There are a variety of ways you can promote your business but one that’s often overlooked, especially by small business owners, is an event. It has to be a memorable one, and for that to happen requires some work. Organizing and holding an event requires planning. The success of your event is in the planning, whether it’s a seminar, conference, or customer appreciation day. To help you, here are six tips that are guaranteed to work.
{1.} Decide on the Purpose of Your Event
If you can figure out the reason for your event, it makes planning much easier. For example, is it simply a fundraiser? Is there a new product you want to unveil? Are you looking to attract investors or business partners?
{2.} Who do You Want to Invite?
Knowing who you want to invite makes deciding on a location much easier. If you don’t know how many people are going to attend, how can you decide whether an intimate conference room or a crowd-pleasing ballroom is more appropriate? The purpose of your event is also going to influence audience size.
{3.} Pick a Location
Picking the right location can make or break your small business event, so do everything you can to get it right. First, you have to decide whether it’s going to be held indoors or outdoors. Several popular venues are going to be booked up early, so start making contact as soon as possible. Something to consider, when it comes to location, is the issue of transportation. If attendees are going to be using public transport, make sure there’s a way to reach the venue.
The size and location of the venue can impact on the cost of your event. If you don’t want to dip into your business savings, you might have to consider a loan. This is a very viable option, even if your credit history is poor. Installment loans for bad credit customers are possible.
{4.} Timing is Crucial
Get the timing wrong, and you may have fewer attendees than you planned. Try to avoid key dates such as local events and holidays as you don’t want to clash. The best date is one that works for everyone but if that’s not possible, make it an event your guests won’t want to miss.
{5.} Learn to Delegate
You’d have to be a superman or woman even to attempt to organize a small business event on your own. However, delegating is not a skill that comes naturally for many people. Include your team members or other employees and give them a specific responsibility. You can act as the coordinator to make sure everyone stays on track. If there are enough people to help with the organization, try to hand out tasks according to their interests. For example, if there’s someone who enjoys cooking, let them take charge of the catering side of the event.
{6.} Let People Know
If you want people to show up to your event, you have to create some interest. Get in touch with your local newspaper and see if there’s someone available to attend your event and cover it. Create a Facebook event page as this can give you some idea of the number of people who are interested in attending. Influencers are also an important part of social media, so make sure they know about your event so they can invite their followers to attend. Check out the infographic below to see which platforms work best for marketing your business’ events.
Infographic created by Clover Network, a merchant services company