So you’ve decided upon holding an event series – as an event producer, it’s now time to get down to brass tacks in terms of putting together an awesome event sequence. One that will impress the audience and leave a lasting impression. Whether you’re looking for new ideas for your next show or want some handy tips from the experts, here are our 5 essential tips you must always keep in mind when producing an event series!
Identify your event series’ unique value proposition
Your event series must have a unique value proposition, which is a feature that differentiates your event from others. It’s what will make your event stand out and what makes it and your organization special! That USP (unique selling proposition) can be anything from strong media coverage, edgy content, a unique schedule, celebrity speakers or high-profile partnerships.
Remember to keep it fresh. While it’s perfectly fine to follow the same format for your live shows, it’s also important that you keep things fresh by incorporating feedback from previous years. Whether it’s making tweaks to speaker line-ups, experimenting with stage design or encouraging interactivity between the panelists and the crowd, you’ll find your audience stays more engaged and excited if you mix up your shows on a regular basis.
Identifying your USP from the get-go will help you decide on your media mix, sponsors and partners.
Establish your series’ brand
Create your series’ identity. Your event series must have a recognizable identity or brand that stands out amongst the crowd. Whether it’s your event logo or brand colors, make sure you use these consistently across all your communication and marketing collateral. By doing so, you’ll soon start building your event’s visibility and position it in the most positive light.
Build your series’ brand personality, a strong event series’ brand personality will help your event connect with its audience on a deeper level. A personality, whether human or non-human, is what the world sees, feels and experiences. Your event series brand personality is the vibe your event series projects and how it will resonate with attendees, sponsors, presenters, etc.
Preparation is key
Your event series must start with a solid preparation, where every minute detail is accounted for. Look back at past events – what went well and what didn’t? If you’re launching your new event series, do your research. Read up on similar events that have been held previously. Learn what went right, what went wrong, and what you can do to make things better. Planning for all aspects of your event, and having backup plans, and built-in contingency plans will all go a long way to ensuring that your team is well-prepared for a successful event series.
Offer ample networking opportunities
Networking is extremely important when it comes to producing event series. Make sure your guests have ample opportunities to network with each other, either formally or informally. Ensure your events have ample networking opportunities so that your guests can meet and interact with other attendees from other events or fields. This not only helps them gain new perspectives on their work but also helps them establish contacts that could potentially be quite fruitful in the future. Providing mutual benefits like these can make your event more appealing and interesting to them. A great way to encourage networking at your event series is to extend beyond the IRL event and offer a digital networking outlet in the form of an event app, or digital platform that can allow attendees to connect before, during and after the live event.
Measure ROI
Tracking your event series’ return on investment (ROI) is a great way to see and learn from which marketing channels and efforts are delivering the most results. This will also help you decide how to spend your budget, what features to offer, and where you can enhance the attendee experience. Now, not all events are equal and so no two events should be measured by the same KPIs you need to think about what metrics and engagements can work for your event and the particular marketing and event communication strategy.
The above are a few guidelines to inspire you and keep you on track as you develop your event series. But it’s important to remember that each event series and each event is unique. Therefore, treat your event series’ marketing, design and event production as a process rather than a one-off. Keep an open mind, learn from your past events, and keep improving with every event!
