Making a small business event memorable requires a lot of planning as well as amazing organizing skills. It does not matter whether the event is a small or big one, to make it a success you need to plan, organize and look into the minutest of the details. Here are a few tips that will help you to organize a small business event.
First things first
- Purpose of holding the event- Even before you know who your target audience are, you need to have a clear purpose behind holding such an event. Is it to create lead generation, generate awareness of your company and its services/products? Is it to reach out to more customers to develop client loyalty? Whatever, your purpose of this event, ensure that your team is aware of the goal and purpose.
- Target audience- You need to clearly define the target audience. That is the audience who are likely to attend the event. Once you recognize your target audience, the other things such as location, format, content and so on will fall in place automatically.
- Check the dates of other similar events- This is important so the dates should not clash. Also ensure that the event is not close to a long weekend or important holidays.
- Be realistic- You should know your limitations budget wise as well as time wise. For instance, if you’re planning to hold an event within a short notice, make it a more intimate affair. If it’s going to be held a couple of months later, then you have to time, and probably the budget to make it a big event. It’s advisable to stay within your budget and not over-do as it can increase the business overheads.
Build a strong working team
- Efficient people- Choose the people who are enthusiastic, organized and are team players. They should be able to carry out the various tasks effectively and efficiently. This will allow to concentrate on your core areas such as creating great content, finalizing the speakers and also shortlisting the attendees.
- Learn to delegate- Depending on the skills of your team members assign each of them the tasks such as logistics, communicating with the key speakers, marketing the event, social media, technical program, and more. Consider hiring volunteers to help on the event day.
Budgeting is important
- Put a financing strategy in place- You need to budget and know how it’s going to be financed. Most of the small business events are funded through a combination of ticket sales, sponsorships, or internal marketing budgets. You need to have an estimate of how much money you can raise from each of the areas. You also need to create an expense budget that is a detailed list of all the expenses that are likely to incur. You can save a lot if you are willing to partner with other businesses and brands.
Setting the agenda and managing attendees
There should be a comprehensive timeline for the event. You need to mention the timeframe. Mention the schedule of each of the speakers, small group workshops and networking time. Mention the time for food breaks too.
Organizing an event involves numerous tasks and you should know how to coordinate with the team. Make use of the technology to be organized and keep your team well connected and organized. If you are organizing an event for the first time get the help of the seasoned professionals.
