4 Questions Companies Need To Ask Before Planning Their Next Event

As a business, brand, or creative, you might feel obligated to host events. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you’re doing it? This is an essential step that many businesses skip, and it can cause disorganized events, wasted money and potential, and can ultimately create a bad name for your business.

This post is going to help you figure out why you’re hosting events (or why you should, if you aren’t yet) and gives you the 4 questions you need to answer before you start planning your next event.

Why do events matter?

We recently published a post highlighting influencer marketing events, so read that for an in-depth look at the positive impact influencer events can have on your business. Here’s a quick run-down of why events matter, and what they can do for your business.

1. Events build brand recognition – if you’re hosting events, reaching out to influencers, and building relationships with people, your brand awareness and recognition will sky-rocket.
2. Events help you tell your brand story – in order for brands to be authentic and to resonate with consumers, they have to utilize their brand story. One of the best ways to do this is through your events.
3. Events help you network – you can create curated guest lists to help you network with the right people for your brand and business.
4. Establishes your company as the industry expert – if you’re putting on killer events, and people realize that your company is good at what you do, you’ll quickly establish yourself as the industry expert. People will think of you first, when they need a company that does what you do.

What kind of events are you talking about?

You may be confused by the term “events” here, so here are a few event types we’re talking about. You can host any number of events, and you can get really creative with it, but here are some common ones:

1. Dinner parties
2. Cocktail parties
3. Influencer events
4. Tradeshows or conferences
5. Seminars or classes
6. Charity events
7. Product launch events
8. Company milestone events

You need to host an event with purpose

It’s not enough to just throw together a guest list and a menu and call it good. You need to host your events with a purpose, or you’ll have no goals, no plan, and will probably not get the desired outcome.

4 Questions you need to answer before you plan your next event

1. Who is this event for?
   
   You need to establish who your audience is. Is this an event for employees? Is it for influencers? Is it for networking with other businesses? Figure out who the target audience of the event is and you can better choose a venue, plan the menu, and decide on the plans for the evening.
   
   Knowing your audience is critical.
2. What is the purpose of this event?
   
   Why are you gathering all of these people in one room for an evening or weekend? Do you want to make new business connections? Connect with influencers who can promote your brand? Boost morale in the company? Celebrate a major success or milestone?
   
   This goes hand-in-hand with knowing your audience. Without an audience and a purpose, you’re just wasting time and money.
3. What are we expecting to gain from this event?
   
   Like knowing your audience and establishing purpose, it’s important to verbalize what you want to get from the event. This can be similar to your purpose, but it’s often a bit more nuanced. Think about it like this; your purpose may be to connect with influencer, but what you want to gain is a few new marketers who will sell your product for you, increasing your revenue.
4. Who will handle the planning to make the event a success?
   
   Who is going to be in charge of this event? Who will oversee the details and logistics, and make sure you meet your goals and objectives? You can have someone in your company handle the planning portion of the event, but this will take away from their regularly assigned job duties. You also have to consider if the person has the experience and skill-set to put together the style and type of event you are looking for. 
   
   Instead, hire someone who specializes in corporate events. They’ll already have connections to venues and caterers, influencers and entertainment. They’ll know exactly what works and what doesn’t, and can help steer your company in the right direction. They’ll handle all of the little details for you, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting things or taking time out of your workday to plan the event.

Corporate events can make or break your company’s reputation, influence, reach, and relationships. Instead of taking a big risk, spending lots of money, and hoping for the best, hire an expert to guide you in this process. We’re happy to chat with you about your event planning needs, get in touch with us for additional information.