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One thing that you should know is that the world has changed. Social media has taken over our lifestyle. We tend to communicate more on social media than we organize a conference, event or meeting for dialogues. As a result of this, it is always a great experience when people come together for a live event.
Another thing about live events in the business world is that it builds one’s customer loyalty, reputation and market. It also gives an individual an opportunity to widen its customer base.
With all these benefits, it is essential for you to plan your live event efficiently. Always have it in mind that if things do not go as expected, it will embarrass you and impact your reputation.
How to Run the Event Successfully
From my fifteen years of being involved with corporate event planning, I have learned that things could go wrong at any time. A problem could stem from any crack you fail to consider. You can also mix up things during the planning and cause yourself some problems.
However, to save yourself from any form of embarrassment, you need to plan the event properly. You need to make it hitch free and lively for people.
Your question right now is “How can I make the event lively, fun and profitable to my audience?”
Well, you do not have to worry. We have packaged seven expert tips for you on how to effectively run your first in-person live event.
1. Venue
One important thing to consider when you want to hold an event is the venue. You need to determine its location and size. Your venue should be at a strategic place that your attendees can easily access.
You should also make sure that the venue can contain all your attendees. It is always a bad experience for an individual to come to an event and find out she/he cannot enter because the venue was too small. Such an experience can affect your business and reputation.
You should also determine the price of the venue when choosing it. Do not go for the one that will make you go bankrupt.
2. Be Strategic
One important thing you need to do to run a live event successfully is to be proactive and strategic. Promote your event through email marketing, blog post and social media advertisement.
You can also create an event campaign on platforms like thunderclap.com for effective advertisement.
Apart from this, it is important for you to know the number of attendees you will be expecting. To do this, you can create a registration link on platforms like Eventbrite and mandate your potential attendees to register.
3. Don’t Do It Alone
You can not be the emcee and the sound engineer for your event at the same time. You need more hands on deck for the smooth running of the program.
Having people to control different categories of your program will save you time and stress. It will also save you from unnecessary flops.
You can hire some professionals to help you out with some functions. Better still, you can contact your friends to help you out with your program.
You will be able to run the event efficiently when you have people to help you out.
4. Consider Your Guest Speaker
Research shows that people go for an event because of the caliber of the guest speakers. You should choose the speakers whose voice your audience will love to hear.
Before you invite any speaker, be sure that they can teach others effectively. You should also be sure they are knowledgeable about what they want to teach.
Guest speakers could make or break your event. A good guest speaker will impact the audience and leave a lasting experience. Since this is such an important piece of a live event, you need to be smart when choosing a guest speaker.
According to Forbes, clear expectations are key when planning and promoting a live event. This will save you from over-promising. You don’t want to over-deliver and leave people disappointed.
5. Size of the Event
What do you envisage? Do you plan on having a big event with different speakers? Do you want the program to be like a workshop or a small conference?
Irrespective of your vision, you need to consider your audience, their time and other factors. Be sure that you streamline your plan with their interests. If you do not do this, you may be disappointed with the turnout.
Apart from this, you should know the number of people you can effectively handle. Create a registration portal for potential attendees to register to determine their size. You can then close the portal when you reach the threshold you envisage.
Experts also stress the importance of understanding the venue’s impact on an event. Don’t underestimate the power of the venue to influence the event outcome.
As a rule, you should not run an event with a population that you cannot handle to avoid a flop.
6. What Should Your Audience Expect?
Create an expectation that you can meet. People will not be pleased with your program if you fail to satisfy them.
If your event lasts for more than 3 hours, people will expect you to provide some refreshments. You can give you audience soda or snacks as refreshment. You should note that failure to do this could affect the success rate of your program.
Another thing you should do is to assist your attendees in getting to the location. Provide a clear description of the area if your venue is not accessible. It is, however, advisable to always go for a place that people can easily locate.
7. Equipment and Other Basic Facilities
You need to be sure that everything is ready for the event. You should ensure that the sound system and other equipment are working.
Sound equipment is vital to the success of a program. Ensure that the sound systems are in good condition.
Since communication is vital in an event, you should avoid lack of communication. Ensure that people use a microphone while they speak. You should also ensure that people can hear the speaker.
In addition to this, you need to have a team that will be in charge of the necessary equipment that is instrumental in the success of the event.
Experts agree that planning ahead and being organized are keys to a successful live event.
You too can get started today with our tips. Create a live event, and you will be surprised how successful you will be with it.
