Mar
03
2016
Event management: What a great idea for an event – says who?
By Chris Powell.
I’ve had a few ideas in my time – some good, some not so good and some well, let’s just say my audiences were not quite ready for them! As we all know ideas come and go. Some of us are full of them: others well….it’s just not their thing.
Over the past 20 years I have met lots of people who want to plan an event. They gather the ‘team,’ they brainstorm: look for a blue sky! Coffee gets drunk, biscuits get consumed, the ideas flow and notes get taken.
So which of these event ideas do you select? Which ones are the best and why?
Having made a note of all the ideas generated at the meeting, it’s now time to start sifting through them and reducing this long list of ideas into a shorter list that the ‘event team’ really likes. This will include incomplete ideas that are considered to be of sufficient interest to warrant further work and I like to add in a couple of wild card ideas – I just like them. The aim: to create an idea that resonates and appeals to everyone.
With your ideas to hand, it is now necessary to make a more reasoned and honest assessment of the relative merits of each idea.
I suggest you evaluate your thoughts against the following criteria:
- How well does your idea match up with your original event purpose and your reason for organising the event in the first place?
- Consider audience acceptance (marketing). Try testing your ideas out on a few people who you think might attend and see what they say. Do they like it? Do they understand what they are coming to? Would they recommend it to a friend?
- Can you afford it (financially)? You now need to start getting some estimates in place to give you some idea of how much your event is going to cost, what the opportunity cost is and (if relevant) how much money it might raise.
- Can you or your team plan and deliver the event successfully (operationally)? Do you have the skills to organise the event? Do you need to buy in or recruit some expert help, or both?
- This section is for the “well, I just like it” type of ideas. These ideas just capture your imagination and, while they possibly do not meet all the assessment criteria above, they “feel” right. You should only include one or two of these types of ideas in your event. They can be used as a way of testing the water.
Consider also what your event’s “game changer” might be. What is the audience going to hear, witness for the first time that will make a difference to them? Too many events are too predictable, following a set pattern. How is your event going to be different?
A word to the wise – please be honest with yourself and everybody else. Your idea just may not be the best idea; so be brave and let it go and then be ready to back the ‘selected’ idea 100%.
If planning your own personal or corporate event seems like an impossible and daunting task we have two event management courses that can help!
Our one-day Event management: an introduction course will give you the opportunity to take a step back and explore the planning process, going step by step through the different elements and along the way creating an effective timeline. The next available date for this course is the 5 April.
OR are you an experienced events manager looking to enhance, review and update your skills, knowledge and expertise in the fast paced arena of event management? If so look no further than our Event management: intermediate course which is next running on the 11 April.
Whatever your skills or expertise, at the Centre we have a course to suit your level of experience……the lunches are great too! So book a course now to avoid disappointment.
Chris Powell is the Director of The Event Expert. Chris specialises in helping accidental, occasional and professional event planners design, plan and deliver their own event. For the past 14 years, he has also been helping a range of businesses, associations and public sector officers develop their ideas, skills and confidence to go it alone: run their own events. With some 500 events successfully completed and over 2500 events managers trained, Chris knows a thing or two about the ‘how to’ of organising events.
