Create Business Events That Won't Be Forgotten

"Create Business Events That Won't Be Forgotten"

The best part about hosting events for marketing purposes is that they are remembered more than other forms of marketing.  The key is to make them remembered for all the right reasons.  Events are a living form of marketing, can take on a life of their own, but that's what makes them memorable.  Sometimes your Return on Investment is realized much sooner than with other forms of marketing.  This is where making your events memorable comes into play.  You can read people's faces, see their interactions with one another and often as a host, you'll get a testimonial from people as they are preparing to leave an event. 

It's the Little Things that Count!

When I've been involved in events after months of planning, I've learned that if you are on high alert, you will know before your event has even started if it's going to be a hit or not.  One key element for people remembering an event is to have a theme.  If you see that people arrive and have really dressed the part, you know they've thought about the event for days if not weeks.  One of the funniest observations I made was at a "Sunset on Safari" themed Chamber of Commerce auction.  People had barely had their coats checked in before they were enjoying the ring toss for wine and other activities.  Part of the auction was going to be a dessert dash.  We had supplied the venue with beautiful silk safari-themed fabric but someone had also picked up some safari-themed dessert napkins.  The photographer for the event came up to me and asked if he could use of of the napkins to put in his suit pocket as an accessory like a handkerchief.  I thought it was a wonderful idea!  It wasn't too much later that a I noticed that almost all of the men "followed suit" and had the napkins in their pockets as well.  Yes, the men were invested at that point and that was a wonderful sign.  At that moment I knew it was going to be a successful auction and sure enough, they had their best fundraising auction on record.  Capture hearts and minds and you're off to the races!  

Music, Music, Music!

A very solid element that you must have a an event for it to be remembered is music.  Music affects more parts of the brain than other forms of communication or activities.  People will not remember other aspects of an event as well if there isn't music.  I would say that the most important vendor at an event is a good DJ, not someone with an iPod and a microphone.  DJ's read the crowd and I've heard them say that they are thinking in three-minute intervals throughout an entire event.  I think every event should have an emcee if there are going to be any activities involved.  People like to know that an event is flowing smoothly.  The vendor I speak with the most at events is the DJ, more than the caterer or the venue.  A DJ is really the hub of a good event for marketing.

Ambience:

The ambience can set set with lighting, sounds, activities, objects or props, smells, mouth-watering tastes of morsels and fun experiences that are unique to whatever your business is.  If you let your guests step into your shoes just enough to get an appreciation for what you do, they will see your business in an entirely different light.

 

FUN!

If you think back to grade school days and throughout your life since then, the information you recall the easiest is when a fun activity or series of good laughs came right along with a topic that was being taught.  If you let your hair hang down, you become real and more approachable.  That's so important for a business owner.  The key thing a business needs to do for an event is to create a comfortable atmosphere.  Make learning fun!  

The first thing that many people think of is wine, but I'll break it to you right now...your event will not be remembered as well if alcohol is involved even if your guests don't get plastered.  Save some money on the beverages!  Try some mock-tails instead.  There are some sparkling ciders (not your big box store varieties) that I think would work great as a psychological experiment.  I tasted one that could have easily passed for champagne.  The devil in me wants to serve that at a party and see if people get tipsy with the placebo effect.  I would never tell them otherwise at my own private parties!  Professionally, I have to be a little bit better behaved.   I have no problem brainstorming at all.  None whatsoever...so I guess I'm in the right industry. 

Wishing you the...

Greatest of Days

Event Planning (excluding weddings)

Business Training for Marketing with Events

Wedding Officiating

If you would like to have Janis Flagg come speak to your business or organization about marketing with events, please contact us at:  www.greatestofdays.com/contact-us.html and we will be in touch.

  

Plan with Purpose, Pt. 1 Hosting Business Events

Planning an Event for Your Business Part 1.

I've never cared for the term pre-planning.  Planning is planning.  If you have a series of events, you should actually start planning for the next event within a week of the event you just held.  Things will be fresh in your mind of what went well, what could have gone more smoothly, and what made the event special in the eyes of your attendees or audience.

Identify Your Primary Purposes of Your Event

Is your event's purpose to:

Educate, 

Inspire, 

Inform people of changes, 

Celebrate a person or an accomplishment, 

Introduce a person or a product, 

Build morale, 

Join forces with an industry expert, 

Gain clients, 

Repair a damaged reputation?

Remember that if events aren't fun, the material being taught or the message being sent will not be absorbed or recalled as effectively.

Spend some time carefully thinking about what you want to accomplish.  It doesn't have to be just one single purpose.  You can blend more than one purpose, but they must enhance each others intent.

Click here to contact us.  We would love to hear from you!

Use Events to Pay for New Equipment You Purchased for Your Business!

When you as a business owner purchase a new piece of equipment to improve your products or services, there's no denying that it can come with mixed emotions. Perhaps a lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into making a decision, financing, training, troubleshooting as well other types of investments have been involved.  If loss of sleep was an investment, that could very well be on the list, too.  You are hoping you've made the right decision and want it to do more than just pay for itself! 

What in the world does this have to do with hosting an event?  A piece of equipment?  A lot, actually.  If this addition to your business is going to make you more marketable to your current customers and expand your clientele, you want them to know about your new toys!  Think of it like a birth announcement.  Tell people all of the wonderful things you are looking forward to doing with that new baby and how proud you are of it.  Invite them to visit and let them know how this new addition is going to put a smile on their face and unlike real newborns, make your tasks easier by improving services for your clients.  You can even give it a name and have some fun with it.  Have a naming contest if that will draw attention to it.  Some people name their cars, so why not?  Enough with the baby stuff, but you get the point.  

If this equipment or new product is going to save your clients time, they will love hearing about that!  Create an event where they will get to see for themselves all the wonderful things that equipment offers them.  Give people a reason to think of having a good time in connection with your business.  That's where events come into the picture!  Curiosity may have killed a cat, but never is that the case for your business.  You want to build the curiosity and give your target market a chance to experience it first hand.  In the case of a printing business and marketing your event, you could divulge that every hour you will be announcing a winner of a custom banner (with stipulations, if necessary).   

Here's an example.  Let's say that you offer printing services, and you've just added a machine that enables you to make banners.  You're excited about it and you want to share your excitement and educate people on how you have one new way to serve them.  People love to see how things work.  It's like a mystery to them.  

The more you can suggest that your clients can benefit from having banners the better!  Whether it's a banner for a school event or activity, advertising a special businesses' sale, event or even special holiday hours.  For special social events, you want people thinking of how you can make birthdays, anniversaries and reunions customized.  People often love banners for weddings and some can serve a very useful purpose such as providing directions to an event and finally a grand entrance to an event.  If you have an employee who has just had a baby, businesses have made those announcement for decades on their signs and A-Boards.  I wouldn't recommend that the parents do this at their residence, but it is less of a danger if their employer does this. 

Whatever your business is, use new equipment as an excuse to celebrate and to pay for itself!  

People remember events much more than a brochure or even an online ad.

Here's a link to our waiting list for our workshop on "How to Host a Successful Event to Boost Your Business".  It will eventually become a paid webinar, but if you are in Seattle or Tacoma, you can enjoy the workshops in person!  Costs vary according to venue and food selections. 

Just for the fun of it!  Just to show you how strongly names are connected to equipment, do a Google search for Seattle and Bertha...after you've read this blog post.  This will be an example of what you never want associated with equipment and your business.



Wishing you the greatest of days!  Your business deserves them, too!

Greatest of Days, Event Planning and Design