The feeling of putting on a great event is unmatched!
At the end of our events, there is this exhilarating “Top-of-the-world” feeling that I haven’t been able to replicate!
One of the reasons I think this happens is because putting on an event provide the opportunity for much broader impact than if I work one-on-one.
With the amount of people launching into the Event Business, you’d think the arena would be getting crowded but the reality is, putting on a great event isn’t easy.
There is a whole new arena of challenges that pop up and not everyone seems to be able to figure it out!
I lost way too much money and learned a lot of lessons the hard way because I didn’t have someone I could turn to to break down how to put together a profitable event the way I wanted to!
If you’re looking to put on events, save yourself some struggle (and money!) and check this checklist out!
1) Determine the Event’s Goal
Before you even start looking at venues, you need extreme clarity about the goal of your event.
Too often I hear would-be event producers talking about how much money they can make off the event and that seems to be the primary driver. Let’s be real: No one is going to show up strictly because you want to make money.
It’s just not a great event-goal! It’s a side-effect of having a great event!
Consider the perspective of the attendee. Why would they attend this event rather than others?
Common event goals tend to be:
Educating the attendees
Eliciting action from the attendees*
Networking
Creating motivation
*Side Note: If you’re trying to get people to take action AFTER they leave your event, like we do, to produce success stories that have lasting results, it’s incredibly challenging! Not impossible, but expecting your attendees to change their lives because of a 1 or 2 or 3 day event is a bit of a stretch! You have to plan how to help them with implementation ahead of time.
And if you want to educate or distribute information, what EXACT information will you share? And remember, if they can look it up online, they aren’t going to commit to spending 2 days at your event for that same info!
Know that goal.
Live that goal.
Breathe that goal.
This is the promise you will make in your marketing to get people to attend!
Only then are you ready to move on to the next part of planning your event, padawan.
(Ok, but seriously! This is the most crucial part of building an event and a step I wish I’d spent a lot more time working on for The Grow Retreat prior to our first event!)
2) Fulfill on the Goal!
Next you have to figure out how you’re going to fulfill on what you are going to promise to your attendees.