Tonight I had the opportunity to present to the Durham Home and Small Business Association (DHSBA) membership about my experience in event marketing.
Over 130 business people from across Durham Region gathered at the Abilities Centre in Whitby to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the DHSBA, founded by local entrepreneur and business leader, Betty Penny.
When my colleague Eileen Kennedy asked me to speak on event marketing, I jumped at the opportunity as I am currently compiling content for the 3rd chapter of my book on the subject.
I am pleased to say that I had fun presenting to a wonderful group of business people who lined up to meet me and ask questions about how to use events to leverage their own small businesses. I was thrilled to connect with everyone.
As I sift through the stack of 29 business cards gathered from contacts made this evening, I am truly thankful to have been invited to share ideas, and connect with so many great people. Huge thanks to the team at the DHSBA for inviting me!
Four Important Tips to Take Your Event to the Next Level:
1- Invest in good graphic design.
2- Hire a professional photographer to capture authentic photos for your marketing materials. These photos are selling your event, they matter.
3-Work with a communications professional who understand public relations. The earned media that you will generate is 10x more valuable than a paid ad.
4-Engage an event co-ordinator. If you don’t have the budget, improvise. Connect with a local post-secondary institution, and engage a keen, talented and hardworking student.
Five Powerful Ways to Build Your Profile:
1- Say yes to opportunities!
2- Embrace social media and create a personal digital footprint
3-Make friends with the media
4- Start a blog and / or a podcast
5- Say “thank you” by sharing photos with event attendees
If you would like a copy of a sample event template, please join my mailing list and I will mail it to you very shortly – it’s nearly ready for you now!
Just remember regardless of the scope of scale of your event, something will always go wrong. It is how you handle the challenge that will make or break the guest experience. So be sure to surround yourself with awesome, passionate, committed people, and everything always works out. Lastly, keep smiling!
Remember: to receive the planning template, please just join my email list and you’ll be receiving the template in your email soon.