Hosting an event is one of the most wonderful ways you can fill your venue. However, if you don’t put in the time and effort to plan it properly and throw an event to remember, it could take a turn for the worst, leaving you owing more than you made. This week, we have everything you need to know about hosting an event at your venue.
Hosting an Event at your Venue: Planning
Planning your event is one of the most important elements if you want your night to be a success. Not only will it be something to remember, but it will give your customers a reason to come back time and time again. The first thing you should do is identify what it is that you want to get out of the event. From there, you can plan accordingly. Here are some questions you should ask yourself:
- What is the main goal?
- What is the budget and how much can you spend in each segment of the event?
- Who is your audience and what do they like?
- Is this event tied to a particular holiday or time of year?
- How will you market and promote this event?
Once you have answered these questions, you can then determine your next steps. You should know exactly how many people you need promoting your team and assign particular roles for certain areas. You should also know which platforms you should promote your event on, whether you need ad spend and if you need to spend any money on extra talent such as musicians, mixologists, etc.
Hiring the right Talent
Talent is often a big area of focus that will bring people to your venue. However, the kind of event or venue you are working with, you need to be sure you have the right talent. You also need to consider what your audience is interested in. Do you need a DJ, local band, or maybe even dancers? Once you know this, you can determine a budget for the equipment that goes with it, such as lighting or sound equipment.
The people you are throwing the event for should define how you lay out the groundworks. Make sure you know what the audience wants and what they are willing to pay to attend. Having a system to collect customer information, such as social listening or hashtag tracking, is a great way to understand their preferences. What’s more, to stay within budget, you will need to maximise your budgets to reach your goal.
Generate Revenue before the Big Day
At many venues, pre-sales are extremely important. The best way to sell tickets in advance is to use one particular platform for purchasing. However, utilise your best social media platforms to promote the event. There are many platforms available that you can create and manage an event, monitor sales and have the consumer integrate with a mobile app to keep their tickets safe.
Make sure that you work with a ticketing system that integrates with your bank account. This will ensure that you can earn revenue in the days leading up to the event, as opposed to making up for your expenses later on.
Be the best Party Host
Even during the night, your event efforts must continue. Make sure you have an efficient door process and have two separate lines for those who bought in advance and those who are paying on the day. Treat everyone like stars, no matter what ticket they purchased! No matter who they are, your customers need to feel appreciated.
Analyse
The only way to see the success rate of your event is to gather data. We highly recommend investing in a social wall, as this will encourage your attendees to talk about the event while they are there as opposed to perhaps a few days later. The more feedback you get as early as possible, the more information you have to analyse the overall event. And don’t worry about bad press, you can monitor the content that makes its way to the screen, so people only see how amazing your night is. The negative feedback can be looked at in more detail later on when you analyse all data.
TL;DR
- Plan your goals, budget, audience needs, promotion
- Make sure you have the right talent booked that you know your audience will enjoy
- Pre-sales will help bring in revenue before the big day
- Ensure all guests have the best night possible, no matter who they are
- Analyse feedback using tools such as a social wall to see where to improve next time
Collecting Data with Social Sticker
The great thing about having a social wall at your event is that not only is it a wonderful tool for collecting data, but it’s a fun way for your guests to share their experience with you! At Social Sticker, we offer a range of social wall designs to reflect your event. These can be moderated to ensure your guests see only the best elements of your night! Sign up to Social Sticker today and see how a social wall can transform your event.
