This Event Crashed & "Burned" ... Badly
Do You Do This With All Your Event Promotion?

Regarding an Event Promotion Idea ..."Yeah, that won't work for us!"

"Yeah, that won't work for us." That is what I was told by an event operations manager. Those words were in response to a new offer for an ultra-exclusive VIP ticket. For this story, let’s refer to them as “Event A.” At the same time, another event organizer at “Event B” attempted to implement the very same VIP ticket and event promotion plan at their upcoming event.

Yeah_That_Event_Promotion_Wont_Work_For_Us

In this instance, we are talking about a ticket and marketing process that had been tested and proven across North America and Europe. Both events “A & B” are in the same vertical marketplace. They also share the same customer demographic and psychographic profile.

All told, over one million dollars of the same kind of ultra-exclusive VIP tickets, using a similar marketing strategy, had previously been sold at other events. After a million dollars of sales, one could argue: tested & proven.

(In case you’re wondering … I'm somewhat vague here on details. My goal isn’t to trash events or event organizers. It is to convey an important take away.)

Alas …

“Event A” is unenthusiastic about the VIP ticket idea and doesn’t implement (counter-intuitive) strategies well. If they think it’s dumb, they don’t do it – regardless of what the data indicates. Hence, lousy attitude and lousy implementation. No bones about it - their event and their decision! End result: zero ultra-exclusive VIP tickets sold.

“Event B” is entirely on board with the idea and implements the ultra-exclusive VIP ticket at a decent level. Not fantastic implementation (slightly above average), but an honest effort. Their result in year one $23,375 USD of VIP ticket sales. Year two $32,192 USD of VIP ticket sales. All with zero additional advertising or marketing spend. To be clear, those numbers represent GROSS ticket revenue, not net income.

Is it guaranteed that “Event A” would have done as well as “Event B” with a little more enthusiasm and commitment? No!
Even if it's a winning idea. The measure of your success will likely be determined by the conviction of you and your team’s implementation. (Didn't really want to use big words, but that's how it came out.)

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right." - Henry Ford

Again, I can’t guarantee that even if you model another event’s marketing or ticketing types, you’ll be as successful. But I can tell you from first-hand experience, all the other event organizers that sold $1 million of the same VIP ticket type were enthusiastic and committed to success. Several SOLD OUT their VIP ticket areas!

Takeaway of the day … if you’re going to implement something new at your next event, do your homework first and then give it 100%.

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