Partner Article

3 very different events

I have produced 3 very different events in the past 7 days. They were poles apart in almost every aspect but had an interesting common theme; they all gave value to attendees by focussing on what they really needed from the event.

Lots of events are constructed and held to make the organisers money! Many corporate awards ceremonies are no different to the Lee Evans comedy tour, or the Take That concerts. They all attract a fare paying audience who believe that the experience they receive is worth the entrance fee. And there is nothing intrinsically wrong with this when it comes to conference and awards events.

The problem comes when this perception of value is lost, and let’s face it, attending an awards dinner at a pleasant but average hotel for the thick end of £100 is bound to test this belief in today’s climate. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find attendances at some of these events struggling

What made the 3 events that I produced last week interesting was that they did fairly well audience wise. We staged an awards ceremony which had previously been a “sit-down” chicken dinner which lasted all night, as a simple theatre style presentation at 6pm followed by a bowl food buffet. It was all over by 9pm with guests enjoying the awards, the networking and the ticket price which was a quarter of a comparable dinner. The organisers also constructed it in a way where money making wasn’t the primary objective. It was all about the much needed recognition of the innovative work in a particular sector. More organisers should take note.

The second event was a Continuing Professional Development day for surveyors. Hosted and organised to offer a service to the profession the event offered a real high impact, efficient opportunity for a range of surveying professionals to gain key information and updates. In responding to the market, organisers also offered the chance to attend for particular sessions rather than the full day. Having worked on plenty of these projects it has become noticeable that it is no longer about a day out of the office and a free lunch, with the emphasis very much on learning in time effective manner.

The final event was an internal staff event designed to deliver important updates to a national workforce. It was compulsory to attend and clearly never intended to make money. But it had to be good in order to be effective. Again, by focusing on what the audience wanted and needed to hear we were able to work with the organisations senior management and comms team to create a successful event. A number of memorable “wow” factors were incorporated, together with plenty of multimedia and interactivity, which made the process tremendously valuable for everyone.

So, another 3 great events, but significantly 3 events without huge budgets which delivered real value to their respective audiences by focusing on them. As the economy changes so do corporate events; it is no longer appropriate to see them as direct cash generators. They need to work as part of a much wider commercial strategy rather than being it alone.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by R&B Group .