6 Simple Steps to begin planning a Business Event

So you have decided to host a business event - fantastic!  Now the pre-planning begins. To ensure that nothing is forgotten and your event runs smoothly and professionally, allowing enough planning time for a well run event is imperative.  If you are collaborating with other businesses or entities to host the event, you need to take the time to ensure that you hold regular meetings with the marketing representatives from those businesses that are participating, and agree on sharing the work-load for the planning and event .   Ensure that everyone is happy before finial decisions are made and specify that all businesses are to market the event to their own customer audience through whatever channels they have, e.g. website, blog, social media profiles.

Here are six simple but imperative suggestions to help you begin the planning process of your next business event:

1. Decide on the exact purpose for the event.  For example, is it a money making event, for educational purposes, product or new business launch or purely for networking?
2. Target Audience - who will be the target audience for your event. Are you inviting other business owners or is it for the general public, customers etc, is your event aimed at an audience with a certain interest etc. These things need  to be considered before making your finial decisions.
3. Check your dates. Does your event clash with other large or popular events in the same area.  Do your research before picking a date. The Facebook Local Events App is a great way to start checking your dates, but ensure you also check elsewhere to avoid an event clash disaster. 
4. Decide on a Budget,  Deciding on a affordable budget and what will and won't be included is very important.  A lot of people over look this and even small item purchases can add up quickly (so allow for those). Accurate quotes for printing and marketing costs are vital to avoid a budget blow-out.  Ensure that you get written quotes for hire of equipment, supplies and  come up with a budget that everyone is happy with and stick to it, and share resources,  were possible to keep the cost down.  For example some of the businesses may have marquees, tables, decorative items, wine glasses etc that can be borrowed instead of hiring them.  Just ensure you keep a good record of anything that you borrow for the event to make sure it is returned. 
5. Communication.  Ensure that you keep up the communication with other event participants and organizers so that there are no last minute questions or changes required.  Writing an event plan may seem like a waste of time, but even a brief plan of how you want the event to run, can be helpful for all employees, staff or hired help at the event to refer to.  
6. Have a marketing plan.  Decide on the types of marketing you would like to use for your event and where possible get pricing.  Utilize social media (Facebook Events), websites and blogs and ensure that all event organizers are involved in marketing the event through their own channels.  Speak to local magazine editors and newspaper journalists or send through a press release about the upcoming event, or offer free entrance for journalists in exchange for a story about the event.  If you don't have the time or expertise for such promotions source help from experts to ensure that it is done correctly.  A lot of event hosts spend a lot of time and money on planning and hosting their events, but them skimp on the post-marketing opportunities.  Ensure that you have a photographer on hand to take professional photos of guests and the events to use in post-event promotions in print and social media.  Do not skimp on this and think it is okay just to get a friend with a new iphone to take the photos - it is not, you need a hired professional who will do their job and not get distracted chatting or drinking with guests!  (More on this to come) 

Judi Gray
Blue Bird Internet Marketing

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