Very Important People
Photo credit: Abigail Schaefer Photography
You might be focusing on ticket sales, price points, sponsorships and many other responsibilities necessary for successful execution, but don't forget to think about the people involved in all of those areas, too. If you don't intentionally engage with them, your event will fall flat, you'll fall short of your goals, and you'll be forgotten in a matter of moments. You want a successful event? Pay attention to the people in the room.
People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
The people actively involved include: the event host or hosting organization, sponsors or success partners, speakers, vendors and guests. Let's explore how to cultivate positive relationships with each group.
Sponsors
Most events don't run without their sponsors. You want to find sponsors who will win as a result of collaborating with you so that they'll stick with you for the long haul.
Every one of your sponsors is important, no matter their level of investment. Make sure that when you are showing your appreciation, you are doing it with genuine gratitude and respect. Pronounce the individual or company names correctly, and confirm that you have an accurate description of their product, service or story.
5 TIPS TO SATISFY SPONSORS
Say their names. Find any excuse to thank them out loud into the microphone from the front, back and middle of the room.
Share their stories. Talk about why they've chosen to partner with you and what you admire about the work that they do.
Encourage interaction. Invite your guests to connect with the sponsors at their tables or vendor booths.
Offer special promotions. Brainstorm ways for your sponsors to offer extra bonus value for your guests.
Follow up after the event. Ask how you can make the next collaboration between you and your sponsors even better!
Vendors
There are a number of people you'll hire in order to execute your event seamlessly. Even though you're paying them, there's no reason not to treat them as well as your other VIPs.
It's important to show your vendors respect and treat them as highly valued members of your team. Remember that your vendors are people, too, and you can make or break your reputation in the event space by how you treat them. Vendors talk.
If you're kissing a sponsor's ass and ignoring the messages from your production team, you may have "tech trouble" at crucial moments in your program. If you like having a working microphone, make sure you're playing nice with your sound guy.
Speakers
There are three types of speakers, and no matter which ones are gracing your stage, you need to make sure that they are well supported. The first type of speaker is the professional speaker who gets paid to share their brilliance on your stage. The second is the professional speaker or sponsor who will pay you for the chance to talk to your audience. The third is a volunteer speaker, professional or amateur, who offers inspiration or an experience that your audience will enjoy.
Each speaker steps onto your stage for their own reasons and brings certain expectations with them. Most professional speakers want to inspire and educate their audiences to help them achieve or overcome something in their lives or businesses. Your speakers want to do well, they want to inspire your audience, and they want to be invited back again or referred to other event hosts in your world.
Take care of your speakers.
Take selfies with speakers. Explicitly instruct your photographer to get several shots of them on stage and share those photos with them freely. Communicate early, often and clearly. Create opportunities for your attendees to connect with your speakers before, during and after the event. Solicit and provide feedback.
Audience
Everyone who buys a ticket is a VIP and deserves to be treated like one. Each person in your audience has chosen to invest their time and money to attend your event. That's no small thing. Appreciate them for it.
Each individual guest is coming in with their own personal or professional story about why they need to be there. Honor them. Get to know them before and during the event so that you can give them both what they expect and what they really need.
Knowing your audience sounds like such a simple thing. When you're facilitating a small workshop for five to ten individuals, it certainly can be simple to check in with everyone and ask them directly. When you're hosting an event for hundreds, however, knowing your audience takes a bit more bandwidth. For larger events, offering interactive elements like polls and surveys, smaller breakout sessions or dedicated networking opportunities can help individuals connect with each other as well as with you.
Audiences vary. Some are silly. Some are serious. Some are harder to read than others. Some don't want to engage and others can't get enough interaction. My favorite audiences are the ones who are there to make new connections, broaden their awareness of a topic or experience new levels of growth and expansion.
When each of these groups of people are in alignment and made aware of their importance, the room will come alive. People are the heart of the event equation. No matter what they came for, make sure that real, authentic connection is what they get.
Treat your audience right, and you'll create meaningful human connections and memories that last a lifetime. You'll turn strangers into lifelong friends and diehard fans.
Ready to take your event hosting skills to the next level?
This article features information from my book, Welcome to the Stage: The 360° Approach to Hosting Events Like a Pro. AVAILABLE NOW! If you enjoyed it, you'll love the comprehensive guidance, practical strategies and insider techniques I share in the full book.
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