How can you ensure your event objectives are SMART?

Knowing your main goal is keen. Who will ensure that you bring the correct stakeholders into the process while also, choosing not to bring other stakeholders in. It is important, though once you have identified your stakeholders that you are aware of the value proposition, your event brings to those stakeholders. Know what the value proposition is for them and make sure that does not get lost along the way. After all, you are doing this for the stakeholders. Everybody must benefit in some why or another — be it monetarily, collaboratively, intellectually, or influentially.

In my experience, having a clear purpose is crucial in event planning. It provides an outline that people can all understand and use to inform the planning and decision making. When thinking about the purpose I find it helpful to relate it to the organisation and then break it down into what the purpose is for the audience and key stakeholders. This helps keep the focus on the why.

I agree with this perspective. In my time in marketing, when a company doesn't have a clear purpose, it makes it hard for team members to take appropriate actions to bring the vision to life. People tend to present what they believe the goal is, which creates many frustrations among teams. When leaders can effectively communicate the purpose of an event, it's easier for the different teams to develop action plans that align with the business goals.

I like to ask the question “how could a well-intentioned person accidentally game this objective?”. What I mean by that is, if an objective says “improve page load speed”, a developer could improve that by .05% and that would technically accomplish the objective, though it’s doubtful that improvement would satisfy stakeholders. In order to make the objective indisputable, it needs to be specific enough to be measured.

Having specific objectives is essential for providing clear direction and focus. By clearly defining what you want to achieve, you can effectively plan and allocate resources, measure progress, and ensure that all efforts are aligned toward a common goal.

Making SMART objectives measurable is crucial for tracking progress and evaluating success. By establishing clear criteria or metrics, you can objectively assess whether your objectives have been achieved and make data-driven decisions. This measurability enables effective monitoring and analysis.

I’m challenged by this one, because any attempt to define ‘achievable’ will put the creative thinkers and visionaries into an uncomfortable box. I’d rather cultivate an environment where everyone can feel comfortable expressing even their wildest dreams.

I agree that we should be realistic with our goals. I also believe that there is still room to be aspirational as well. Proper planning can help many event planners aspire to more extraordinary achievements beyond what appears possible on paper. In this new age of digital media, more is possible with less. Detailed planning can help many go beyond SMART goals.

One way companies can ensure their events are relevant is always to ask the question. Does this align with our mission? Companies often jump onto the next craze or trend without considering if it's pertinent to their goals and main customer base. It's great to tap into new markets, but also consider how to nurture your current base while tapping into new areas respectfully.