An Extremely Dangerous Event Planning Mistake
This is a really important post, so please carefully consider the information that follows . . .
One HUGE mistake made by event organizers and event planners is holding an event that’s “never been done before.” The previous statement should always be followed up with the following question, “WHY has that kind of event never been done before?”
When it comes to planning events, being overly ambitious or even too creative can be very dangerous to your pocketbook.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
My suggestion to you is don't try and reinvent the wheel - especially if you're new to event planning or event promotions. Look towards events that are easy money makers as opposed to being a cool event.
In my experience cool / fringe events are the most difficult events to get people to attend. That’s why I love doing air show and beer festival event marketing. There is already “a starving crowd” for air shows and beers festivals. The deck is already stacked in my favor.
Instead of trying to come up with something brand new - model your event after another successful event. Keep the emphasis on modeling other events. You should NEVER steal someone else’s event idea and run with it. Ideally you want to model events that are outside of your local area. Most event organizers are very willing to share their insider secrets, provided you're not in direct competition with them. In terms of types of events – look for recurring events and those that have a proven track record.
Use the Inter-Webs (Internet)!
Start with a Google search. Look for other events that you know to be successful (long track record). You might need to cross reference the event on news sites. Successful events typically get good press. It's important to do comprehensive research. As part of your research, find contact information for the event organizer. If there isn't any information on the site, look at the domain's WhoIs record. Press clippings might also prove useful in finding an event organizer. When you find the information, email or call the event organizer. Go for the top of the food chain - find the people / person in charge. My other recommendation is to call up people, instead of emailing. You'd be pleasantly surprised how willing successful event organizers are to talk with you regarding their event.
The whole idea behind the above premise is to try to find a successful event and model it. I'm all for innovation and creativity in the event industry . . . but you need to start with very strong foundation first. Creativity can bankrupt you in the event business. You can try something completely different when you get a few victories under your belt.
Want to get more great info? Check out the articles below:
- Event Planning - The Customer Avatar and Your Event
- When to Start Selling Tickets to Your Event
- A Negative Question to Create a Better Event
- Automatically Generate Leads for Your Event Year Round
- How to Get Them To Your Event
- Why Well Planned Events Fail
- Getting Them to Buy Tickets Early
- The Event Promotion System
Get Your Free Event Promotion & Marketing Video Training
The event planning industry is so competitive that you can't help but try to think out-of-the-box to make your event different or stand out. I guess there's a positive and a negative to trying out something new. It could work. But then again, doing something that's been tried and tested is definitely a safer route.
Posted by: Sarah Symeoy | 09/24/2010 at 00:48