5 Ways to Make Your Event - THE Event!

When you have a business, you will eventually realize (if you haven't already) that the more people who know about your business, the greater chance you have of pulling in customers. Every entrepreneur should have a marketing plan or strategy for their product or idea, otherwise you'll be like a movie producer who spends time and money to get a movie made only to keep the final reel to himself. Your business 'show' cannot be ignored and can be as creative, different and innovative as you and your team are. In a previous MW Letter, 'I've Got My Website, Now What? 7 Ways to Draw Attention to Your Business Website,' we shared various ways to market your website and essentially, your business. One of the funnest (Is this a word?) ways is to throw an event sponsored by your company. But you don't want to have any old, regular event; You want your event to be memorable and leave a lasting impression on those who are a part of it and those who attend. Here are 5 ways to make your event, THE event...

1. Give Yourself Time to Plan

Depending on the type of event you are throwing, you may need from 1 month up to 12 months to get things together. If you are in need of sponsorship, some companies have to get your request in six months ahead of time before they make a decision. Also, if the location of your event is a regular hot spot, they may book up to two months in advance. And if you are looking to invite a celebrity, you may have to book up to a year in advance. The scheduling of people, places and things should be discussed amongst your team as early as possible because your event can easily suffer just from poor planning in the early stages. You know what they say about not having a plan.

2. Know Your Vision, Mission & Market

When you market your business you are looking to express an image of your company that your consumers can relate to. The same will apply to your event. Because your event is a representation of your business, you want to establish your event vision, mission and market. This shouldn't be hard but it should be done. What is your event for? Why are you putting your event together besides promoting your company? Will people be encourage to network, will it primarily be a social gathering or will it include a showcase or performance for the audience to enjoy? Who is your audience? Beginning with these questions will lay the foundation of your event timeline based on the answers you come up with. Knowing your vision, mission and market will keep everyone focused during the production stage of the event.

3. Don't Forget Your Audience

How do you feel when you go to an event and get a nice goodie bag? What about if you go to an event and unexpectedly win a prize? People love to get things for free and win products that are valuable for them. If you can provide gift bags, raffles, giveaways or incorporate interactive activities into your event, go for it. Anything that gets the audience involved will make their experience more personal and memorable. Think about who you want or expect to attend your event and make a list of what you anticipate their interests would be. If you were throwing a music magazine launch event, and your audience included music executives, A&R's and general music consumers, you may want to provide gift bags that have your magazine, the CD of a artist that's featured in your magazine along with a ticket giveaway to that artists next show at a major venue. People remember what THEY did or won at your event more readily and will talk about it to the others because of that. If your audience can come home with a really nice goodie bag, prize or enjoy an excellent performance or showcase, you will have people talking about your event for months.

4. Find Out Who Wants What You Got

You may be thinking, 'What will I raffle?' or 'Who will provide valuable products for my gift bag?' These are excellent questions to start with because for your raffles and other audience incentives, you don't always have to come out of pocket. If you can specify who you will bring together at your event, you may be able to find a company or several companies to sponsor products you need. Sponsorships can be monetary, in-kind (gifts) or products and can be a great way to pump up your party. If you can put together an influential sponsorship proposal and reach out to the marketing departments of your selected companies, you may be surprised at the response you get. Your goal is to let each sponsor know what you got and how they can benefit from that. If your event will bring in a target market that is similar to their target market you would entice them with branding opportunities for their company. The skies are the limit in the sponsorship deals you can make. But you have to reach out to the right companies in order to keep your event relevant and focused in the eyes of your audience. The last thing you want is a fishing magazine in the gift bags of a record label launch party.

5. Let Everyone Know - EVERYONE!

When you schedule your event, Yes, you want to be sure to let your target market know about it but don't leave everyone else out. Word of mouth is a very effective method to building up the hype around your event. If you have people from various industries, companies and social circles discussing your upcoming event, you help to build the value of it. Part of your marketing campaign should be a mix of promotional and publicity outlets that focus on reaching your core audience, then you should be sure to let your friend who's a dentist know about your artist showcase or your sister who's a dancer know about your business seminar. You never know who your family, friends and various associates may speak to, come across or have a conversation with and if they are in the know about your event, they can pass the information along when it's appropriate. But if they don't know, you may have lost an opportunity to have someone in attendance.

Events are such a great way to shine some positive light onto your business but the key is to make an event for everyone to enjoy. Use these ideas as your guide to making your events something to remember.

Ciao!

Danny

Article Source: http://www.dummiesguideto.com

Dannielle Brantley, is the founder of Mocha Works, Marketing - Web Design, Print Design and Marketing Consulting for Start-ups, Entrepreneurs & Small Businesses. www.mochaworksdesign.com. Email at dbrantley@mochaworksdesign.html.

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