Events as a branch of Marketing have been in existence since time eternal. In earlier days, we used to have a town square, where sellers assemble and present their wares to potential buyers – exchanging information, negotiating the price or barter and the final transaction is complete.
Even today the basics, the purpose and the objectives for events, particularly in the B2C space have not changed, but yes there have been many interesting iterations that have happened in the formats, the packaging, the delivery, the end results, relationship management, attracting repeat business etc.
Why should business events be boring and monotonous where the host & their representatives keep churning out presentations, videos, data sheets, graphs etc.
All of us are humans and no one wants to sit through a half day event, just listening to something, which one can always read on the net or ask for more information if he / she is seriously considering a solution or product.
A well planned and efficiently marketed event is like a precious moment, where you have your prospect / customer at an arm’s length, and you have his / her partial undivided attention without the regular hindrances that happen at a face to face meeting at their office.
This opportunity created with great marketing finesse should not be wasted on just boring presentations and videos, rather be used as an opportunity to build / strengthen relationships, seed the thought for future business ideas/solutions, listening to them to see through their pain areas, create bursts of memories in between sessions, which they will remember more than the 20 year old scotch that was served at the event.
Building & delivering those memorable experiences require a very involved and deep understanding of what does my client want? and only the best of Event Management professionals manage to get to the bottom of it, by helping the client unravel, as to why is he doing this event, and what does his organisation expect out of the event.
Eight A's of a great event
Agenda:
By agenda we do not mean a schedule but what is it that you or your client wants to achieve by planning & executing a particular event, in the short term & in the long term, as the case may be.
Audience:
Who – Who is my TG?
Where – Where do I find them & Where do I get them to come
What – What do I want out of them, and what context should I put it forward
When – When do I want them to come, and will they be able to make time
Why – Why should they come, and give you their valuable time
Assets:
What are my event assets?
Are they of interest to my TG?
How can make my event assets ( Business & Generic) more insightful and engaging
How can I / you make your event memorable
How are my stars who can hold the interest of my TG?
Are my assets so captivating, that the TG will want to give his time?
Acquisition:
Do I have my lists ready?
How do I reach my TG?
Is my form factor good & content good enough to get his attention?
How do I follow up, and get his confirmation?
Allocate the right resource, who can communicate, and convey exactly what they can expect at the event
Ambience:
The ambience should take care of all the 5 senses that matters to us humans, to create an everlasting memorable experience, and when we have this right the TG is receptive to what you have to say to him, but keep it simple, trigger their curiosity, and save for later discussions ( exceptions applicable for certain event formats)
Attention:
Pay attention to your guest and ensure that most of his / her probable preferences have been thought through and addressed, and give your unbiased time to them, and create opportunities to network, and get to gather finer aspects of their self / business.
Appreciate:
We need to be thankful to the TG, as they have shared with us their most important commodity – TIME, appreciate it, respect it by not wasting their time, make the most out of it, and show appreciation in more than one way, and the sky's the limit!
Adios:
The event needs to have a proper closure, and the client / the agency needs to have a post event engagement & follow up plan for TG – distributed among the key stakeholders.
Integrating Technology to enhance the experience
Digital Technology can be used across all the 8 As for creating a memorable event experience, and multiply the WOW factor, if leveraged judiciously and by keeping it simple - to access, navigate, select preferences, interact, network, and deliver value to the users across the TG & host organization.
And technology has evolved so much that people are hosting successful events in the Virtual world, without compromising on the essence of the content and little room for experiences.
Technology should be used only as an enhancer to get more out of the event, as no technology can beat the experience created in person at a physical event, which is an amalgamation of all the 5 senses, working in sync, and staged to create those memories that stay for years to come.
Our team of Experienced Ideators, Space Planners, staging professionals, show directors, event marketeers, & technology integrators have the expertise in designing & delivering memorable events of all kinds and scales across the country and abroad.
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