Managing and coordinating an event can be a rewarding experience, but there are situations that make even the most experienced event planner squirm and cower with fear. To overcome these obstacles, the experts at InsideOut PR have created a checklist of an event planner’s worst nightmares and how you can more effectively manage the situation when putting your own event together – remember prevention is the best cure!

No-one RSVPs – The key to ensuring you get RSVPs to your event is to sell it correctly. Choose your guest list wisely, make the time/place of the event convenient for attendees and ensure every guest you invite has a reason to be there. Don’t underestimate the importance of the actual invitation; give them an invite that blows them away! If you are hosting an aviation conference, don’t waste time inviting miners and if you know that your target audience spend their Sundays watching football, don’t organise the event to be held on a Sunday. Everyone is so busy these days, that as a host, you need to put in place an additional process of calling invitees to help maximise your numbers.

Gate crashers – The dreaded gate-crashers are inevitable, so be prepared. Oftentimes, they are remorseful for their lack of RSVP, but either way it is best to don a smile and continue to play the generous host-and if you’re handing out name tags, be sure to have some blank ones handy. If they are an unwanted guest, weigh up the benefits and disadvantages of turning them away before you confront them. Choose your battles wisely as nothing can be as embarrassing as having the gate crasher causing a ruckus mid-event.

Party goers are having too much fun – It’s great to see guests having fun, but how do you deal with a guest that has had one too many cocktails? Be sure to brief your serving staff before the event begins and be clear with them on your expectations for the tone of the event. If you wish to keep the event formal and professional, maybe only offer each person one alcoholic beverage on arrival, or only bring out drinks at a special part of the evening – maybe a toast. If all else fails, pull the offending party away from the crowd and have a polite word in their ear, this is usually enough of a wake-up call.

Murphy makes an appearance – If anything can possibly go wrong on the day of the event, it probably will – it’s called Murphy’s Law! Take a risk assessment prior to the event and have a back-up for anything you have identified. The assessment allows you to be mindful of the possible risks and keep an eye out for the liabilities before they escalate into something more dramatic.

The best way to ensure your event goes off without a hitch is to hire the experts to coordinate it for you! InsideOut PR has a track record of delivering memorable and entertaining events that will leave your audience feeling inspired and connected with your brand. For more information, visit www.insideoutpr.com.au

Have you ever been to a product launch and left not knowing a thing about the new product except that it is new? Or wondered why they had the event at the venue they did, or the entertainment was who it was? Or see anything from the company again that related to that night?

If so, you’ve been to an event without a communications strategy at its core.

If the cocktails and canapés aren’t working for you at your events, then what is?

An event of any style and size can be a very effective cornerstone of a well thought-out marketing communications strategy.

The explosion of experiential marketing, PR stunts and VIP events reveals the power of literally letting your audiences engage directly with your brand.

The two most important elements of your brand – its personality and values – are the things that can come alive at events, making for memorable experiences.

To begin, brand and key messages must be articulated, clear and well supported. This, together with the aim of the event is the best starting point – rather than the physical elements of the event such as the venue and food choices.

When the messaging is clear it is easier to work through your event decisions. For example, instead of asking ‘what’ venue, ‘what’ food and ‘what’ entertainment, put your mind in the position of your audience who will ask, ‘why’ this venue, ‘why’ this wine, ‘why’ this entertainment. Make all your elements speak the key messages for you.

It is important to tie the event back to the other aspects of your marketing communications strategy. How can you link the event back to your website, e-newsletter, social media and PR?

Extending your event out through your other mediums will drive that event spend further and allow you to get more value out of your canapés.

Felicity Zadro.

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