Small Business Saturday Blog

Organising a Small Business Event - Tips from the Experts

Friday, January 26, 2018 at 11:23

Organisinga small business event is no mean feat. It takes attention to detail, knowledgeabout your aims and goals, and plenty of creativity and flexibility.

KnowYour Audience

Beforeyou can start planning anything else, determine what your target audience lookslike. Closely linked with aims and goals, nailing your audience will help witheverything else from location, to event content and activities, catering,entertainment and cost.

KnowYour Purpose

●     Productlaunch

●     Leadgeneration

●     Newservices offered

●     Localbusiness networking

●     Professionalconference

●     Employeerewards

●     Businessmilestone celebration

●     Rewardloyalty

●     Createawareness

●     Boostprofits

Thereare many reasons why you might organise a business event, and pinpointing yourunique reason is one of the keys to success. When you know why, you’ll have amuch clearer picture of who you need there to help you meet your end goals.

Knowingyour audience and purpose also shapes howyou’ll stage the event, what type of seating, barriers or fencesyou’ll need, and whether you need to hire an actual stage. For stagingsupplies, budget for professional equipment so you’re sure of the quality andcan meet health and safety requirements.

ChooseDates Carefully

Holdingyour event at the same time as other big events in your location can ruin yourchances of success. Check the calendar, keep ears and eyes open through socialmedia, and avoid major holiday seasons if possible.

DefineYour Budget

Whateveryour budget is, some compromises along the way are almost inevitable, forexample:

●     Asmaller venue.

●     Asimpler menu.

●     Aless well-known, but still expert, speaker.

As youget deeper into the planning process, keep a sharp eye on estimated vs. actualcosts, and be willing to scale back where necessary. Professional eventplanners are worth considering, as they have the experience to know how andwhere to trim the budget.

Have aFinancing Plan

Could you get sponsorship from othercompanies? Ideas include inviting catering companies to sponsor the event,working on a joint venture to save money for you both. If you manage to securesponsorships, make sure to give your sponsors the VIP treatment.

Advanceticket sales can be a good indicator of likely popularity, so you shouldconsider this as one of the first planned activities even before venue booking,and certainly before you sign any contracts.

HaveContingency Plans

Alwaysmake contingency plans well in advance of the event. It helps to make a coupleof lists, with every activity in one column and everything that could go wrongin a column next to it. Suppose, for instance, the catering company lets youdown, or the sound system fails, or your guest accommodation double-books andyour VIP overnighters have nowhere to sleep?

Thingscan and will happen outside the plan. Figuring out the worst-case scenario andhow you could solve it, gives you a plan of action, just in case.

Alistage is the onlyUK company to manufacture its own staging equipment.  Modular stagesystems, tiered seating, catwalks, barriers and bar systems are among the eventequipment available for hire and sale, and used for concerts, TV and film workand exhibitions.