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Sure the content of a conference or an event is critical, yet it seems we need something special to make it memorable. Recently, Reach Partners attended We Are OTA. The event curators intentionally transformed the venue with a sense of play, contrived intersections for connection with others, and used words, people and art to spark new ideas. To boot, the creators thoughtfully considered the sensory experience for the attendees.
The question of event design recently came up in a group I follow. It’s a topic that I like to think about since I’ve worked on events that range from bare bones to highly designed. How important is the design of your event? I have come to find deliberate or not, an event is always designed.
Every element carries meaning, intended or not. Event planning combines strategy and preparation to achieve a desired experience in a particular time and space. Materials, signage, food, seating, layout, setting, messages are some of the elements that contribute to the experience for a participant. While these environmental factors color an event and determine whether the audience will be comfortable, the subtexts of the elements always leave an impression. Event planning is much more than choosing a site, menu and lining-up speakers. Event planning combines strategy and preparation to achieve a desired environmental experience. Every element carries meaning, intended or not. Every aspect is intentional. Risk and undesired situations have been anticipated and mitigated well before the big day so that the occasion unfolds without so much as a hiccup and the experience feels effortless. The event in all its aspects matches, enhances and reinforces your brand in ways that is refined, intelligent and spectacular. It takes 100’s of little deeds to pull off that big idea in the just right setting for just the right people. Attendee lists, clients, prospects, setting, time, place, ambiance, money, sponsorships, incentives, marketing, budgets, on-site management and follow-up just begin the list of to-dos to accomplish the intended feel. Enter Reach Partners, the busy elves of invitee lists, implementation plans, process and follow through. For Reach it’s no abracadabra, but for you and your event it should feel clear, easy and worry free. Just like magic. Rachel, Reach Partners You want to create an event that is meaningful, gorgeous and a stellar experience for the intended audience, your (current and future) clients. Are you just starting out? A non-profit org? Don’t have a ton of cash-ola? Even if you are rolling in it, anyone that starts planning an event should start with the same step one: Create a budget. The very act of creating the budget will allow you to foresee a predictable future and negotiate a jam before you actually get into the middle of one. A budget will show you if your intended event can break-even, how much you need to charge attendees, or how much you need before you approach a financial partner.
Location can have big impact on your budget. Maybe the venue selection is a no-brainer if you can host the event on site, but due to the size and scope of the event you may need to consider the costs of an outside venue.
Can you play with time? You may want to create a day-long event for the media moguls of your community, but maybe you’ll have better attendance (read: success) with a tight agenda that fits within 2.5 hours. Hosting an event where you serve breakfast is a less expensive than dinner or cocktails. Yes, that choice affects your desired experience but it may be just the answer to bring it in on budget. Programing can include costs of the day: printing, signs, the cost of swag you’ll raid from the company store, gifts to talent (in lieu of cash), the use of in-house IT to run the AV. Consider the costs of event insurance for peace of mind. Marketing can be done on a shoestring with planning and staff time or it may involve a media sponsor that provides thousands of dollars’ worth of weekly ads and pullouts. In either instance, develop a marketing plan and include the hard and soft costs to implement. Once you have probable costs outlined, go back and tweak, maneuver and manipulate - it’s not about being perfect but about negotiating the costs to best meet the need of your intended audience and goals. For your first time producing an event, you may need to play with income streams or expenses to reach net zero. You may be surprised that you can provide a great experience for your intended audience which can balance against the marketing exposure or you may find you need a financial partner or two to pull off a spectacular event. Happy budgeting! Rachel, Reach Partners At Reach Partners, we approach most of our client work as projects which simply means our work is performed with a definite beginning and ending to produce a unique outcome. No matter if we are managing and executing a project or a team of individuals are executing the deliverables knowing where to store, access and distribute stuff can save time, resources and headache. Not to mention we feel like a rock star when we can lay a finger on the answer from a project completed 5 years ago or 3 years from today. It all has to do with organization. Manage the deliverables
Rachel Asleson, Reach Partners |
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