Guest List Management: Worth the Hassle?

It is no news the PR industry is associated with expeditiousness and multifaceted innovation for public appeal, a critical aspect of the success of any industry-related project is tied to having a flair for picking individuals that stir and meet public appeal. Contrary to popular belief, the task of Guest Listing is often not endorsed by “Popular Public Opinion” i.e. Not everyone’s “fave” is the best suited for a brand’s key message.

What Really is Guest List Management?

Guest list management refers to the process of curating an intentional list of prospective guests that suits a brand’s core message to achieve specific goals.

In my first few weeks as a Redrick Intern, I was responsible for curating guest lists for various clients, in this period I was introduced to the technical know-how of guest list management. The ability to research, select and choose people that fit into the core messaging of a brand blew my mind. I recall an instance where I was required to curate a guest list and I got stuck. Upon request, my colleague listed persons who perfectly fit the brand I was curating for. She was Impressive! Being able to suggest a list of persons fit for certain placements right off the bat encouraged me, and guess what, now I am more skilled!

Guest Listing is an interesting part of PR and it takes an expert level of scrutiny to pull off the perfect guest list for an event, be it in lifestyle, fashion, or corporate;

I intend to convince you that the outcome of a properly managed guest list is 100% worth the hassle.

Now, Let’s start with fundamentals, Okay?

• When curating a guest list, you need to ask certain questions:
• Do you want to educate your guests about a new product?
• Do you want to celebrate the launch of something?
• How many guests do you want present?
• Does the brand image of said guests align with the brand campaign?
• What audience do you intend to influence with this campaign or event?
• Do they speak to the client’s TA?
• Are they good content creators — what is the expected content you can receive from these individuals post-event?
• Once you’ve come up with your guest list, you’ll also need to do the following;
• Send out invitations on various platforms

Involves sending out those invitations to your potential attendees. It is advisable to send these invitations across multiple platforms i.e. if your potential attendees have various social media platforms send the invitations across these platforms. This way they will get the invites one way or another. Make sure to personalize your invitations to make your guests feel special from the start.

Guest list updates & adjustments

As your attendees respond to your invitations, your guest list begins to form. Attributes such as addresses, emails, and contact information are added to your list to help you figure out the preferences of the potential guests i.e. whether they are bringing a plus one or a replacement. This kind of information allows you to segment and effectively manage your guest list.

And in cases where some of your potential guests don’t respond to your invitations or cancel the next step to take will be to start looking for other options. This is why it is advisable that when curating a guest list you need to ensure that you invite 100% or 75% of the number of guests you plan to host, because not every person sent an invite will respond. For example, if you are planning to entertain 100 guests make sure to have about 150–200 potential guests on your guest list.

This helps you avoid the last-minute hassle of trying to find more guests when the guests on your list don’t respond or cancel.

Guest List Evaluation

Establishing reports is key to ensuring the success of your future events and also keeping track of records. Once the curtain is down and the lights are off, you need to evaluate your event’s success. You evaluate: How many guests showed up, their experience as well as earned media generated via content on their social media accounts. This step is critical in finding room for improvement and making your next event/campaign even more memorable for your guests.

Key tips to keep an eye out for!

• Always make sure to send out invitations to multiple platforms- Emails, social media platforms, etc.
• Be sure to send out follow-up messages to all your potential guests- this serves as a reminder.
• Feel free to use the internet to search for individuals that fit the criteria for the guestlist you are curating.
• And don’t forget practice makes perfect!

There you have it, a successful curated Guestlist!

Favourite Siyanbola is an Intern at Redrick and an avid communications enthusiast. She is also a major movie head.