A step-by-step guide to optimally programming your event
When it comes to planning your event strategy, the question that arises every year is: should we stick with our current events or branch out to new ones? This decision can have a huge impact on your brand’s reach and influence. It should be based on factors such as target audience, influence potential in key regions, and alignment with your business goals. Before re-evaluating your event programming, make sure you understand your business needs.
Key factors to know BEFORE evaluating your events:
Understanding your target audience: The first step is to make sure you have a clear idea of your current target audience and assess the potential of an event to reach that audience. Are there untapped markets that a new event could access that are a good fit for your products or services?
Define your geographic influence and focus: Know where your audience shops, lives, or where your products or services sell best. This could be as simple as not selling beach gear in a blizzard, or in other words, you wouldn’t try to hold trade shows in Montana. Go where your audience is and where your product performs best.
Alignment with marketing goals and business objectives: One of the key business needs in event marketing is alignment with broader marketing goals and overall company objectives. Whether the goal is increase brand awarenessWhether you’re launching a new product or building customer loyalty, events should be designed with these goals in mind. For example, if your goal is to launch a new product or service, an event focused on innovation and technology might be more suitable than a traditional trade show.
Promotion of products and services: Events provide a unique platform for businesses to showcase their products and services in a social setting. They allow potential customers to interact with a product or service in a hands-on way, which can be more compelling than traditional advertising methods. Know how your products will perform best in this setting and consider other trade show methods if they are a better fit. Remember, big trade shows don’t always mean big returns on investment.
By clearly defining your objective beforehand, you will be well equipped to effectively evaluate your event programming for 2024. So here is how to evaluate your event programming for 2024.
The step-by-step guide to help you navigate this critical decision-making process.
Step 1: Evaluate new and current events for your programming
The first step in optimizing your programming and event strategy for 2024 involves a thorough assessment of your current and potential events.
Start by reviewing the events you regularly attend. These could be annual conferences, trade shows, or networking events. The goal here is to determine how well these events align with your target audience and their influence in your key markets.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- Do these events attract your target audience?
- Are they influential in your key regions?
- How do they match your business goals?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then it is clear that these events are profitable investments.
Next, focus on potential new event opportunities. These could be emerging industry conferences, local networking events, or digital webinars.
Here you should consider:
- Are there any gaps in your current event portfolio?
- Are there any new markets or segments you are looking to enter?
- Are there opportunities for expansion within your existing markets?
By asking these questions, you can identify new events that can complement your existing event portfolio and help you achieve your business goals. This process will ensure your event portfolio is tailored to your target audience, influential in your key regions, and ready to capitalize on new opportunities.
Step 2: Trial and Error
New opportunities can mean big successes or big failures. But don’t hesitate to explore new events simply because of the possibilities. You should, however, be prepared for a trial-and-error approach. If a new event doesn’t work out as expected, you can step back and refine your strategy. Remember, every experience is a learning opportunity.
Learn from past experiences. For example, events in certain regions may have been successful but were not fully aligned with the company’s goals. On the other hand, working closely with local teams has resulted in success on all fronts. Be sure to stick to the core key factors above to ensure your focus and be able to qualify what success looks like. beyond the simple return on investment.
Step 3: Do your due diligence
Before committing to any event, whether large or small, it’s essential to check its credibility. This means doing your homework: visiting the event in person, assessing the audience, and not relying solely on the organizer’s claims. This due diligence will help you avoid potential pitfalls and ensure that your investment generates the best possible return.
Be wary of event planners who sell you events without checking the details yourself. The key is to find events with the right audience through due diligence such as site visits before making big investments. (For a more detailed explanation, read this: To exhibit or not to exhibit).
Step 4: Start small with new events
Starting with small events can be a smart strategy. Start by attending the event, then consider sponsorship or larger involvement over time. This approach allows you to get a first-hand look at the dynamics of the event without committing significant resources up front.
Step 5: Engage through storytelling
Engagement tactics are essential to the success of your event strategy. Consider creating experiential activations that tie into your offerings. These are interactive experiences designed to engage attendees in a meaningful way. These can be anything from live product demos to immersive virtual reality experiences. The key here is to make these activations relevant to your offerings, making them not only entertaining but also informative. Don’t forget to tie these activations to your company’s value propositions and stories to drive engagement. Stories have the power to resonate with audiences on an emotional level, making your activations more memorable and impactful.
Engagement through storytelling is about creating relevant experiential activations, linking them to your value propositions, and amplifying engagement by integrating your company’s stories. By following this step, you can create an event strategy that not only grabs attention but also fosters deep connections with your audience.
Whether you’re considering hosting a new or existing event, it’s critical to make data-driven decisions based on the key factors outlined above, such as audience fit, brand expansion, and alignment with business goals. Successful event hosting isn’t about being sold on by event organizers, but rather doing your due diligence, starting small, and driving engagement through creative storytelling.