Months in the meticulous planning, over in days or even hours…. and forgotten about soon after?
If this doesn’t sound like a sensible way to approach a business event, then you’re absolutely right – but all too often this is exactly how things go.
So how can you make sure an event is not the corporate equivalent of a child digging a hole in the beach, then trying to fill it with water? How do you stop all those messages, those connections, those ideas and opportunities, and all that learning from just seeping away?
It’s not enough to simply plan and execute a great business event. These days they are rarely conceived in isolationand are now most commonly seen as an investment for a given business objective – part of the story of a business.
Keeping a focus on outcomes is just as important as making sure your event packs a punch at the timeand runs like clockwork. From the outset,you need to consider the mechanisms by which you can cascade that content to the wider business in the longer term.
Part of that is capturing it, be it filming the speakers, creating visual and text resources, or investing in online portals and platforms. Crucially these resources need to be easily navigable post-event, not just for the original audience, but also for the wider business.
It might also mean bringing on board other pieces of communications work around the same set of objectives, perhaps taking advantage of internal infrastructure and existing mechanisms, training champions to share those messages, or organising further workshops or forums to disseminate and develop them.
Techniques, like continuing the creative design theme and using the same language, will help ensure those messages are delivered clearly and consistently. And, when the next event comes around, you’re not starting from scratch, you’re building on what has come before.
While business events can be impactful in their own right, it’s when their messages become rooted and grow that you see the real return on investment and on objectives. The trick is to harness the enthusiasm and momentum they generate. Disseminate, follow-up and reinforce to ensure your event has not just relevance – but resonance too.
Got any questions or need a hand with your own event? Drop us an email or pick up the phone.
Email: info@uksv.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 1425 480444