s one of the best lead-generating funnels you could ever hope for when it’s handled correctly.

Looking for On-Demand Content?

You’ve come to the right place! It is our passion to deliver high-quality experiential marketing for our clients and their customers and audience.

If you’re ready to find out how on-demand content can elevate your online event into the stratosphere, get in touch with us today!

7 Tips on Maximizing the Impact of Events for Your Business

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Alice Momo

Did you know that the U.A.E. has one of the most vibrant events industries in the world? In fact, 76% of the companies in Dubai said that Expo 2020 Dubai helped to boost their growth.

Even though there are many event types, business owners don’t always know how to get the most out of them. And most of the time, this emanates from planning mistakes. The typical event organizing blunders include trying to do everything yourself and selecting the wrong venue.

However, these are issues that you can avoid and host spectacular business events. So, how can you maximize the impact of events every single time? Here are some of the best tips.

1. Get the Best Venues for Events

Have you ever wanted to attend a particular event but didn’t think its location was ideal? Unfortunately, you can easily put your target audience in the same position. As a result, some may choose to skip the event.

When planning a community event, you want to get the venue right from the get-go. Choose a location that is easily accessible. But beyond that, ensure that it’s big enough.

You will also want to consider the amenities, layout, and ambience. A popular location such as a renowned college or hotel can be an excellent idea. Attendees will not struggle with directions when trying to get to your conference.

Also, research your audience. You want to look at the age demographic, occupations, and preferences. Such information will help you determine a befitting venue for the attendees. Consequently, it will increase your chances of maximizing the impact of events.

2. Find the Best Business Event Themes

An event with a theme will undoubtedly be more memorable to the attendees. It stands out in several ways. First off, it doesn’t feel just like any other event.

The theme makes it feel more purposeful, and this is what your target audience will be looking for. If you want to create an impact with an event, focus on the decor, staff uniform, and dress code.

The objective is to ensure that everything matches your ideal theme. For instance, you could request men to wear three-piece suits and ladies to wear pencil dresses. Moreover, most people like to dress up for events.

Working with a corporate event checklist will help you avoid missing the fine detail.

3. Choose the Right Speakers

To have an impactful event, you want to choose the right speakers. Go for people who have immense experience in a particular business discipline. For instance, if you run an acting school, get a renowned actor to speak at your event.

If your target audience is in the medical field, invite a top surgeon or hospital director to speak. Remember, people will expect content that can help them grow their careers or businesses.

Event attendees are always looking forward to speakers. For this reason, you want to create a list of your keynote speakers. Ensure that you put it on the event posters and social media handles.

4. Work With Shorter Sessions

An event can be exciting at the beginning. But as time goes by, fatigue starts to set in, and the attention span of the attendees reduces drastically.

Nonetheless, you can work on your program to deliver maximum engagement. One of the best ways to achieve this is through shorter sessions.

You want to split your delivery into short and impactful sessions. Allocate one hour to each speaker. You will find that they will do their best to deliver maximum value within a short period. And this will, in turn, keep your audience engaged.

Moreover, your prospects will want to act. For example, the attendees will want to sign up if the event is marketing a particular subscription service.

5. Add Entertainment

Gone are the days when business events had no room for entertainment. Today, you will not have an impactful conference if it’s not entertaining. When planning corporate events, consider adding some entertainment sessions in between.

For instance, you can bring a comedian or singer on board. Give them some time on stage as the occasion progresses.

The ultimate goal is to keep your audience refreshed and energetic. Furthermore, there are many options for event entertainers. And you can always Google them and pick the best.

6. Look For Quality Production

As you set up your event, you want the production to be first-class. After choosing a venue, focus on the public address systems. Work with the best sound engineers.

Nothing annoys an audience more than inaudible speakers. They could deliver powerful speeches, but the attendees will struggle to hear.

Sometimes, the problem will not be the speaker. Instead, it could be the sound equipment. And this can tremendously sabotage the impact of your event.

So whether it’s lighting, screens, or audio, provide the best. While you are at it, ensure that you adhere to your business event budget.

7. Sharing Is Paramount

Always endeavour to host an event that will have an impact beyond your immediate audience. With modern technology, ROI-driving strategies work well for such occasions. Moreover, there are a lot of ways to leverage these opportunities.

As your event progresses, create bits of sharable content. You will get this from the speakers. But you will also need a team working behind the scenes.

The work of this team is to collect the information and package it into sharable and digestible bits. And as the end of the event nears, you can ask your audience to find these notes on your website.

Uploading the content, you generate from the event on social media can also be impactful. It can help pass the message to your social media audience. Some will share it with family and friends, extending your event’s reach.

Maximize the Impact of All Event Types

Regardless of the event types, always endeavour to get the most out of activations and business conferences. Leveraging the tips on this post can help you make a difference.

Are you looking to drive ROI with events? At Big Bold Thinkers, we help business owners like you to host impactful events. Contact us today, and we will be happy to work with you.

Brand Activation: What It Is, How It Works and Why Use It

Posted on July 16, 2022 by Alice Momo

Did you know that 100% of consumers will share any content they create at an event? This is a fantastic way to gain exposure for your company and its products. But how do you do this the right way and not go viral for all the wrong reasons?

This highly effective form of marketing takes some work, but the rewards are exceptional. Read on as we tell you how to utilize brand activation.

What Is Brand Activation?

Brand activation is any event, experience, or interaction between your brand and consumers. Its aim of it is to generate awareness of the brand itself and build a lasting relationship between the company and customers.

It is often confused with other elements of marketing, both physical and digital. However, brand activation is defined by an event or experience as opposed to other traditional and digital efforts.

Why Is Brand Activation Important?

Brand activation is important as it creates touchpoints, which are increasingly important in today’s marketplace. Consumers want to have a connection to a company or brand. With numerous faceless companies bombarding consumers with ads every day, they want companies they connect with.

This can be done in several ways. They may range from huge, grand galas at exclusive nightclubs, to sending surprise gifts in the post. Companies could also hold in-store events or virtual gatherings.

If you are a new company, it gives customers a chance to meet you and see the type of business you are. For existing ones, it can revitalize a marketing campaign and introduce you to a whole new audience.

Types of Brand Activation

Brand activation takes a lot of hard work, and is more akin to event organizing. However, when done correctly it will pay dividends. Below are the four main types of brand marketing events.

Experiential Marketing

Experiential marketing focuses on creating feelings, emotions, and real-world experiences. Often referred to as engagement marketing, it is used as a vehicle to convey the organization’s values, sentiments, and core mission. It is one of the few brand promotions that seldom involve the products or services a company sells.

However, these experiences work best when they relate to the product in some way. For example, a car manufacturer may put on track days where people can come to race their vehicles for free. A fashion brand may organize a fashion show using members of the public, with their friends and family as the audience.

While there is often no replacement for physical interaction, digital and online events are starting to become popular. The use of VR and augmented reality often plays heavily in these.

Product Sampling

Unlike experiential marketing, this method of building brand awareness relies solely on the products a company sells. They have one simple aim which is to let potential customers try a product, in the hope they will return to buy it again.

To get a sampling campaign right you have to tread a fine line. A great example is a perfume provided as a sample in a department store or airport. This is often left for you to try at your leisure with no fuss.

Contrast this with an overeager supermarket assistant who really wants you to try a food you don’t like. This can leave a bad impression on a company.

These campaigns do not only have to be physical events. If you have customer data on mailing lists, you may be able to send them a sample through the mail.

Events and Shows

Trade shows and industry events are a great way to get interactive marketing going without the huge outlay and tasks involved in creating your own event. All you need is a great booth design and a unique proposition. They also introduce you to a new audience that has already displayed some interest in your industry.

You can also use these as a springboard for other forms of brand activation. For example, you may decide to use them alongside product sampling.

In-Store Retail

For anyone who has a physical store, or an online brand just opening one, then there is no better place for events than on their premises. Public launches are a great example, especially when the time-honored tradition of getting a celebrity or influencer to open one is employed.

Other factors can be the inclusion of in-store social media interactions. Augmented reality is making this extremely exciting and opening up new possibilities.

For those who don’t have permanent premises, a pop-up store concept is an option. As they are usually temporary, they also add a sense of urgency and exclusivity to drive the experience.

Tips for Effective Brand Activation

One of the top tips for successful brand activation campaigns is to surprise your audience. You don’t want to shock them, but surprising them can be a delightful experience.

Try to concentrate on what the audience wants. It is another fine line between giving something of value to your customers and producing a publicity stunt. The latter can be extremely annoying and put more people off than attract them.

As it is about interaction, you should listen to what your audience wants. Watch social media and ask them questions, or get their feedback from your customer service channels.

Planning Your Campaign

Now you know about brand activation, you can begin planning your campaign. Decide on a method that works best for you. If you have a wider plan, you can fit this in with your digital marketing efforts there.

Big Bold Thinkers are the experts in marketing. From activation event organization to digital marketing, we can be your one-stop shop. Click here to read our related article on how to build a brand identity that drives real growth.

Event Managers: How to Spark Your Creativity

Posted on June 23, 2022June 27, 2022 by Alice Momo

Is there a career that’s more rewarding than event planning? There’s something satisfying about seeing months of hard work come together, and nothing beats the smile on a client’s face.

Event managers may love their jobs, but that doesn’t mean that every idea comes to them instantly. There’s only so much that can be done with a client’s creative vision. Creative event ideas need to come from the people planning them for true success.

Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut when you’re coming up with event ideas? Don’t worry, we have some tips on how you can get your creativity flowing again.

Rethink Old Events

Every event you’ve planned could be considered a success, but most planners have one or two they’re incredibly proud of. If you want to get into your creative space again, take time to think about some of your greatest hits.

Even the most successful event has room for improvement. Think about what you would have fixed or how you could have made the successful event even better. Consider changing the event’s purpose for a new way to look at things.

Are you having trouble thinking about what you’d improve? Try to think about how you’d plan the event differently if something important changed. Imagining the event at a different venue or time of year can be a great creative exercise.

Study the Competition

Your event planning company is at the top of its game, but there are still plenty of other people in the industry. One of the keys to success in any industry is to understand the competition. If you’re in a creative slump, now is an excellent time to see what your competitors are up to.

Visit their website and see how they position themselves and describe their services. Take a look at their social profiles and see what they’ve been posting. You can learn a lot about upcoming and past events, current promotions, and their staff.

Take time to read reviews from customers. This can give you an idea of what they’re doing well, and may even give you some ideas of what you can improve in your own work.

Get Into a Mood

Sometimes event creatives need a little “exercise” to get themselves out of a rut. An exercise that allows people to think and learn visually can be great for individuals or teams. If you’re looking for the ideal exercise to spark some creativity, consider making a mood board.

Mood boards (also known as inspiration boards and vision boards) allow people to organize and visualize their creative ideas. Creating some mood boards for events you commonly plan can help you look at things in a completely different way.

How would your staff plan a rustic wedding? What venues would they choose for a corporate event to celebrate a big win? Think of different scenarios for people to play around with and you’ll be amazed at what people create!

Creativity for Event Managers

Getting back into a creative mindset doesn’t have to be difficult for event managers. When you rethink some of your greatest hits, look at the competition, or set aside time for brainstorming, you’ll have the creative juices flowing in no time.

Are you looking for more advice for creatives? We love being a source for all creative minds, so contact us before your next big project.

How To Plan a Community Event

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Alice Momo

How to Plan a Community Event

There are many aspects to planning a community event. Successful engagements become anticipated affairs because of their seamless unfolding and momentous objective. Planning a community event also comes with its fair share of needs and challenges. Here are ways to maneuver through the hurdles and throw a memorable community engagement.

Develop Your Community Event Goal and Objective

Set tangible goals and objectives first when planning your event. Why does the community need this engagement? Find the aim of the event. Knowing the purpose will determine the type of event that will effectively meet the objectives.

If it is a corporate event, you may need to merge community needs with the company’s brand, values, and vision. A festival will require communal activities like a sports competition, a cook-off, or an eating challenge. Similarly, a workshop event will require activities that appeal to the community.

Build a Planning Team for the Community Engagement

Successful community engagement events have a planning committee. You cannot handle all the responsibilities of a community event alone. Have a team of experts while planning your event. The goal and objectives of the community engagement determine who you need on board. The scale of the event influences the size of the committee.

The team will list all responsibilities and effective ways of ensuring their fulfilment. The committee members also get individual roles for the smooth running of the event.

Budget

Budget discussions ensue once the committee comes up with the preferred layout of the community event. You may already have allocated funds for the event and base your deliberations on available funding. You may need strategies involving the community to raise funds or involve the local government.

Local businesses are always willing to financially support a worthy cause as part of their corporate social responsibility. Residents can raise funds by buying products or services to raise funds for the event. You could also use available funds and charge a small fee for participants to raise funds. The bottom line is, with a committee, you can always find several ways to fund the event.

Market the Event

Get the message about the event to the community. Raising awareness is significant if the community engagement requires participants or community involvement in raising funds. Residents need to know the importance of the event and how they can participate.

Include the costs and activities of the event. Is it a family affair? Are children and pets allowed to participate? Ensure that the message is appealing and the event affordable and worthwhile.

Insurance

Make provision for several insurance covers while planning your event. Community engagement events have high-risk factors. Someone could get hurt from one of the activities, or an accident may occur damaging adjacent property. Have an expert explain the risks involved when planning the event and get the relevant policies as mitigation strategies.

Licencing

You may need permits to make loud noise or a license to use music or videos. Different places have varying requirements for holding events. Check with the local government to find out the legal documentation you require for the community engagement.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Brand Activation

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Alice Momo

Is your brand marketing strategy struggling to attract consumers? Perhaps the issue goes back to your initial brand activation.

You’ve probably heard that you only have one chance to may a good first impression. Luckily, in today’s fast-track atmosphere, brands can have a do-over. Instead of seeing your brand rollout as a failure, see it as a test launch.

Revisit your objectives and determine what didn’t go as planned. Build from there or invest in brand activation services.

You want to create memorable experiences for your target audience. However, if you’re marketing using the wrong tactics in the wrong places, you’ll miss your mark.

Building a brand is essential to the success of your business. For a successful launch or relaunch, you need the right information. Keep reading for tips on the dos and don’ts of brand activation.

Do Understand What is Brand Activation

Brand activation is more than designing a professional logo, a tagline, and social media pages. Brand activation is a strategy to make people stop and take notice of a new player on the block.

You want your brand rollout to turn heard and garner interest in your business.

Brand building requires skill and marketing knowledge. You’ll need to know your target audience and where they are most likely to see your brand. Once you gather this information, the next step is to get your brand information to them.

Do Invest in Brand Building Strategies

There are multiple ways to build a brand. Investing in brand activation services can improve your return on investment.

By leaving your brand building to the pros, you have a team dedicated to building a strategy for your specific audience.

Do Become Intentional About Experimental Marketing

Experimental marketing is not a bad thing. Digital advertisement has presented many ways to reach audiences and build your brand.

Whether it’s social media, PPC advertising, or hiring a street team, plan strategically and capitalize on what works for your brand.

Don’t Hire People Not Trained in Street Marketing

Street team marketing is a way to get your information in the hands of people. Sometimes those people will stop and ask questions. Make sure your street team is knowledgeable about your product or services.

Don’t Overestimate Your Intended Results

It’s common for a new brand owner to believe everyone needs what they are offering. The biggest disappointment with brand activation is unrealistic expectations.

Everyone wants to receive 9,999 responses to the 10,000 marketing pieces distributed over the weekend. In reality, the number might reach 100 website visits and nine purchases.

The goal is to build brand momentum off those results.

Build the Brand of Your Dreams

A brand is your business introduction to the world. Don’t trust your brand activation to amateurs. Research the companies you’re considering working with for your brand launch.

Need help planning your brand activation? Contact us today, and we’ll help you build a brand that people notice.

Strategic Event Management: Creating a Strong Foundation

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Alice Momo

Did you know that 95% of marketers believe that in-person events can help achieve business goals?

Events are undoubtedly some of the most effective methods for marketing your business. They help you engage directly with your customers, generate leads, launch new products, create brand awareness, etc.

Unfortunately, organizing and managing an event successfully can be tremendously challenging. The good news is that strategic event management could be the answer to your problems.

The success of your event does not revolve around garnering maximum attention only. It hinges on attracting the right attendees and sparking engagement among the audience.

This post will break down the strategic management of events in great detail. Its objective is to help you and your team plan and organize events to fulfil your organizational goals.

What’s Your Role as an Event Planner?

Before you come up with your event management strategy, you need to understand the role of an event planner and strategist.

Event planners play an integral role in organizing an event. For example, you have to choose the event’s theme, identify a strategic location, and find incredible speakers. In addition, you’ll need to prepare a comprehensive list of activities for the event.

The other aspects of the event that you need to look at include;

• Sponsors
• Publicity
• Entertainment

However, you don’t have to do all these alone. You can start by developing the concept of the event and brainstorm the rest with your team.

The Role of Your Event Strategist

It is vital to have an event strategist on your team to help you with a couple of things. Part of this includes aligning your marketing campaigns with the event. The other role is to define the event’s goals and create a strategy to achieve them.

An event strategy revolves around intelligently persuading customers to embrace your new products. It also helps generate leads, strengthen customer loyalty, and boost customer retention.

While an event should be vibrant and fun, your event strategy works behind the scenes to ensure it meets its business objectives.

Essential Elements of Strategic Event Management

Managing events strategically is a broad discipline. This section covers some of its essential elements to help you organize stellar business events.

Events Budget

You should prepare a budget at the initial stages of planning an event. Knowing how much the event will cost will act as a guide for planning. It will keep you and your team realistic and disciplined.

Your events budget will cover the costs of;
• Venue
• Food and drinks
• Decor
• Entertainment
• Staff transportation and accommodation
• Marketing

You might have to collaborate with the finance department to create a realistic budget. Most importantly, your event budget should also have an allowance for miscellaneous expenses.

Team

When planning a conference or any other business event, the chances are that you will work with several people. The team you choose could either make or break the event. As a result, it is vital to allocate various responsibilities and tasks prudently.

This kind of planning should apply in all stages of the preparations. For instance, you can divide roles among team members per their expertise. If you know an individual with experience in catering, put them in charge of food and beverages for the guest.

Additionally, define the roles of the team clearly to avoid confusion. For example, the venue manager should identify an ideal location for the event. Besides that, they should gather information about its capacity, availability, and much more.

You can take it a notch higher by providing each member with a document detailing their specific tasks and responsibilities. The goal is to keep each one of them focused on their role.

Event Goals

Each business event you organize has a specific goal. The purpose could be launching a particular product or generating leads. You should discuss the business objective of the conference with your team.

The ultimate aim for you and your team should be to find the best possible ways to achieve these objectives. Ensure that the event’s goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.

Branding

Branding is another important aspect of strategic event management that you cannot ignore. Your event should have a strong identity and personality.

The first step to getting your event branding right is using an event name that’s catchy and easy to remember and pronounce. Additionally, it should relate to what your event is all about.

You can create a logo for the event and use it for promotional purposes on social media and broadcast media—if your budget allows it, that is. If it’s an invitation-only event for a few stakeholders, you’ll not need to invest heavily in branding.

Technology

Technology plays a fundamental role in the management of events today. Instead of having many disjointed technological tools, investing in one holistic event management solution is essential.

Moreover, you will need to manage various aspects of the event. These will range from marketing campaigns to attendee tracking. Doing this in a unified way will make your work much more manageable.

For example, you may choose to hold a virtual event. In that case, you will need to establish one platform that all your audience members will use to participate in the proceedings of the events.

After the event, ensure that you have captured all the pertinent data, such as the number of attendees, products that drew the most attention, audience’s feedback on various activities, etc.

The information you collect can help you determine whether the event was successful. Based on the data, you will undoubtedly know the event management areas that need improvement in the future.

Tap into the Strengths of Strategic Event Management

Strategic event management can make your events more influential. The best part is that this is a strategy that any organization or business can adopt. If you’ve read this guide carefully, you are now equipped to plan bigger, more successful events.

If you’d like to learn more about intelligent event management and planning, subscribe to our blogs or contact us for our services.

3 Ways Team Building Activities Can Help to Bring Your Team Together

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Alice Momo

Studies have found that engaged workers have a positive impact on a company’s bottom line. They boost profits by 21%, sales by 20%, and customer satisfaction by 10%.

Yet a majority of employees are still disengaged at work.

One way your business can create an engaged workforce is by having outstanding team building activities. These are designed to connect workers and bring them together, whether it’s a simple ice breaker or a several-day retreat.

Here are three ways that you can make your business a better place to work through team building events.

1. Team Building Leads to Stronger Collaboration

At its core, team building provides a fun, relaxed way for employees to get to know each other before they begin the higher-stakes work at the office.

Collaboration involves your team working together as equals. Research has shown that this is an effective management tool—workers who are free to exchange ideas and respect each other are more productive.

So when employees go on a hike together or go to happy hour together, they become more comfortable with each other. More structured team building like playing games together helps improve communication and requires creative thinking.

When it comes time to problem solve, delegate tasks, and get the job done, your employees will be ready to collaborate.

2. Team Building Events Improve Motivation and Morale

One of the biggest benefits of team building exercises is fostering positive work relationships. Anyone who expects to see their friends when they arrive at work is going to be more motivated.

Unfortunately, the reverse is true as well. One study found that feeling isolated at work has profound psychological effects.

This is especially important in the age of the virtual workplace. Employers need to find ways to connect their workers and bring them together so that they feel like valued members of the team.

Whether it’s virtual board games, trivia, or another team builder, there are plenty of ways to keep your team engaged with each other.

3. Team Building Activities Lead to Better Communication

Sometimes the fundamentals are most important—and communication is a foundational piece no business leader can afford to forget about.

The fact is that a team that communicates more effectively with one another will be more productive. Team members who are comfortable with their peers will tell them about any problems they encounter early on, making it more likely that they’ll solve those problems.

Workers who have taken part in team-building together will be more likely to jump on a Zoom call or have a face-to-face meeting with their coworkers. These more personal ways of communicating are more effective than email or texting when discussing complex issues.

They’re also more likely to resolve conflicts quicker. If you feel like you know someone, it’s easier to clear up misunderstandings.

Keeping Your Team Together

The bottom line is that when you invest in team building, you improve retention and boost productivity. You show your workers that you care about them and want them to work well together through team building activities.

If you want to get started on team building events for your business, contact Big Bold Thinkers through our website.