20 Things Every Event Planner Should Include On Their Website

Today, we’re going to try something a little different. See, I’d like to think we’ve already driven home the importance of having a website – or at least some sort of online presence – as an event management professional. While it’s certainly possible to get by without a website, I wouldn’t advise it. After all, why miss out on an entire market of potential clients? Now, not all websites are created equal. There are certain elements which make one website more successful than another. If you really want to see a return on the effort you put into your site,…

How You Can Gain Better Engagement On Your Event Firm’s Facebook Page

There’s no doubt about it – social media has fundamentally changed how we communicate with one another, and in so doing, it’s also changed how businesses market themselves. It’s no longer acceptable for a brand to sit behind a TV screen or a legion of print ads – modern organization’s need to be online with their customers; they need to be willing to reach out to people. In short…they need to be social. Event management is no exception. Although I don’t particularly enjoy ‘all-or-nothing’ statements, it’s safe to say that the vast majority of event management firms could stand to…

Everything You Need To Know About Tracking Your Event Marketing Efforts

Marketing is actually a significantly more important aspect of event management than most people realize. If you don’t market your events effectively, then people don’t hear about them. If people don’t hear about them, then your attendance numbers start to decline. And if your attendance numbers start to decline; well… I think you can figure out the rest. Now, the trouble with marketing, especially in today’s events landscape, is that it’s incredibly complex. Even if you’re just doing a bit of advertising through social media, there are so many variables to keep track of that it’s nearly impossible to observe…

Why Every Event Manager Needs a CRM Platform

A Customer Relations Management (CRM) platform serves one primary purpose – it helps an organization to manage its dealings with both current and future clients. In so doing, it automates a great deal of customer relations – sales and marketing, technical support, and general customer service generally fall under the purview of such a system. I suspect most of you already have some idea of why a CRM platform is valuable from an event management perspective. After all, running events is only part of what you do; a great deal of your job involves managing people, as well. If you…

A Closer Look At Social’s Role In Event Planning

Everyone knows that social media’s changed something fundamental about the way we do business. The event industry is no exception to that, naturally. The birth of the social network has forced an evolution event management – perhaps more so than in any other field. With even a cursory look, it isn’t terribly difficult to understand why – and how – this happened. “In the event industry, people have always been social by nature – whether establishing personal connections at live events, understanding a clients meeting objectives, or negotiating a business deal with vendors.” explains Cvent’s Eric Eden. “It’s an innate…

What Should You Write About In Your Event Management Blog

Having an active blog is great for your event management business in many ways. First of all it helps with SEO, which will make you more visible on the internet to people searching for services you offer. Also, it’s important to have a social media presence, which is all about content! This provides relevant content for you to share and grows a community around what your company is about. Here are some ideas on what you should do as far as content. Take A Look At Your Industry As with any blog, your most important consideration is what you’re trying…

Why Every Event Manager Needs To Understand Content Creation

If you’ve paid even passing attention to the Internet, then you’ve probably heard the phrase “content marketing” before. You probably didn’t pay it much mind. After all, it’s mostly just a buzzword used by journalists and laymen to describe a concept they don’t fully grasp, right? How does content on the Internet have any real impact on you as an event planner whatsoever? You’d be surprised. Content creation has essentially become a cornerstone of the modern web. Nearly every business in the world is starting to look at creating a company blog, or stepping up their non-traditional advertising methods. …

The Importance Of Branding To Event Management

No matter what business you’re running, a strong brand is integral to your success. That applies to event management just like any other industry – albeit with a caveat or two. See, event planners occupy something of a strange space where branding’s concerned. I should explain. It’s incredibly rare for an event management firm to be noticed in any meaningful way by their guests. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve no concept of who ran the last few conferences I attended. I only recall the business they were running it for; the brand whose reputation that event was designed to cultivate.…

Event Managements Role In Lead Generation

Lead generation is the bread and butter of inbound marketing, and the core means by which B2B organizations generate revenue. It’s all about capturing the information of people interested in a company’s products or services, about driving interest in a particular business or brand. It’s also very closely related to event management – though many people don’t fully realize how closely. “Events such as user conferences, seminars, tradeshows, and road shows offer opportunities for organizations to capture deep and meaningful information about prospects in a short period of time.” explains Certain’s Michelle Schofield, “Beyond simply knowing a prospect has attended…

The Best Ways To Market Yourself & Your Business

I recently read an interesting piece on the Cvent blog titled “If You Don’t Share Your Successes, You’ll Hate Yourself Later.” Essentially, it talks about how event planners shouldn’t be afraid to tell people of their accomplishments – they shouldn’t be worried about tooting their own horn, so to speak. “Don’t assume that doing a good job is enough or that your work speaks for itself,” writes the author, Kristi Sanders. “Most corporations are run by bean counters and revenue magnets who see everything as a cost center or line item, humans with health benefits included…they only know what they…

Why An Event Management Blog Is Definitely Worth Your Time

Let’s have a little chat about content creation. I’ve briefly touched on its importance in the past; how it’s a cornerstone of the modern web and how it plays into successful event marketing. Today, I’d like to explore the topic with a little more depth – I’d like to explain why, in my opinion, every event management firm should at least dabble in blogging. I’m sure you’ve heard at least whisperings of the notion before – the idea that every business online should blog. Truth be told, I’d be a little surprised if the idea was a new one to…

Everything Your LinkedIn Should Have

No all event planners operate independent. If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the vast majority of event management professionals either work for a management firm or in a specialized department of an enterprise organization. In truth, I’d actually recommend this as the starting point for novice event planners, as it helps them to learn the skills and experience they might eventually use to set off on their own. Unfortunately, searching for a job carries its own pitfalls, particularly in the current market. In order to land yourself a spot anywhere noteworthy, you’re going to have to use…

How The Marketing Shift Has Changed Event Management

It should be clear to anyone who’s been paying even the least amount of attention that the world of marketing has changed. With the birth of social media, consumers demand more than a sizzling sales pitch or clever advertisement. The drastic shift in communication brought about by social networks such as Facebook has altered how consumers look at their brands. To be involved in marketing today isn’t just about telling customers why they should value a brand; it’s about establishing a relationship with those consumers. Not surprisingly, this shift has also resulted in a significant change to the events industry. Events…

The Role Of SEO In Event Management

As an event management professional, you might consider search engine optimization to be outside the scope of what you do. You might believe it’s something you need not concern yourself with. You’d be wrong. Search Engine Optimization actually plays a fairly vital role in event visibility, something which is directly correlated to both registration and ticket sales. If people can’t find your event website or portfolio through Google, you’re going to get less traffic. Less traffic in turn means fewer attendees and potential clients. See where I’m going with this? The problem, of course, is that SEO isn’t exactly a…

Perfecting The Art Of Gift Giving For Event Marketing

Everyone appreciates a good gift. So long as it’s something they’re actually interested in receiving, you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find someone who won’t willingly accept something for free. Not surprisingly, this means that gifting is actually among the most formidable strategies in any marketer’s arsenal. “When you look at the process of giving, it’s easy to see why it works as a form of marketing,” explains Cvent’s Jenise Fryatt. “A gift is offered that meets the needs of the receiver. The person receiving it uses it for his or her betterment, and is grateful to the giver. The receiver…

Foolish Marketing Tactics You Need To Avoid

Believe it or not, the most challenging thing about running an event isn’t often the logistical side of things – that’s something most event planners live and breathe. It’s marketing. Executing a successful campaign requires a deep knowledge of the event in question along with its guests. Not only that, it requires considerable marketing knowhow. The second bit is where a lot of event management professionals – novices in particular – tend to get tripped up. See, marketing isn’t exactly easy. Even one tiny mistake can render an entire marketing campaign useless. Factor in how much misinformation is currently floating…

Event Marketing FAQ

Planning an event is one thing. Implementing a sound marketing strategy is another thing entirely. When it comes to event marketing, there are sure to be many questions on your mind. Your goal is simple: to settle on a plan that will boost attendance and help ensure the overall success of the event. Here is a group of frequently asked questions related to event marketing. Once you answer these questions, it becomes much easier to move forward in a confident and concise manner. Which marketing tactics will generate the best results? There is no easy way of answering this question,…

Five Mediums You Can Use To Market An Event

So, you’ve got this great idea for a conference, and you know exactly who you want on staff. Your brand has a clear end goal regarding what they want to achieve here, and you’ve given yourself more than enough time to adequately prepare yourself. There’s just one problem…no one actually knows about your event yet. I’ve said in the past that event management is a vital element in any marketer’s toolkit, but the inverse is true, as well: marketing skills are invaluable for any event management professional worth their salt. Knowing how to get the word out about a conference…

How Much of Your Budget to Save for Marketing

As an event management professional, budgeting can be one of the most difficult tasks you’ll ever do. Sadly, it’s also the most important – failure to set a proper budget for an event makes it infinitely more likely that you’re going to end up with a catastrophe on your hands further down the line. For that reason, it’s imperative that you get your budget figured out before launching into the planning phase. Now, every event is different; no two events will have a budget that looks entirely identical. There are still some rules and guidelines you can follow to ensure…

Getting Your Attendees More Invested In Your Events

It sort of goes without saying that you want people to remember the events you put on. You want them to talk about your firm and your brand for months afterwards; to wait with bated breath for your next convention. Naturally, the best way to do that is to give them exactly what they want. Now, here’s where things get a little complicated – information and entertainment are only part of the equation. These days, it’s not necessarily enough for people to go to a conference and passively absorb information, or attend a convention where they wander aimlessly around the…

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