Before you begin
planning any kind of event, it is important to define your
event goals. Planning
is often done by planners without taking this important step.
This is a
mistake. Setting
goals and objectives will make organizing your event easier.
For inspiration,
we'll begin with the steps for setting goals for event. Next, we'll show
you some examples of great event goals.
This post:
1.
5 Steps to
Establish Event Objectives
2.
Four Event Objective
Examples
3.
Event Objective
Impact
4.
Here are five
things to keep in mind when planning your event.
What
are the Event Goals and Objectives
Often, the terms
"goals", and "objectives", are interchangeable. They have their own meanings.
- Goals should be specific
and easily measurable.
- These are the steps and
strategies you take to achieve your objectives.
These
5 Steps will help you set event goals that maximize the event's impact.
Step
1: Identify your event goals
You are not
defining the event's goals, but simply documenting its purpose. What is the purpose of the event?
These are key
questions to ask when setting event goals and objectives.
1.
Why is this
event important?
2.
Why invite
attendees to your event?
3.
What are the
most important things that attendees should take away from your event?
4.
What is the best
way to measure your success?
Keep
the big picture in your mind
The brand's
overall marketing strategy and the
company's mission should be used to determine the event goals. Event planners will find it helpful to remember the
bigger picture, as their minds are often occupied with a million small tasks
and deadlines.
Define
your key performance goals
It is important
to understand the "why", but it is equally important to quantify your
goal.
Focus on the
things you can control when working towards your performance goals. You can't control whether your attendees decide to
attend next year's conference. However, you can evaluate the sales made during,
after, and before the conference. How many qualified leads were you able to obtain. How many qualified leads were followed up by your
team in the following months. This list could go on.
Although it may
seem obvious, decision-makers may make suggestions that you cannot control when
assessing the success of an event. When communicating expectations to higher-ups, it
is important to clearly state your goals.
Step
2: Make your event goals "smart"
When setting
goals, use SMART goals. These are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Realistic
- Time-based
It's not
possible to say that you want "to host the best marketing conference"
but it isn't very specific. A goal to "plan a country music festival lasting one
week by the end of the current month" is
specific and time-bound, but unlikely to be achievable or realistic.
While it's
tempting to set your sights on the stars, try to be realistic about what you
can achieve. Start
by writing down a lot of ideas. Next, narrow down the list and combine all the
ideas to create a solid goal.
You can
find examples if you are unsure about the "smart goals"
that should be considered.
Step
3: Determine your event goals using 20 event KPIs
No matter what
your goal, any of these KPIs can be a great fit.
1.
Cost per
customer acquisition
2.
Number of
qualified leads at the event
3.
High
satisfaction ratings from sponsors for the event
4.
Individual promo
code tracking link performance
5.
Gross revenue
6.
Total number of
registrations
7.
Use the
designated hashtags on each platform to make social media mentions
8.
Most attendees
are very satisfied with the event speakers
9.
Number of active
community members following the event (compared with total before the event).
10. Results from satisfaction surveys of attendees in
numerical form
11. As a percentage, number of event check-ins relative
to registrations
12. Score of the Net Promoter
13. Online engagement of event community as measured by
social media interactions or specific activity on the event app
14. Live event app polling
15. Shares, likes and comments on social media related
to the event
16. Individual ticket sales and performance tickets
17. Ratio cost to revenue
18. Sponsor page engagement for the event website
19. Recurring events: Number of attendees who are
repeat participants
20. Total acquisition of new customers
Event
software can be
used to measure these KPIs. Make sure you have a reliable platform that has all
the features required to capture your data.
Step
4: Create an event strategy
Next, you need
to think about your event strategy. Now that you have a clear idea of
your event goal, and are passionate about them, it is time to determine how to
achieve them.
Two perspectives
are helpful when thinking about strategy:
1.
The planner is
viewed from your perspective
2.
Your attendee's
perspective
What will the
attendees and the planning team do to help achieve the goals? Ask yourself these questions:
1.
What education
measures (i.e. What
educational measures (i.e. speakers, panelists), do you need in order to
achieve this goal?
2.
Are you going to
need speakers?
3.
What is the
social goal of your event? How will you encourage interaction?
4.
What
entertainment will you need to achieve the social satisfaction that you desire
for this event?
Your strategy
may include some mini-goals. You might need mini-goals or milestones to reach
your ultimate goal. That is okay.
Your event plan
will be created as you brainstorm. The plan could be an outline, project plan, or any
other document. The
plan should outline the goals you have set and the steps you will take to
achieve them.
Step
5: Make sure your event goal is a way for people to make connections
Although no two
events are the same, they all share the goal of creating connections. Perhaps attendees can connect with one another with
content or an idea.
It is important
to consider how you can create these connections. If the event's goal is to educate attendees, then
you should think about what they are learning, why, and how you can help them.
These answers
will allow you to begin building the necessary items such as speakers and
content.
Make sure your
goals are clear to your attendees in
order for them to assist you with achieving your vision.
Find
4 examples of Smart Event Objectives
You can see the
possibilities with real-world examples. These are some notes:
- The majority of case
studies published highlight exceptional events. These are not the norm. It's best to assume you will follow the rules when setting goals.
- These examples show that
the event was successful, and it also helped
move the business forward.
1. GeekWire Magazine's event objectives and goals
Seattle GeekWire
Magazine hosts an annual gathering for tech investors, entrepreneurs, and
enthusiasts that draws more than 600 people each year. The one-day event is packed with speakers, demos of
startup companies, and networking. Networking is the number one priority of most
attendees as they are the only industry event of their kind.
They
defined the event's goal
You need to find
a solution that allows attendees to network and also measures event
effectiveness.
- Specific - Our goal was to solve this problem.
- Measurable - They could track the relative success and failure of the
solution using linked software.
- Attainable - Attendees can choose from a variety of options to help them
network.
- Realistic - Limiting their goal down to one solution was a way to keep
it realistic.
- Time-based - Their deadline would have had to be far enough out that
they could buy, test, and purchase it before the event.
Their
event strategy
Event planners
wanted to enhance attendees' experience in a way that was both
brand-friendly and fun.
They came up
with smart badges which allowed users to scan each others' badges to
obtain virtual business cards and a variety of other cool features.
Their solution
was directly linked to data-gathering software so they could track
participation and other event KPIs simultaneously.
2. Maison & Objet's event objectives & goals
MAISON&OBJET
is an event that focuses on lifestyle-related professionals and hosts four
major events each year. It has an international audience.
They
defined the event's goal
By the end of
the first annual event, increase overall event engagement by 30%
- Specific - They could have picked a particular aspect of event
engagement, but they were focusing on the bigger picture for all their
annual events. This unifying goal works out.
- Measurable - Their mobile app made it possible for them to measure the
community's engagement over time.
- Attainable - They not only achieved their goal but also exceeded it by
achieving a 350% increase in traffic.
- Realistic - By setting low expectations (starting at 30%), they were
capable of surpassing their initial goal. They would have been considered failure if they had increased their
goal by 500% to reach a different sales or marketing objective.
- Time-bound - This event can be made completely SMART by keeping a date
in mind.
Their
event strategy
Planners decided
to put emphasis on connecting people on and offline in order to encourage
engagement at events and increase participation in future events.
They created a
mobile app to help them organize their events.
3. Marketing 360's event goals & objectives
One of Marketing360's
clients wanted to get more people registered for their upcoming event.
The agency had
previously done a similar event last year and knew how many they had achieved
so they decided to set a modest but realistic goal.
They
defined the event's goal
Convert 5% more
visitors to your event ticketing website than in the previous year
- Specific: The brand knew exactly what they wanted and how to get there.
- Measurable: Since their goal was to improve their website's performance,
it was simple to view analytics and track their progress.
- Achievable: For website conversion, a single digit goal is considered
modest. To make sure your event
website is included in your goal setting, you should keep your numbers
low.
- Realism: The client hired a third-party marketing professional to
manage the changes so that the client was almost certain of the results. They also took into account the success stories of similar clients.
- Time-based Ticket Sales: Event ticket sales end at a certain date and time. These
parameters determine the timing of these events.
Their
event strategy
They were able
to convert 6.84% more through an improved design and strategically placed
tools.
4. Maritz Travel's event-planning goal and objectives
A client
of Maritz Travel had one of their biggest goals: to streamline their
event production and marketing. It sounds like a simple goal, but it was
transformed into something more strategic.
They
defined the event's goal
A single, scalable
solution that can accommodate approximately 4,700 guests will be implemented.
This will help both customers and partners learn about our latest products.
- Specific: They only need one product to accomplish one goal.
- Measurable
- Attainable: Finding the right event tech solution can be difficult, but
it is possible.
- Realistic: Many solutions of this type deal with more guests than they
expect, so any solution they choose could easily handle their 4,700
guests.
- Time-based: The event date was used as the timeline because the solution
was to take place at the event.
Events
objectives also impact everything else:
All other
planning becomes a piece of the puzzle when you have established your event
goals and objectives. The budget, theme and
speakers all have a
place. They will all be in line with your event goal.
Based
on your event results, you can adjust your future goals.
You must also
learn how to duplicate success, learn from failures, and invent for future
events based on the goals you have set. You will have all of the information from the event
fresh in your mind after it's over. You can learn from your stakeholders what worked
and what didn’t, and get feedback on how to improve it. This is a basic framework that you can use to
improve future events.
Answer the
questions you were asked during the pre-event strategy stage to get started.
1.
Are your goals
achieved? Which
were your successes and which were the challenges?
2.
What went well
and what didn't? These
were things that you could have controlled or did they fall out of your hands?
3.
Was the event
strategy effective in serving stakeholders? The term stakeholder can be defined as both
internal and external (i.e. A boss, the board chair, sponsors, exhibitors and
vendors, as well as audience members and online communities.
4.
Did you set
predetermined success measures?
5.
What were the
brand's goals in relation to the event?
6.
Was the audience
able to take the desired action? Why or why not
7.
Did the
budget/budget range meet expectations? Is the budget adequate?
8.
What aspects of
the event planning process proved successful? What were the most challenging aspects? What changes are necessary to move forward?
9.
How can you make
your life more efficient?
These questions
should be answered throughout the event's lifecycle. To capture feedback during the event process, a
post-event debrief should be created at the beginning of the project. This is a much easier way to retain all information
about the event than trying to remember it all at the end.
Mini-daily
debriefs during multi-day events are essential not only to make in-the moment
adjustments, but also to capture the success and challenges of each event.
Five
Things to Remember When Planning Your Event Planning Strategy
1. What is the Event Vision?
Your events
should have a vision and a mission just like a company or corporation. Your vision could be a mirror of your event
goals. Why are you hosting events? What are you hoping to achieve by
hosting an event?
The event's look
and feel is another important aspect of the vision. Consider who your attendees will be to determine
the appearance of the event. Are you hosting a business conference where your
company launches a new product? Invite as many influential media people as possible
to give the event a VIP atmosphere.
If it's smaller
and intimate, then finding the right venue for your event is a smart idea. You can start to envision your vision by going back
to the event goal.
2. What is the Planning Timeline?
It is essential
to have a timeline for event planning in order to keep things on track. If you don't have time to plan an event, a timeline
can help you stay on track. If you have the time, a timeline will help you
coordinate as far as possible days or weeks before your event. Consider what you want to happen and when. Are you going to need to visit a site or create an
event map? Or pay
your vendors by a specific date? These are great additions to an event timeline.
It's also a good
idea to add timing for the day-of and day-before logistics. If your venue has strict load in/load-out
times for suppliers you will want to mention that on your timeline. Post-event timing is critical for following up with
attendees. You
should schedule any event marketing emails (e.g. thank you for attending) into
your calendar.
3. What is the Budget?
Working with
clients can help you determine the budget that you have been allocated. A good place to start is to plan your event budget based
on items that you have hired, bought, or used for similar events. The
basic budget should include expenses for the venue, staffing and service fees. If you are planning on hosting a large event, you
might want to spend some money on your event marketing efforts. Don't forget about the guests!
You should
always leave some wiggle room for unexpected expenses. The rule of thumb is to spend 15% more than the
budget. This will offset any missed costs.
4. Are there VIPs?
Event VIPs can
be celebrities, dignitaries or other event stakeholders. You can make sure VIPs are included early in your
event planning strategy to ensure they have all the information they need to
participate in the event. Speakers
may need special equipment or microphones that were not budgeted. You can prepare for anything by anticipating what
VIPs will need.
5. What is our Crisis Management
Plan?
There is always
the possibility of something going wrong when it comes to events. If you have a plan for dealing with crisis
situations, it's not necessarily the end of the universe. A list of participants in the event with their
contact information is a good way to direct any issues to the right person. In the same way, outdoor events should
have a backup plan in case of inclement weather.
To help you
manage the event, it might be a good idea hire an event security firm. If you are hosting a large event, security
personnel can be present at the event's entrance to check in guests. To be ready for any eventuality, you can have
security personnel roaming the venue.
Now you're ready to
create event goals and objectives that are successful!
Have
more questions about event goals?
What is an event goal?
A goal for an
event is a specific, measurable outcome from an event. It doesn't matter if you want to increase app
downloads, attendees, ticket sales, or money
raised.
What's the purpose of an event
planner?
Planners have
the goal of creating memorable events that meet their clients' needs and those
of their attendees.
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