The event floor is buzzing with happy attendees, your social channels are lighting up with tagged selfies, and sponsors are already making bookings for next year. A strong event is the result of a great team, but what makes a successful event brand? Your event’s brand is it’s personality, it’s DNA, and the way it is perceived as a whole by your audience.
COVID is getting a little serious, isn’t it? We have been getting numerous calls and emails regarding event postponement and cancellation and related penalties. On the flip side we are also getting calls form some very stressed out event managers - both in house and in agencies - asking how do they get #virusproof and not lose their clients, events or jobs until things settle down.
Surprisingly it is one of the things I enjoy most about events, putting together a good thorough budget. Don’t get me wrong, I love the creative side too. Coming up with a stage set or an event brand look and feel or event styling to make things pop, but after a long stint in doing association events and working within tight margins there is nothing better than seeing that bottom line grow after carefully managing the ins and outs of a project.
Sponsors are pushing for greater return on investment, more branding opportunities, greater access to event data and access to attendees on the show floor, meaning event managers need to be on their game and constantly looking for new ways to surprise, delight and bring added value.
In a dream world, here is what we’d feature on our next expo floor alongside the booths, catering stations and coffee carts that are to be expected:
There is only one time and one time only where wine is just not good enough, that is for a speaker gift. It is an objection that has grown over time and has now peaked. We are taking a stand and saying, “No more wine! We are better than this!”. As much as the Leverage team love wine, as a gift we find it a little impersonal and uninspiring – let’s face it, it doesn’t scream “this is an innovative organisation that takes pride in every detail, including how we thank people”. So here are some alternatives:
Sustainability is very much a buzz word, but it’s something that is important to us at Leverage. Events are inherently wasteful when you consider the materials produced for one time use, the amount of travel by attendees and a number of inefficiencies in design. We believe that face-to-face events aren’t going anywhere, even with technological advances and the speed at which they are coming, the value of human interaction will still reign supreme. If events aren’t going anywhere, we do need to start looking at ways to make these more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Here are the Leverage’s teams easy event implementations to start making a difference:
Pulling together an event takes the combined work of many different people and the co-ordination of a long list of suppliers. We are always excited to work with new brands and people to bring that little extra something to our clients events - here are some we are loving at the moment and want to shout it from the roof top for the amazing work they are doing!
