Live events can be a powerful way to promote your business and gain new customers. According to market research, 70% of people who attend marketing events turn into regular customers. But it’s not as easy as hosting an event and expecting these returns. It’s important to do it right. Here are seven tips to help you host a successful live event for your business.
Create custom ticket designs
Everything about your event is a representation of your brand, and that includes the seemingly minor details. For example, having custom admission tickets is a great way to show that you pay attention to every tiny detail, and that looks good on your brand. Since you’re busy planning an event, you can save time making designs from scratch with ticket templates.
There are thousands of free ticket templates available online. Simply choose the template that best fits your brand and event, customize the template to perfection, and you’re ready to print. Templates are the best way to ensure professional ticket designs you’ll be proud to distribute without needing professional design skills or time.
Host an event that benefits your ideal audience
Yes, business events can be fun, but that’s not the main purpose of hosting a live event. You want to attract new customers or clients and grow your brand. The first part of the planning process should be choosing an event that best fits your ideal audience.
For example, if you want to attract new B2B clients, hosting a carnival probably isn’t the best idea. You’ll want something more professional, like a workshop or conference. Think about your ideal customer and what kind of event they’d want to attend. The better you can match your event to the needs and interests of your ideal customers, the more successful it’ll be!
Set a realistic budget
Business events are supposed to make you money, but it’s easy for costs to spiral out of control. Before deciding on any other details, it’s important to set a clear and realistic budget.
First, set a monetary amount you definitely don’t want to exceed. How much are you willing to spend on this event? It can be easier to think about how much you’ll likely earn, and come up with a budget that leaves enough profit for your business. Then, try to think about every cost that will go into your event, including the venue, decorations, catering, and promotions, and allocate your budget accordingly.
As you’re going through the planning process, stick as close to your budget (or under) as you possibly can. And don’t forget to include a contingency just in case things get more expensive than you expect — or if something goes wrong. You don’t want to lose money on your event just because you didn’t budget properly.
Choose the right location
Similar to the type of event, it’s important to pick a location that fits with both your ideal audience and your brand. For example, you wouldn’t want to rent out a trampoline park for a professional business meeting!
You want your attendees to have a good time, but you also want the venue to feel consistent with your brand. For more professional events, think about meeting spaces like hotel conference or ballrooms or even a country club. More informal events can take place at a casual venue, like a brewery or restaurant, or even at your place of business (with a few decorations, of course).
You also want to make sure the venue is close to your ideal audience. The farther people have to travel, the fewer attendees you’re going to have. And don’t forget to keep your budget in mind as you choose the venue. They can get expensive!
Think about the timing
The timing of your live event is arguably just as important as your choice of venue. You want to make sure your target audience will be available to attend, but you also want to ensure your staff can properly assist guests.
Schedule your event during a time when you know your target audience is available. For example, if you want young professionals to show up, planning your event around lunch or after work would be ideal. If you want to attract parents of young children, late morning when the kids are at school would be best.
Many businesses like to plan events during their slow times. Not only does this help bring in more business when they’d otherwise have none, but it also means the staff will have plenty of time to work with guests, without worrying about being busy with other customers.
Partner with other businesses
Live events are a great opportunity to work with other businesses. Naturally, you wouldn’t want to bring a competitor to your event. But if you can find a few non-competing businesses with a similar clientele, you can all work together to ensure your event is well attended and grow your respective customer bases.
If every partner business promotes the event to their clientele, they can get more attendees than if any of the businesses hosted the event alone. It’s a great way to multiply your marketing reach and potentially make some new industry friends in the process.
Promote the event on social media
With all the logistics considered, it’s time to start promoting your event. Sending emails to all your regular customers and hanging signs around the store is a great start, but you want to reach as many people as possible. In 2023, just over 70% of the U.S. population uses some form of social media, which makes it the perfect place to promote your event!
Your social media posts need to adequately represent your event and your brand. They need to seem both enjoyable and professional. To simplify content creation, consider using templates for your social media graphics. Templates from websites like PosterMyWall are a great way to design quality and engaging social media posts in a fraction of the time.
Post to your various social media platforms regularly to ensure potential attendees don’t miss your event details. You can also create a Facebook event page to list the details and answer questions. You can even use your event page to track RSVPs and get a sense of how many people are likely to attend.
Grow your business with a live event
After years of virtual events and meetings, people are ready to be in person again! It’s the perfect time to host your business’s next live event.
Before you start sending invitations, be sure to design custom promotions like tickets and flyers, think about the type of event your ideal audience would enjoy, set a budget, choose the perfect location and time, partner with other businesses, and promote your event on social media. With a little planning, you can enjoy a successful live event guaranteed to grow your business.
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