TIPS & TRICKS

Decibel Management is proud of providing tailor-made event management ideas for all clients. While many in our industry view event planning on a grand scale, preparing political campaign stops around the country for inside the Beltway types or booking out the grandest ballrooms around, they are forgetting that the overwhelming majority of events are done on a much simpler scale.

Why should events, that are smaller in scope or attendance, be left out in the cold? Especially when, with a few easy tips, any size of event can punch far above its weight class.

Crowdfunding

Small is sexy. The advantage of a smaller event is that its attendance base will likely feel passionate about it. This gives you the power to correctly assess how successful your event will be. A number of crowdfunding platforms give you a couple of good options. Put your event up online, and ask attendees to state how many tickets they will need and commit to buying them on the day. You can guarantee an event will take place only if a number of tickets are sold.

Advertising on social networks

Targeted ads on Facebook can be annoying, but they are getting quite amazingly relevant. Any event that is held with a strong local and thematic setting can massively benefit from buying an ad space on Facebook or LinkedIn several weeks out, linked to a Facebook page or website about the event. As time goes pass, it is almost certain any on with an interest in your event (and who is not a social media neophyte) will see it.

Local bloggers

If local bloggers are known to you as local bloggers, they are probably known to other people as local bloggers. While this might seem like a fairly simplistic summary, it is a good way to spread awareness. Local communities tend to have their ways of finding out information about what is happening, particularly since the decline of small-town papers.

Underestimate turnout

This might seem counterintuitive, and in terms of planning, it is. But we re not talking about logistics, we re talking about estimations in terms of sponsorship. Why would anyone with 300 people coming sell their event as only bringing in 200? Well, it s always better to make your sponsors happy than disappointed. Bringing in less sponsorship the first time you hold an event but impressing them with a higher turnout that announced will go a long way towards guaranteeing their continued support the next time around.

Know your limitations

Every event manager knows one of their brethren who tries to do too much, or lends too much importance to smaller-scale events. Constantly assess how each piece of your event will be relevant to attendees, understand that you can wow people without over-reaching, and that, even if everything doesn t go right, a positive attitude will allow people to be much more forgiving of any mishaps.