First thing’s first, you should ask yourself what the purpose of the event is and who it’s aimed at. The answers to these will help you form the basis of how to make sure it succeeds. Here are some of the factors you should consider when planning your event:
Choose the Right Setting
You have countless options for locations when planning an event in London. However, some of the venues with the ‘right’ postcode may in fact be difficult to access. Think about how far the delegates are likely to travel from, the way they’ll be likely to arrive (train, tube, car, uber, bus) and whether there’s cost-effective accommodation nearby if the delegates are travelling a significant distance.
You’ll want somewhere with the ‘wow’ factor so that people are impressed as soon as they arrive at your event. Something like One Marylebone offers you a unique space that can host a number of events, its grand setting is incredibly photogenic and best of all, easy to get to!
Take the Event to Social Media
To get the maximum exposure, you should make your event accessible on social media. By making it a shareable event, you can promote it for free on your Twitter, Facebook and Instagram business accounts and delegates can forward it on to anyone they think will be interested.
Another way to get people talking about your event is by creating a hashtag. This will allow delegates (or people who are perhaps on the fence about attending) to keep up-to-date with the preparations and updates. Plus, during the event they can tweet about it in real time or take a photo and tag it on Instagram.
Social media provides the ideal way to raise awareness about your event and its purpose with a circle of contacts outside of your own. Plus, you can monitor the hashtag to see how people are responding to your event and use it to connect with new contacts afterwards.
Establish a Talking Point
Ahead of the event, it might be useful to establish a talking point to drum up some interest. This could be anything from a competition (perhaps a giveaway of some sort) or advertising a guest speaker or expert demonstration of a product. This depends entirely on what your event is for, of course, but it could attract a new audience who could be encouraged to attend.
It could also inspire curiosity and encourage people to share your event online and recommend others through word of mouth.
Make the Guests Feel Special
Last but not least, make sure your guests feel welcomed at your event. Remember important touches like an excellent buffet, acknowledgements for key delegates in the programme/agenda and gift bags for them to take away with them. This will all make your event more memorable and your delegates will feel like it was worth taking time out of their day.
Don’t forget to add your branding to these though – at the end of the day, you’re there to promote your business, product or service! Business cards and marketing materials are an important part of your event; they’ll help your delegates become familiar with your brand and give them all the details to get in touch to do business with you!
Your event in London has every chance to be a huge success when you lay the right groundwork. Follow our tips on how to hold a successful event in London and you’ll have the basis for what will be a beneficial day for both you and your delegates.
