There is no argument here – running a startup event is a massive undertaking on multiple levels.
Moreover a good event needs an effective online presence and fantastic on-the-ground execution. The dance between marketing and execution can only be accomplished by top notch management.
Here’s how to get started and dig into the foundational aspects of effective startup event management.
What Influences a Successful Startup Event?
Successful startup events rely on three factors (mostly):
- The organizer/organization’s reputation
- The attendance and the interest
- The organization of the event itself
The initial item is fairly set in stone – you can’t cultivate a reputation overnight. It takes years of experience and plenty of expertise.
However, you can directly control the last two factors leading up to your organization’s event.
Common Challenges When Organizing a Startup Event
Event management is an art that can be difficult to master. There are some common challenges faced by every startup event organizer.
What are they?
Let’s find out:
1. Overlooking Management and Registration Tools
Management and registration tools are absolutely necessary – your decision on software is crucial as it will save time and money. As the event coordinator for your organization, you have one of the most stressful jobs out there, and it’s pretty nerve-wracking.
Save yourself the stress and get good event management and registration software. This will not only save you in terms of dollars and minutes, but it will probably prevent a few grey hairs in the process.
Make sure to choose a fairly advanced software that covers a few crucial areas of event management; it should include a registration system, payment POS, and the ability to send invites at the very least. This makes managing an event easier and puts many different aspects of the event within hand’s reach.
2. Poor Planning
The planning of your startup’s event should start long before the event. Establisha general plan of action and create your overall execution strategy and marketing strategy well in advance.
3. Lack Of Tracked Metrics
Startups tend to overlook this one crucial part of successful event management and execution. Ultimately, this overlook is usually due to event coordinators being unaware of what metrics they can track and how to do it. Pixels and tracking codes can be difficult and cumbersome to execute on – especially if you don’t have an IT team at the ready.
4. Lack of Real-Time Engagement During The Event
Every event at this point needs some sort of online presence. This should be cultivated before, during, and after any event that your startup holds. Reaching out to your attendees and interacting with them not only tightens relations with your audience, but it shows that you respect and appreciate them for coming and participating.
Engagement also allows you to identify issues early on. Maybe your willcall process is cumbersome and irritating to your attendees. Perhaps your ticketing system or app is confusing and lacks intuition. Interacting with your attendees during the event will ensure that they are heard.
Basics of Startup Events: Tools & Tactics
Every event manager must cover a few basic items prior to any event their organization holds.
Make sure that you’re ready with these tools and tactics:
1. Event Website/Landing Page
Your event’s website or landing page is possibly the most popular place an attendee prospect can visit. The first impression matters most. If your website is slow or confusing, people will bail without buying tickets and then everyone loses. Your site should be crafted with care – style, elements, information and copy should be intuitive and sensible.
The site should also include some essential information about your startup’s event:
- How to register or purchase tickets
- Event Program, venue, and even a map if possible
- Key speakers
- Information about your startup
- Terms and conditions about attendee’s participation
You don’t need a full design team to create something that makes sense and looks good. There are plenty of tools you can use to generate a professional and functional landing page that looks good.
Using these enables you to generate beautiful pages without the involvement of a development team, allowing you to adjust the design and make changes at any time.
2. Registration System
The venue is booked. Speakers are confirmed. Your landing page is on point and your marketing is killing it. Now, just kick back and wait for the registration forms to roll in, right? No!
You need a reliable online event registration for your event to be successful. The event registration systems that are available vary in both complexity and features offered. The best software for event registration will help you create multiple steps of the registration process like:
- Seats in a conference room
- If attendees can register multiple times
- Group registrations
- Invitations
- Availability of registration
- Layout
- Event agenda
- Summary
- Confirmation
3. Final Results
You set goals early on, now it’s time to look at how you measured up at your event!
Evaluation of an event can mean many different things to the different departments of an organization, therefore it all goes back to goals. What are yours? Here are some areas that an effective event manager can assess:
- Social media buzz
- Engagement & reach
- Media
- Attendee satisfaction
- Revenue
- The number of registrations
Conclusion
Event management is a colossal undertaking that requires an immense amount of effort online and offline. Running a startup event at the highest standard can be done effectively, but it’s crucial you have the right tools at your disposal to be able to mobilize your team to do what they do best.
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