How to put on an awesome event
If you’re reading this, we have to assume you’re putting on an event or thinking of it. This article assumes you understand the why of events. We’re going to focus in on how.
Phase one: What’s the point?
This may seem self-evident. It’s still important to make it clear and visible at the very beginning. When you’re one week before the event, operating on little sleep, and treading water, you’ll be glad you did this. Events are usually put on for a reason. You might want new customers. You might have a sale on. You might need to hit a KPI (c’mon, you can do better than that). Remember though, that you have to come up with a reason why it’s good for the attendees. Take a few minutes and answer the following questions on paper. The answers are not useful in your head.
- What is the organisation’s goal(s) or desired outcome(s) for this event?
- What do you want the attendees to get out of the event?
- How do you want them to feel after they’ve left?
- How will they have changed after coming to your event?
- What can you do at your event to make sure that happens?
For the past three years, we’ve run the Crowd Round Unconference. It’s all about meeting, connecting, sharing and learning. Despite the Unconference format (which leaves the program as a massive unknown), we’re very clear on these questions. And it shows through.
Phase two: Design the attendee experience
Think about some great experiences you’ve had at events. It could have been as grandiose as fireworks and jetpacks. It might have been as simple as place cards. Think of your own examples. What did the organisers have to do to make those experiences happen? Small thoughtful details mean as much as big expensive flashy things.
Think about some poor experiences you’ve had at events. It was over dinner there was no food. The bathroom had no soap. The speeches went too long (forgiven if it was the bride but only if it was the bride). You couldn’t find the venue. Think of your own examples. What could they have done to avoid those experiences happening? Often, it’s 2 minute fixes or a stitch in time to prevent these.
Invitation and ticketing
The event experience starts when the attendee first finds out about the event. Before you list the event, think about how you want people to see the event. Be thoughtful with naming, attendee types, pricing. Spend the time to describe the event well in the type of language that will attract your ideal attendees. Understand that your event page is creating expectations for the event. A big part of Crowd Round is that most registrations come from word of mouth — a post or a message from someone in the team or a past attendee.
Getting there and signing in
First impressions can set the tone for the night. The best events are when you know what is happening. People can be pretty self-directed but don’t rely on it. Make sure their first moments aren’t spent wondering if their ticket needs scanning, hoping they’re in the right place, or wishing they knew someone.
The actual event
Design the actual event. What will it look like? What kind of vibe do you want? What will actually happen? A nice way to design the event is to brainstorm a schedule. This bit goes best with many people in the room. The more ideas the better — you can always pare it down later. Again, think about it from an attendee’s perspective. They arrive and sign in…what happens next? Even Crowd Round, an event with no program, is designed. There are big group sessions and small group sessions, meals and check ins. Your event might only be for a few hours — try figuring out the program. You probably need a simple one for the registration page anyway.
Takeaways and after the event
What will people be taking away from the event? This may be more relevant to some events than others. It’s important to plan these early so that you can make it actually happen. For after the event, you want to think about what you’ll do to make the most of it. Feedback? An email sequence. A photo gallery on Facebook? Do it on paper now rather than waiting until the day after the event. It will be a mad scramble in a haze of exhaustion then. Crowd Round attendees are all invited to a Facebook group where they can connect in between events.
Phase three: Define your constraints
Set up the team
Your team will determine how it all plays out. Questions you should ask yourself include:
- How will you get the team on the same page about why this is good for the organisation?
- How will you get the team on the same page about why this is good for the attendees?
- How will you get the team on the same page about the attendee experience?
- How will you keep the team on the same page?
- What regular, expected contact could you suggest?
- How might you keep important stuff front of mind?
Set the date
If you don’t have a date, here are some questions to help you decide.
- What kind of attendees do you want to attend?
- Are there any limitations on those attendees and when they can come?
- Are there any other events coming up that will attract those attendees?
- How much time do you think you’ll need to prepare for the event?
- What time of day do you want your event to run? What time of week?
- What dates won’t work?
Define the budget
There are two ways to put together a budget:
- Make a list of things you need and figure out how much they are. Add it all up and this is your event budget.
- How much you have available to you.
Once you have this amount, you can create a list of things you will need. The hope is that what you need adds up to less than what you have available. Sometimes, you’ll find that you have less money than what you need. In this case, divide your budget into nice to haves and have to haves. You’ll find that most attendees are ok with a low budget event if they’re expectations are set for it (eg. “BYO lunches and snacks!”)You also have the option to find more money (sponsorship) or charge for tickets.
Phase four: Create an action plan
Base your action plan on the attendee experience you designed in Phase Two. An action plan should include the following:
- Book a venue
- List the event on Eventbrite, Meetup or Facebook
- Promo the event
- Make a run sheet (or some sort of plan)
- Lock in any guest speakers / panellists
- Book a caterer
- Plan to make the most of memories (photos, stories, videos) after the event
- Prepare a feedback form to send out afterward
Your plan can be more detailed than this. Some actions will depend on other actions. I wouldn’t list the event before booking the venue, for example. Once you’ve finished your action plan, give each action to a person with a deadline.
It’s important to make sure you set up process control:
- How will you get commitment on the above milestones?
- How will you follow up on the above milestones if they’re not completed?
Phase five: Do it
The rest is up to you.
Let us know how you go.
