You’ve made it to the end of your event. Great job! While you may feel the need to loosen up and celebrate, it’s not time to slow down just yet! Momentum is critical in making the most of your event, and if you’re not quite sure what to do, here are 5 things to check off your list before you pop the champagne, sit back, and relax.
Acknowledge the contribution by involved parties
The event wouldn’t run smoothly without the combined effort of your staff and hired vendors, so remember to thank everyone for their hard work! After the event, take the time to acknowledge and appreciate the contributions of each individual, whether in the form of a thank you speech or by sending them thank you notes. A little gratitude goes a long way and you may be cultivating a valuable relationship in the long run.
Conduct a post-event survey
Participant experience is one of the most important aspects of an event. All your effort will come to naught if your attendees do not feel inspired or engaged by the event. Surveys are a great way to find out what worked and what didn’t, but remember to keep it short and sweet, with quantitative answers. Also, be quick at conducting the survey so that the event is still fresh on your guests’ minds. A tip to engage your audience and encourage more responses is to set up a lucky draw with attractive prizes, entered through participating in the survey.
Perform a postmortem analysis
After receiving your survey results, conduct a post-event meeting to discuss the successes and setbacks of the event, with feedback from staff involved. Could the event experience be improved with changes in layout, logistics, venue, or catering? Did the timeline run smoothly during the event and if it didn’t, what caused the delays and what can be done to prevent this in the future? Down to the waiting time at the entrance, toilets, and catering tables, these little details could help with planning your next event.
Put it down in numbers
Calculating figures / Source
Depending on your event goals, you may or may not find it easy to quantify your Return on Investment. If your event was focused on boosting sales and orders, you can refer to sales and order figures to assess your success. For a qualitative goal like brand awareness or brand association, you may use social media mentions as a measure of success, or conduct research and surveys with the public. Another important calculation will be your bills and compiling your final budget. Remember to pay all staff and vendors on time, to ensure a happy working relationship for the next event.
Follow up with press and social media
Don’t let your event end with the night! Post-event press can increase your event reach and coverage, impacting your ROI. After the event, organize photos, videos, and related content into a post-event report for press release. Social media is also a great channel for increasing the value of the content generated at your event and keep it fresh in the minds of your attendees. To build rapport and foster brand loyalty, encourage attendees to share their event experience on social media and respond to mentions and questions.
Have you checked these off your list? Leveraging on the network built from your event, whether it is with guests, business partners, vendors, and even staff, can gain you a lot of market advantage, so acknowledging and engaging them is essential. Following up after an event also allows you to tie up any loose knots, and set the foundation for a more successful event the next time around.
