Business events are often great opportunities to market yourself. You want people to remember your brand and to do this you need to offer a memorable experience. Whether you’re hosting a launch party or a workshop, here are five ways that you can create an event to be remembered.
Choose a memorable location
The most common places to host conferences are university lecture theatres and community centres. Whilst these locations may have all the resources needed for a business event, they can be rather uninspiring. Choosing a fun or creative location could help your conference to be more memorable. This could be a bar or restaurant with its own function room. It could be a function room in a stately home or a converted barn. You could even hire a marquee and do an outdoor conference. Just make sure to consider practicalities such as parking, public transport routes and access to electricity – go too remote and you may not be able to provide these necessities.
Incorporate new technology
New technology may also give people a lasting impression – even if it is a slight gimmick. In conferences with lots of guests, digital twitter walls can make the event more interactive, allowing audience members to ask questions or complete polls. You can even video the event in real time and post it on Facebook using their live feature. You may not even have to book a premises – virtual conferences are becoming more popular, allowing people to log on and view the event from the comfort of their office or home.
Invite a special guest
Knowing that a special guest is attending a business event could encourage people to come along. It might also make the event more memorable by adding to the experience. This could be a figure that fellow business owners want to network with such as a local mayor or a journalist or a famous fellow business owner. It could be a professional who you hope can give an educational talk or it could be a celebrity such as a singer or dancer that can offer some entertainment. These special guests will likely have to be contacted early and special arrangements may need to be made for them as security or transport.
Provide food and drink
Food and drink can also make an event stand out. This could be something small such as coffee or canapes, or it could be a full buffet meal. You may want to hire a contract catering company to provide this food and drink. Alternatively, you could host the event at a venue that already has catering such as a hotel or restaurant.
Give people a physical reminder to take away
Souvenirs from the event can help people to remember. This could be a branded item such as a pen or business card. You could even offer people vouchers as a gesture of good will. Make sure that your phone number and email address are available on these physical reminders.
