Tips for creating a winning events strategy from Janie Gibson, Director of Event Management, KnowBe4.

Honing your strategy for planning successful events is like crafting a secret recipe for an unforgettable experience. Whether you're organising a large corporate conference, your organisation’s presence at a tradeshow, or an intimate networking event, your strategy can make or break the event.

First, define what success looks like for your event. What do your attendees want to get from the event? What are your organisation’s goals for the event? What does the attendee experience look like from recruitment all the way to post-event follow-up? Set S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) objectives to guide your planning process and measure your event's success.

Second, be transparent! During our most recent planning cycle for our largest customer event, we opened up the proverbial event planning curtains and showed our steering committee what goes into an event. From the price of coffee and internet to the stage design and session planning, they got a front-row seat to exactly what it takes to pull off a major event. This sharing (or sometimes oversharing) allowed all our stakeholders to feel included in the planning process and made it easier for us to gain support around deadlines and ownership. 

Third, set expectations. This goes for your internal stakeholders, your steering committee, and even your event attendees. Create and manage a project plan with resources allocated and ownership agreed upon. Have a regular cadence for meetings where you can be open, honest and ask for accountability. Let your attendees know what to expect at the event. Having a 90’s dance-off? Let them know so they can bring their parachute pants!

Lastly, listen! One of the planners on my team always says that feedback is a gift. Not only do we collect feedback from our event attendees and exhibitors, we do deep dive debriefs from all stakeholders and teams that were involved in the event. And most importantly, we take that feedback into consideration when we start planning the next event. 

Remember, you’re not just an event planner; you create memorable and impactful experiences that resonate with your audience and support your organisation’s goals.