WordPress Event Ticketing

Organising bigger events such as festivals, conferences, gigs, fundraisers, and weddings seems rather overwhelming at times due to their complexity and importance. The number of things to take into account might set you a back since it is quite difficult to anticipate what can go wrong while trying to do it right. However, if you take a moment to think and organize, you will realize that success is at the hands reach - all you need is a plan and some imagination.

First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. - Napoleon Hill

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If you manage to apply the quote from above to your event organisation, you are on a track of being noticed, prolific and leading in the field of managing events. We have come to realize that the key to success lies in organization and knowing where you are every step of the way. Having a systematic approach and guideline will practically do the job for you.

1. Define the purpose. The first thing you need to do is determine and define the reason why you are organising the event and what is your final goal. Setting this straight will get you to the appropriate venue, right number of people, proper catering and the suitable event theme. Same rules and preferences cannot be applied equally to all kinds of events; for example, weddings and music festivals, which is why you need to be meticulous about this first step.

 

2. Study the “brand”. Whatever the purpose of your event is, you need to think about it as your “brand”. Your event is your product which you want to market and present in the best of light. From this very reason, you need to know the strengths and weaknesses of your organisation and make the best out of it. The good old SWAT analysis or the 5 WH’s will do the trick here. Once you know the highlights of the event, take them and boost them, make them the centre of attention for your guests or participants, while you try to deal with weaknesses in the most productive and efficient way.

 

3. Identify the target audience. Another crucial question that will make or break your event is audience. What you want is to amaze them, wow them and sweep them of their feet in order to make your event successful. How to do this? The answer is simple: research the interests of the target group that will be a part of your event and do everything you can to please them. Make them remember your event and talk about it weeks after.

 

4. Plan the logistics. “Small things make perfection”. Have this quote in mind when organising transportation of material needed at the event, selling tickets, booking hotels, airport, train or bus tickets for your guests, setting up surveillance, media coverage, hiring a photographer, a band, light and sound system and saying thank you to everyone in the end. These are only some of many things to take care of, which tend to slip form one’s mind quite often.

 

5. Plan the budget. One of the rather tangible issues, you will agree, is funding the event. Unless we are talking about a wedding where the budget origin is clear, a special attention needs be paid to funds. Whether we are talking about internal or external financing, try researching all of your options which, depending on the nature of the event, range from government grants, sponsorships, merchandising sales, paying participant and spectator fees to organising raffles.

 

6. Set the date. If you have never thought about the importance of dates, now is the time to start. When deciding on your event date, take some time to inquire about the events happening at the same time as yours. Look into the interests of your target group and find out where they intend to be on that day. Of course, organising events during vacation time is as wrong as organising gatherings during the rush hour or middle of the week.

 

7. Have feedback. The last but not the least important is making sure you have feedback from participants. Be open to criticism and embrace it as it will guide you to improvement, upgrade and progress. Nevertheless, you do want to know the things you are doing right so as to boost your ego and motivation for the next task.  

As you can see, doing the event management properly will provide you with a tool for strategic marketing and communication with your target group. How valuable is that?