What is event management

Simply put, no matter how good your venue, speakers or entertainment are, failure to get the basics factors right, such as budgeting and logistics, means that you could expose yourself to potentially unforeseen challenges. So think of it like this, the more time you invest in event management, the more professional your event will be. The quick rise of online events has quickly forced us to take our know-how of in-person event management and adapt it to the virtual world.

Tasks such as finding a venue, creating health and safety protocols and catering have been replaced by finding the right technology and creating valuable content and engaging attendees. These can be applied to any event and should give you plenty of insight that can be applied directly to your events, in whatever shape or form it takes. Start off by identifying what it is you want to achieve, focus on one goal and really go for it. In many instances, this will be self-evident.

For example, maybe you want to launch a new product or perhaps you want to generate extra leads. Microdisect what it is you want to achieve and map out the actions that will get you there. This will help refine the scope of your event and identify the actions required to achieve your goal. The more research you conduct, the more detailed and refined the event will be.

Importantly, this will give you the foundations to start designing your event so go through every detail, however, small it may be. To get the ball rolling, here is a list of questions that can help you iron out these details:. Doing so allows you to identify any problems that could arise early on. Here are some of the action you need to take, to get you over the last hurdle and to ensure that you run a smooth and successful event.

The first action, done 12 to 48 hours after the event, is to send your attendees a thank you email with a post-event survey. This gives attendees plenty of time to digest how they found the event, providing you with plenty of insight on how to improve. These meetings and conversations are very useful to share personal impressions and identify what can be done to moving forward.

Organising events is a big challenge, but it is an activity that can bring huge benefits. Additionally, a strong event brand provides a vision and helps to steer the direction of your event. Additionally, think about how your brand will come across online and in real life. Lastly, consider how you will weave your event brand into the individual elements of your event. With these branding elements solidified, you should use them across all platforms including, your event website, social media, emails, tickets and registration, and your event app.

Want more on branding? Check out our Guide to Event Branding. Set your agenda as early as possible! Is there a keynote speaker? Will there be an extra day or evening planned just for your sponsors? As you answer these preliminary questions, you can begin to build a high-level view of your event program. You can make changes to the schedule after you have begun to market your event and registration begins to grow.

Technology makes this easy to quickly make updates to the schedule on your website and mobile app. Your attendees will want to know what to expect, so it is best if you have the basic framework confirmed as early as possible.

Additionally, the schedule is an important selling point for sponsors as well! In addition to the core event program, there are a number of other program aspects to think about. If your event is a full day or multiple day event, you should also think about planning:.

Speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors are common ways to add value for your attendees and can offset costs. Here are two ways to add speakers:. If you have an engaged community, hosting an open call for session submissions is a great way to utilize your partners and customers as speakers.

Typically an open call will require individuals to submit a session abstract that outlines the session topic and value proposition. With this, your team will review submitted abstracts, select speakers, and communicate with those who have been selected and those who were not. Reversely, if you have individuals in mind, you can invite them to speak at your event.

In reaching out to a prospective speaker, provide a compelling snapshot of the event and audience, and also convey your enthusiasm for them participating in the event. Keep in mind, invited speakers often expect compensation as well as travel and lodging provided. Create a speaker agreement that includes necessary information like presentation expectations, content deadlines, available technology onsite, and compensation. Be clear about your expectations upfront, so there are no surprises the day before the event!

Continue communicating beyond sending initial confirmation communication and speaker agreement. Make sure to provide materials as you develop them. Requiring speakers to submit their final presentations, send a reminder to ensure each speaker gets it to you on time. Build a list of sponsors you want to participate in your event.

Before reaching out to them, conduct research to understand how they would benefit from participating in your event. Do they have mutual customers? Complimentary services? You should also ensure every potential sponsor brings value to your attendees. Take the time to create tailored proposals that highlight those unique benefits and be sure to emphasize them when reaching out. Additionally, before reaching out to potential sponsors, take the time to create sponsorship packages.

Your packages should offer varying levels of cost and benefit. Another common way to bring in sponsors is with an exhibitor package. Each exhibitor sponsorship agreement comes with a specific amount of allotted space for your exhibitors to occupy, brand, and engage with your attendees. Schedule dedicated exhibitor time blocks to encourage attendees to walk around and engage. Technology is improving the event space for both organizers and event-goers.

Certain technologies will need to be implemented far before the event, while others can hold off until closer to the big day s. Managing attendee registration is more seamless than ever! Eventbrite and other online platforms make it possible to start selling tickets in minutes. Events are complex, but project management software helps to alleviate some of the stress.

Trello can get you started on the right foot with a number of event planning templates. Streamline your communications and enhance the attendee experience with an event app.

A mobile app, like one you can create with Guidebook , enables attendees to access schedules, build a custom agenda, interact with other attendees, and more.

A mobile app is a valuable tool in fostering an engaging, informed environment — whether virtually or in-person. To see benefits from an event app, your app should be an integrated component of an event strategy.

Ensure every attendee has everything they need in the palm of their hands to have a stellar event experience. Get started on Builder today to see how easy it is! Start building. A goal. Your event has a purpose from the beginning, which will drive content, speakers, and the venue. You have to build a branded event website that entices visitors to attendee your event. If no one knows about your event, how will they register?

Targeted email marketing is a great way to promote your events when you have a vast database. Other ways to promote? Social media continues to be one of the best free promotional channels. The purpose of the event is always to make connections. These leads will be critical when it comes to proving your Event ROI. Data gained throughout the process will help you do this. Live polling is a great way to find out how attendees felt about the event. Event management is about pulling together an incredible experience, facilitating connections, adding leads to sales pipeline, and proving success.

Skip to main content. What is Event Management? Event Management is Event Planning Event planning goes by many different names. Virtual Event Management In today's new environment, we have had to learn how to manage not only our in-person events but our virtual programs as well.