CAREER & HIRING ADVICE

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Why and How to Host a Business Event

Businesses have a lot on their plate, so it’s understandable that anything that takes time, effort, and money yet does not promise an instant ROI will be overlooked. For that reason, many businesses shy away from hosting business events, believing that there are more pressing tasks that should be addressed.

While it’s important to pick the right time, hosting a business event really can be worth the effort. In this post, we’ll run through some of the benefits that they offer before outlining some handy tips that will ensure your event is an all-out success.

Why

First, let’s take a look at why you should host an event. Many businesses — of all sizes — host events each year, so there must be a reason for it! Turns out, there are plenty of reasons why. Let’s take a look. 

Raise Awareness

The greater the number of people who know about your business, the more likely it is to be successful. Hosting an event gives you an excellent opportunity to showcase what your business is all about to people who may not yet have come across your brand. Plus, if you can target the right audience, then you’ll have people who already have an interest in your type of products/services. 

The brand awareness benefits can extend beyond just the attendees, too. If they share content from your event on their social media platforms, your reach could be far and wide. 

Make Connections

You probably won’t make any direct sales during your business event — or at least, you won’t make many/shouldn’t expect to. But you will make connections, and they can be even more valuable. For instance, you might make a connection with someone else in your industry who can provide opportunities, or you might demonstrate the value of your products/services to someone who may be interested in buying further down the line. You simply never know what might happen in the months after you’ve held an event. 

Solidify Your Branding

In the early days of a business, branding is mostly all talk. While it might form the basis of the business, it rarely — if ever — has a chance to be genuinely showcased in all its glory. Business events provide an opportunity to demonstrate and solidify your branding, which can have internal as well as external benefits.

Galvanize Employees

Your employees will, if you’ve hired correctly, be committed to the success of the business. However, even the most committed employees can begin to feel a little unenthused with the status quo from time to time. Hosting a business event provides an opportunity for your staff to get out of the office and into a more fun and relaxed environment. Plus, they’ll likely have their own thoughts about what to include in the event. Look at including your team in the event decision-making process whenever possible. 

Have a Forward-Thinking Mindset

Energy is paramount for long-term business success. Take a look at businesses that fall behind the times, and you’ll often find that it wasn’t that their products/services are bad — it’s just that they began to feel like a tired business. Hosting an event can help to galvanize the brand, providing an injection of energy that can bring a renewed spirit. 

How

OK, now that we’ve outlined all of the benefits of hosting a business event, let’s take a look at how you can actually do it. Hosting an event does take some time/effort/money, but not to a damaging degree. Follow the tips we’ve outlined below, and you’ll be on your way towards hosting an event that brings real value to your brand.

Pick the Type of Event

To begin, you’ll need to decide what type of event you’ll host. There’s no shortage of options — you could host an event to launch a new product/service, or perhaps you host a party to celebrate a success. You could also host a Christmas/Holiday party, or just put together an event as a way for industry professionals to get to know one another. When you think about it, you’ll probably find that there’s a specific type of event that makes sense for your business. 

Get the Essentials 

You’ll need some essentials when you’re hosting a business event. In the early stages of planning, you can just think as if you are hosting a general party — you can put a business spin on it later. For example, you’ll need to find an appropriate venue and, depending on the type of event you’re hosting, think about providing food and drinks. Balloons, decorations, and other event staples must also be procured. It’s worthwhile looking at investing in custom plastic cups with logo, too; not only will they set the tone for your event, but your guests may take them home with them, which means they’ll always have a slice of your brand with them. 

Invite and Promote

Your business event won’t be a success if no one turns up! You’ll need to send out invitations as early as possible so that your guests have enough time to put it in their schedule. If your event is open to the public, then you’ll need to work extra hard to promote it and make sure people turn up. Depending on the type of audience you’re hoping to attract, paying to promote your Instagram posts can be beneficial. 

Bring the Enthusiasm

This is your opportunity to put your brand’s best foot forward, so make sure everyone’s ready to dazzle. You might consider giving your workers a day off before the event, so they can arrive fully refreshed and ready to go.

Post-Event Work 

Finally, remember that the real work will begin once the event is over. At this point, you should be following up on any connections you’ve made, reviewing how you think the event went, and using any photos/videos from the event in your marketing materials. The real value of the event will be determined at this stage — if you make sales/obtain opportunities, then it’ll all have been worth it. 

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