Aug
03
2017
How to organise an effective event
Organising an event can be stressful, and when there are multiple people involved it can descent into chaos. When that happens the event can end up being a bit...well, rubbish. However, all you need to do is follow these four steps from our Event management: an introduction course, and you'll be well on your way to a fantastic event.
Have clear objectives
Events should have purpose, and you need to be completely clear on why you are holding the event. What do you want to achieve? It might be to draw in new customers, or to raise awareness, either way you and your team need to be very clear. Setting four or five objectives will give you a solid foundation, and they should always have been decided before you start thinking about the content of your event. Yes, a magician would be amazing, but that stuff can come later. Right now you need to build the framework.
If you’re struggling, start with a mind map. Get a large piece of paper, write your event in the middle, then come up with ideas of what you could achieve. Eventually you’ll be able to dig through the excitement of a cocktail bar and discover the event’s purpose.
Make those objectives SMARTIE
You’ve probably heard of SMART targets before, but we suggest using an adapted version of SMARTIE to ensure that objective statements aren't too general. Our acronym stands for Specific/Sustainable, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic/Relevant, Time bound/Trackable, Impact, and Evaluated.
In essence, your objectives should be something you can achieve and can track. It’s important not to rush this stage, we know you want to get to the bit where you pick a colour scheme, but set aside a good amount of time to really work through your SMARTIE objectives.
Give your team clear instructions
Working with a team can either be brilliant, or awful. When it comes to events, everyone will be full of ideas that they want to share and will get excited about the possibilities (most of which are probably way out of your budget!). It’s important to listen to your team, but also to make things as clear as possible. Include them in various stages, and get their opinions on objectives. You’ll need to have open communication with them, and regularly meet to ensure that everyone is on the same page and knows exactly what they should be doing and why.
Know your audience
You might know who you want to invite, but do you really know what they want? Take the time to understand your audience and then cater the event to suit them. A beach party theme isn't always suitable (unfortunately)! Who is the event for? Prospective customers will want to know all about your product or service, as well as your USPs and even your history. Existing clients, however, know that stuff – they want to feel valued and hear about what the future has in store for your organisation.
Want to know more about our Event management courses? Take a look at our beginner’s course here, and our intermediate course here .
