Every business or corporation at some stage in its lifecycle will run a number of promotional or corporate events. Effective event management by negotiation is the goal in these situations: creating, coordinating and managing all the different components that go into making an event in ways that ensure client and organizational satisfaction. The keys to the most successful event management lie in negotiating each stage, namely strategy and planning, promotion and delivery.
Persuasion, clarity, purpose and good human resource management are absolutely vital during the initial stages of planning and strategizing your event. You and your entire team need to be clear and on board with all of the elements that make up your event. Set your event goals and objectives, define who your clients or attendees are, negotiate your budget and set firm dates for the event. Coordinate and negotiate with third parties, external locations and departments within your organization and, perhaps most importantly, create an event agenda that you will share with everyone involved in its creation and execution. When it comes to this stage of event management, you really can’t be too prepared!
Once you’re clear on the elements that make up your event, you can begin reaching out to the people who you are creating it for. If you’re running an internal corporate event, then you’ll be able to immediately reach your ideal attendees, however the rules are the same for contacting them as they are for potential clients and customers. During your communications maintain a sense of professionalism and efficiency, particularly if you are communicating primarily by email. Offer regular interaction with succinct emails as checking in helps to build connection and rapport with employees and clients alike. As well as sharing information about your event that you have already set, ask if there’s anything you can do to make their attendance even easier.
Little things like recommending suitable accommodation for people who are coming from out of town can make all the difference, particularly if this is not something that is covered in your event package.
Advertising your promotional event to clients should follow the same process as all your other marketing and promotional activities. Always stay ‘on-brand’ in the materials that you are sending out. You can generate interest in your target demographic with carefully planned activities such as social media promotions, plain and simple press releases, media appearances and promotional emails. Utilize the tried and tested methods for reaching clients and customers that you have already developed in-house, but remember if you are hoping to reach a new demographic you will need to think outside the box a little and incorporate some of the methods suggested above.
When the day of the event comes, your hard work isn’t quite over! This is perhaps the most stressful and difficult part of the process, but at this time coordination with your event team is something that will help drive its success and delivery. Maintain your team, including all employees, and temporary staff, as a “well-oiled” ship by ensuring that everyone knows their role during the delivery of the event. Negotiate ahead strict prices, times and responsibilities for third party vendors.
If you’re planning to run further events, then it’s important to not get stuck in a formula that you have already used, even if your first event was a great success. Adaptability and a willingness to listen to the needs of clients or employees are so fundamental to ensuring the success of future events. It’s a tactic understood and used by some of the world’s largest brands, like PokerStars, who have talked about how they manage their renowned international live events:
“Even before a PokerStars Championship ends, feedback is being obtained along the way from players as organizers think ahead to changes and improvements. Then surveys go out to all players afterwards, from which further response is collected.”
This is also something that can be implemented quickly and easily without the need for particularly complex software. Anonymous feedback forms can be handed to employees or customers during the event, and afterwards simple surveys can be set up and emailed out with their permission. This information gives you an edge for future event negotiations and ensures that your events will continue to successfully meet the needs of the people who are attending them.
