When someone comes to an event, you want them to leave with a lasting impression. That’s why it’s important to create more engagement with your guests by making it more than an event, you want to create an experience. You may stress about the small little details, but if you step back and look at the bigger picture, there are a few simple steps you can take to lay a solid framework.
It’s Not All About You
Hosting an event can be a great way to connect with others. Whether hosting a conference for your customers or a birthday party for a friend, a relationship is built—or fostered—as a result. Forbes emphasizes that hosting an event is one of the ways to engage your customers and clients more effectively.
“Whether it’s hosting a webinar or hosting a local meetup or industry event, hosting an event either offline or online is a great way for your customers to learn from their peers or feel like they’re part of an exclusive community.”
This is what needs to be emphasized when it comes to events—community. It is important to remember that the event is not all about the host. Even when planning a wedding, though you are making decisions that reflect you as a couple, part of your considerations include your guests and their experience as they celebrate with you.
In order to make sure your event is a successful experience for everyone involved, you need to nail down what the purpose of the event is. “Experts say the key to hosting a successful event is pinpointing the reason behind it; identifying a measurable goal that everything is geared toward accomplishing,” explains Sara Hottman in an article in Inc.
If you are managing the expectations of others when planning the event, establishing a singular goal for the event will help you host the event effectively and have a way to measure success.
Using the Venue to Engage Attendees
Choosing the right event venue can be used to serve the event’s purpose. One meeting and event planner, interviewed the director of events for MGM Resorts Events Productions in an article in Meeting Magazines, who affirms that the venue can be used as a form of engagement:
“‘What I like to stress upon planners and partners is to constantly review their event objectives and say, how do we still achieve those by going a different route?’ he said. ‘Perhaps that traditional plated awards dinner can still achieve its goal by being on a flow, or in a nightclub or a venue that offers something totally unexpected.’”
Using this idea, you can hold an event in an unexpected place that serves the event’s purpose and this creativity may help you save money to be put toward other event experiences such as food or entertainment.
Also, looking for a space that can be sectioned off into different areas is a great way to make the most of a venue and give those attending your event or party a few different experiences in one. For example, one section of a space could serve as a conference area, and business partners could then transition over to another area for a happy hour, followed by small breakout groups in another section of the space. In the case of a wedding, the reception can be held in one space, with guests moving to the cocktail hour in another area and finally transitioning into the reception. That separation of spaces has traditionally been used in weddings as described, but can be translated to company or professional events, as well.
Closing
In order to narrow down venue options and find what will work best for your event, Spacesift breaks Austin event spaces into venue types—Event Spaces, Bars and Restaurants, for example—allowing you to quickly and seamlessly narrow down your search. Additionally, photos and walkthrough videos help you easily get an idea of how the space can be arranged and serve your event and create the perfect experience.