For many event planners, the holiday season that marks the end of the year is often a great time to step back, reflect on the work you and your team have accomplished throughout the year, and plan for ways to do even better in the future. What was successful? Where did you fail? Why?
New Year’s resolutions: 50% of the population makes them in an effort to reinvent and motivate themselves, but many start to flake out by February because those resolutions usually include unrealistic goals and expectations. This New Year, after your team reflects on your 2017 portfolio of work, draft up a list of tangible changes you want to make in the year ahead. We spoke with Cara Benson, Community Manager at Eventbrite for some ideas to get you started.
Trial New Technology
Don’t be afraid of #eventtech. The right technology solutions can go such a long way to improving nearly every stage of the event planning and execution process, and can exponentially improve engagement. Research event management software options and sign-up for a trial, or have someone on your team test drive a few of your “wish list” apps to see what might be worth investing in.
Revamp Your Logistics Strategy
A thorough on-site logistics strategy that supports a painless event entry and exit is a huge accomplishment for any team, and there are always a number of ways to improve. Eventbrite’s Director of Field Operations, Tommy Goodwin, created an on-site event logistics guide worth checking out that covers three main strategy steps: 1) identify your event’s unique needs, 2) choose your resources, from tech to staffing, and 3) execution using day-of best practices.
Explore a New Digital Marketing Channel
Maybe your team has an ironclad Instagram game, but hasn’t yet figured out how to harness the power of Twitter, or vice versa. Whatever your strength is, let that also tell you where you may be missing out in terms of a marketing opportunity, and resolve to invest in figuring out how to leverage it to your advantage.
Audit Your Site’s User Experience
Chances are, guests are learning more about and registering for your event online. This is basically their first impression of your event, so it’s critical that it’s a good one. Visitors should feel enticed and clearly understand how to go about signing up and booking whatever they need to book. Otherwise, you’ll see people coming and navigating away without actually converting. Make sure that no matter where on your site people land, you are funneling them in a fun and useful manner to where you want them to go. Are they dropping off on certain pages? Only filling out part of a form?
Also keep in mind that many users (if not most) will be mobile, and 52% of users said that “a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage.” Leave no UX rock unturned.
Publish Your Portfolio
You end every year with a body of work. What do you do with it? What did you do with it this year? If you haven’t yet thought about this, pledge to publish your year-end portfolio at the end of 2018. Submit it to popular magazines in the industry, put it up on your site, etc.
Your hard work can then be shown off and your name will be brought to the attention of a wider audience. You can attract guests to future events, and it can also be a wonderful networking tool. Simply collect photos of your events and find the right places who would be interested in spreading the word about the work you’re doing. Curating and analyzing your own portfolio can also help you with next year’s resolutions, too.
