5 Tips For Hosting An Event
It seems that no matter where you turn, you are being invited to a hosted event. Whether it is at a brewery, winery, bar, restaurant, or even at your friends or family’s house, you are inundated with a variety of choices. Every day and every week you you are having to pick and choose which event you attend simply because there is so much happening.
So, as a business, you decide to jump in the mix and plan and host your own event. After the day comes and goes, you get minimal traffic and things didn’t go nearly as well as you envisioned. What happened? The next time you’re planning to host an event, here are FIVE TIPS to ensure your event is a success.
1. Overestimate workload
So many people we talk to echo the sentiments that planning a SUCCESSFUL event is so much more work than they anticipated. If you’re already the chief cook and bottle washer and your normal days are extremely busy and time consuming, how can you properly allocate the time and attention a great event requires? The more unique the event, typically the more moving parts there are, and the last thing a small business wants to worry about is the manpower and time required to plan a successful event event.
2. Forethought is crucial
This is a key component and something that is missed far too often. Everyone’s schedules book up quickly, especially those with young families at home and those with an active personal schedule. We can’t tell you how many times an event has popped onto our radar at the last minute when we’re already committed on the same day and time. Even if you can only get a general overview of your event online, including your website and your social channels, while you work out the details, it is worth getting it in front of people in the interim as a save the date.
3. Promotion is key
Don’t forget about promotion! We often see businesses post an event on their Facebook page or website and then we don’t see any promotion around it to build excitement. You can’t just set your event up and then forget about it. Make sure to use all of the tools available to you; whether it be a mailing list, Facebook page, Twitter following, or website traffic, you want to make sure you build excitement so people don’t back out or make other plans.
4. Plan something FUN
What is unique to your event versus the other events happening lately in your area and in your field? These days, a tap takeover, a hosted food truck or a bottle release will rarely do it. Stop thinking what would make a good event, and start thinking about what makes a great EXPERIENCE. Take a minute to put your consumer hat on and walk in the shoes of your drinker. Before you book a run of the mill event, think: what would YOU be excited to attend?
5. Establish success metrics
If you don’t set a goal for this event, how will you gauge that it has been a hit? Is it to increase in-house sales on a slow night by 50%? Is it to push a slow-moving product and get back-stock out the door? Or is it simply to forge relationships with your community and create loyalties to your brand? All are great goals, but that goal needs to be established and you need to analyze your results so you can properly measure success and convey that goal to anybody involved in the planning of the event.
Why GOOD Events Matter
Your underlying goal should always be that your attendees walk away talking about how great your event was, the social chatter echoes on for days and gets into the ears of your regional area and you should see an increase in web, social and foot traffic.
We hope that these tips for hosting an event will help you in planning for your next craft beverage promotion, because a well-planned event is something that people will talk about time and time again. If you are receiving feedback about an event that you have hosted in the past, try to recollect what went well, (or what didn’t go well) and how you can utilize what you learned so that all of your events become memorable for the right reasons.
About Measured Methods
Our guest contributor is Measured Methods.
Measured Methods is a service agency focusing on the craft beverage industry. With a diverse range of professional backgrounds, the team at Measured Methods works with craft brands of all sizes to provide digital marketing, event, and sales support.
Measured Methods are also organizers of the 2015 Vermont Beer Week celebration.
Learn more about how Measured Methods can support your business by visiting their website or joining them on Social: @MeasuredMethods
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Featured photo credit: Fusion festival 2010 – Bachstelzen floor via photopin (license)