Open your doors
Just as with any business partner who provides value-added services — your attorney, your accountant, your banker — you need to develop a relationship with your event management firm. It is not enough to call once and spend a couple of minutes determining when and where you should hold the annual sales meeting.
The more your firm knows about you and your business, the more it will be able to implement continuity in your events from one year to the next. The firm will also be able to understand how each event fits into the larger scope and culture of your business and be able to remain on budget throughout the year.
“What many smart event management companies in our position do is to really embed ourselves in the businesses of our clients,” says Nan Lyons, vice president of sales and marketing, Nth Degree. “We look at the event side but also at what their objectives are, what their business goals are, and really understand that.”
They can help keep you up to date on newer technology, too. Online event registration has proved popular during recent years because of low costs and the relative ease with which event attendees can sign up. Virtual events are also popular, especially now that travel budgets are reduced and fewer people are flying extensively. And social media is gaining momentum. Event management and social media work hand in hand. Whether promoting an event or a product launch, many event managers embrace the technology because of its ability to all but eliminate marketing costs while also reaching a far wider potential audience.
“Social media is just a better, faster, cheaper version of word-of-mouth,” Lyons says. “But how is that Twitter post better? Who owns that dialogue? How do you manage it? We definitely have that full integration.”
The world is smaller. Your events might be, too, but keep holding them. Maintain your public image. The business world, after all, might not be a party right now, but it is an event not to be missed.