Some Things You Just Can’t Fake in Business

Anyone who has ever put on a conference or other type of event will tell you, “It ain’t easy!” From the moment you decide on the huge undertaking, you have to be prepared for the unexpected, be ready to put out fires and learn how to wear many different hats—especially if you’re operating with a very small budget.

As a woman in business, I was inspired to put on a Business Boot Camp for Women conference.  With the support and encouragement of Dr. Stan Fine–The Business Doctor–I went to work for several months in making this event happen.

Here’s what I learned in the process:

1) You can’t do it all: If you know you’re not an Event Planner, don’t give yourself a quick “how to” lesson because it won’t work. You may accomplish a few things but the experienced Planners know how to get things done that you may not. That’s because they get paid to do what they do and they want to do it well enough for you to use their services again or refer them.

Hiring an Event Planner can be tough if you’re operating with little or no capital so try to find someone who would be willing to accept cash and some type of barter exchange. You may offer a speaker opportunity at your event as well as a free vendor table so they may promote their business.

2) Promote, Promote, Promote: Although I have an upper hand when it comes to getting media exposure, I discovered even more ways to publicize my Event. Many local daily and weekly newspapers will post events for free. In my case they did a cut and paste of exactly what I sent them, which turned into a nice little write-up with a big, bold headline. Make sure you also utilize CraigsList and your online communities. Months before your event happens, you should begin building a coalition of connections in your area on MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Then you can start getting the word out through them.

3) Don’t count on your friends: Friendship is one thing. Business is another. Don’t expect your friends to promote for you or even show up for your event. If I stopped speaking to the number of so-called friends who didn’t support my event, I’d have to start all over again in making some new friends. Friends will disappoint you if you rely on them—so DON’T!

4) Maintain your cool: There may be times when people will get on your last nerve. They will promise to help you and then not do it. Sponsorships will fall through and things will start to feel overwhelming. You may want to scream and curse to release the mounting frustration but, whatever you do, don’t do it in public. There’s an old saying, “Never let ‘em see you sweat!”

After the Event is over, take some time to take a hard look at what went right—what went wrong and learn from the mistakes. Then you can scream if you need to—but not in public :)

5) Don’t promise what you can’t deliver: Last year, a friend of mine told me about a conference she went to in Los Angeles. This conference was supposed to be the launch of a nationwide conference tour. There was a lot of promotion around it with major sponsors and it was billed as the BIG event for the $397 registration fee. People deemed “major national speakers” were supposed to headline the event. After the event, my friend told me the conference was a BUST because the organizer did not deliver on any of the promises she made. I also learned sponsors were bilked out of their money and there were plenty of unsatisfied attendees. Bottom line: Don’t create hype if you can’t back it up with the real deal.

6) Quality not Quantity: Surround yourself with quality people who not only want to ensure your success, but their own success as well. They must see your vision and believe in it. That means finding speakers who see your event as a vested interest. They should feel they have as much to gain (or lose) as you do by participating.

Speaking of speakers, when looking for them, make sure you do your homework. If you’re doing an event that’s geared for a local audience, make sure some of your speakers are known by your audience. It’s you’re trying to reach a national audience, try to secure at least one speaker the majority of your audience will know.

6) Choose the right venue: It’s always hard to gauge how many people to expect for an event in the beginning. That’s why I recommend choosing a place that gives you a number of different sized meeting rooms. Always start out small and find out right up front if you can change the room size as the registrations pick up. What sense does it make to hold your event in a space designed for 200 people when you only have 30 attendees?

7) Learn how to measure success: When I planned my first event last year, I was extremely disappointed at the turnout. I lost several thousand dollars and went into a state of depression for a few weeks. But then I started receiving emails from the people who attended. They told me how much fun they had and what an impact it had made on their lives. That’s when I began to realize that the success of your event cannot always be measured by the profit margin in the end. If you’ve made a difference in the life of just one person—if they heard your call to action and decided to ACT—then you have truly been a success!

If you have any other suggestions on successful event planning, please share them.

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