EVENT PLANNING – KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE – KNOW, ATTRACT AND KEEP ATTENDEES


When it comes to meeting and event planning it is imperative to keep up with all things current and on trend. The planning industry is in a constant state of transformation and countless tweaks, changes and variations are the norm as the business of meeting and event planning repeatedly reinvents itself. Just look at technology and fashion, if you blink twice you’ve missed something and it’s a whole new ball game.

It’s a given that event planning organizations must keep up to date on all things planning and events with the intention of satisfying clients with successful outcomes. And while at the same time leading the way with originality and inventiveness by providing ground breaking experiences. By planning meetings and events that are dynamic and essential. With the ultimate goal of encouraging and motivating all those that attend and participate, the name of the game truly is knowing, attracting and keeping your audience.

Event Planning – Keep Your Eye on the Prize – Know Your Audience!

One of the first rules of any industry is to know your audience, and the event planning industry is no different. When considering all the conference objectives and goals (and prior to creating your indispensable conference blueprint) first think about your audience. Why are they attending and what are they looking for? What will they feel, do, think and want to learn? As compared to back in the day (yes I’m from the stone ages), times have definitely changed and prior to starting the hard core planning, planners want and need to know their attendees first.

While getting to know your audience does take some extra time and energy, it is absolutely worth it. By doing the extra legwork and utilizing, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networking outlets, you can find out what attendees want, need and are expecting. Speaking from personal experience I can tell you it really is well worth the effort. People divulged quite a bit of information on social networking sites and a planner can get to know their audience and potential audience better.

Event Planning – Keep Your Eye on the Prize – Involve, Motivate and Educate!

For the vast majority of attendees, the main focuses of a conference are education and networking. There are some really great ways to involve, motivate and of course educate those attending. Get started by asking yourself some additional questions…

What do I want to achieve by planning this event or meeting? Answering this question accurately and truthfully will help you establish the right target audience.

Have I targeted the right market? The number one key to success is to ensure the right audience is the audience attending your event.
Is this the best location for this specific event or meeting? Be sure your event is geographically located for the anticipated audience.

Does the venue work for the event or meeting set-up? Ensure the venue works for your event and that the layout and set-up can accommodate the attendees and the flow of the event.

Are the attendees engaged during the event or meeting? Offering up content that is engaging and interesting will create enthusiasm and attentiveness and help keep the attention of the audience.

Does the organization ask for attendee feedback after the event or meeting? Receiving event feedback from your target audience is key to establishing the success of the event. Feedback will provide you with the opportunity to modify and fine-tune, helping to improve the event in the future.

When meeting or event planning it is imperative to anticipate not only what is involved in the actual event but the target audience and their expectations. Attendees who feel the event did not meet their expectations generally do not return the following year. So get to know your attendees and do your homework. Find out what they want and then be sure to produce it.

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