HOW TO PREPARE AN EVENT

Any marketer and business person should know that “failing to prepare, is preparing to fail”. The same can be said for events. Whether you’re exhibiting at a  trade show, planning a talk at a  conference, or preparing for a trade show; there are 10 simple steps you should follow to ensure you are ready for success.

1. Do your research

It’s important that you do prior research before heading to any event – both as an exhibitor or a guest – to identify the key benefits for you. Read blogs and view videos from past events, take a look at the visitor and exhibitor lists, and check up on social media.

2. Identify your goals

Once you have identified the right event for you, it is important to outline the goals for your business. Are you looking to sell a product, drive brand awareness, capture leads or simply use it as a networking opportunity? Whatever the goal, make sure you set yourself some SMART Targets. This will help you to plan the rest of your activity accordingly, and help to keep everyone in the business on track.

3. Plan your exhibition display

A creative exhibition display can make or break your event. Get it right, and you can attract customers, clients and leads steadily throughout the day. Get it wrong, and you could find yourself with low footfall and flagging interest.

First, find out the requirements and restrictions you’re working to based on the space you have. Then, get creative and come up with an eye-catching display that sets you apart from the competition. You should also consider how to create a memorable experience on the stand too.

4. On-stand experiences

Attracting customers to your stand is one thing. Encouraging them to stay on the stand, engage with your brand and eventually buy from you is another. Our next step to help you prepare for your next event is to decide what those aforementioned ‘memorable experiences’ will be. Some examples include:

• Product demonstrations
• Videos and similar content

5. Pre-event marketing

You need to have a clear marketing plan in place to promote your attendance at the event. Setting goals and having a creative stand will mean very little if the right audience doesn’t know where to find you.

Sending out mail shots – both direct and via email – are ways you can target your existing client base, but you also need to be targeting prospects. Follow the social media accounts and hashtags for the event and join in the conversation; do everything you can to create a buzz around your appearance.

6. Organize your business

In companies of any size, taking members of the team out of the office to work on a stand for a few days can have a huge impact. Because of this, it is important that you carefully organise who will work the event and when. This will obviously be partly determined by your goals; if you’re looking to leverage sales, members of your sales team would be a wise choice.

7. Live marketing

Your marketing and promotional efforts shouldn’t stop when you’re at the event. Instead, you should be sending out tweets and writing blogs whilst you’re there. Not only does this keep the event fresh in your prospects’ and clients’ minds, it can also help you connect with other attendees.

If you attend a talk, be sure to tweet along and join in (if this is encouraged, of course!) and share your thoughts afterwards. If you’re the one giving the talk, make sure you promote it with flyers on the day and a few social media posts to create a buzz.

8. Delivering talks

If you are preparing a talk at a conference or event, this is perhaps the most important point on the list. Know exactly what you’re going to say and be able to speak naturally and without reading off a piece of paper. Prepare a slideshow to add a more creative element, and be engaging and interesting. You should also prepare to take questions from the audience; giving confident and clear answers.

9. Considerations for international events

For brands and businesses that work globally or have plans to expand, international events can be a hugely beneficial experience. It is important however, to bear in mind that exhibiting abroad involves a number of additional considerations:

• Transport
• Exhibition stands
• Language barriers
• Customs

10. Post-event marketing

Before the event has even started, you should be planning how you will market yourself post event. Will you arrange meetings with prospects to discuss your findings? Will you create a whitepaper on the event? How will you follow up any leads you capture? It is vital you have this plan in place so you can hit the ground running on your return when the event is still newsworthy.

Preparing for your next event should be comprehensive, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. By following these tips and using common sense  you will be more than ready to enjoy event marketing in the future and even in the present.

 BY MUSA LILIAN BAPRM 42631