This article has been provided by
Krista Baker of Morning Star Multimedia. For more
information about Morning Star and the marketing
services they provide please visit

www.morningstarmultimedia.com

As you begin to plan
your event, ask yourself a couple of fundamental
questions – what value am I providing my attendees? Why
would they spend their time at my event when they could
be doing something else? Those questions should always
remain in focus as you proceed with the event planning
process.

What is Your Mission Statement?

Before you begin to plan an event, spend a good deal of
time thinking about what you hope to accomplish by
holding the event. A conference should have a mission
statement stating its intent, just as every business
does. Don’t just throw ideas around in your head,
actually discuss it with your conference planning team
and work out a written statement of purpose. Some ideas
for a purpose can include networking, building
community, and being social, solving a problem or
discussing a current issue, forming an agenda for a
future project, fundraising for an organization, or
educating your attendees.

Who Are You Targeting?

Picking a specific target group is essential to the
success of your conference. You can’t market to
everyone, and while some people will be very
enthusiastic about attending, others will need some
convincing. Unfortunately, the more you need to convince
someone to come, the more money you will end up spending
on advertising to them, so you should plan your
marketing strategy carefully in relation to your budget.

What Does Your Audience Want To Know?

Once you’ve determined your audience, you can put
yourself in their shoes. Your audience ultimately wants
to know how the event will benefit them. After all, they
will most likely be paying you to come to your event, so
they want to know what they get for their money. If you
have the opportunity, ask them. Set up a forum for
discussion on your website, send a questionnaire, or
conduct phone interviews asking them what information
they hope to learn from your event. Otherwise, plan your
event as if you were going to be an attendee. Why would
you want to attend?

Have a Clear and Defined Purpose

As much as you may like to believe that your attendees
will remember everything you told them the next day,
week, or later, chances are, they won’t. They probably
will only remember 5-10%, so make your message clear and
concise, and repeat it several times throughout the
event.

Schedule Enthusiastic Speakers

How many times have you walked out of a lecture and
thought, “Thank goodness it’s finally over!”
Enthusiastic and knowledgeable speakers add life to your
conference, keeping attendees interested and engaged.
Speakers only have a couple of moments to capture your
audience’s attention, and if they fail to do so in that
time, your audience will become distracted and wonder
what else they could be doing with their time.

Keep Attendees Comfortable

Work out the logistics of parking, food, restrooms,
breaks, room temperature, and other materials
beforehand. If your attendees are not comfortable, their
attention will not be on you.

Add Variety

Mix learning events with networking events, lectures,
panels, or round table discussions throughout the day.
People have a hard time paying attention when they have
to sit through one lecture after another, so keep them
engaged with opportunities to share their opinions, meet
other attendees, and ask questions to knowledgeable
speakers.

Make Every Minute Count

Organize your event so that it runs smoothly and
logically from one activity to the next. Have questions
or topics of discussion posted on an overhead projector
or written on a handout for early attendees to ponder.
Schedule breaks for networking and open discussion. End
activities with a Q/A session for further consideration.

Ask for Feedback

After each scheduled activity, have attendees evaluate
the quality of the speaker involved, the information
provided and any additional questions and comments they
might have. If possible, email respondents with answers
to their questions after the event or post their
questions on your website for further discussion.

Provide Resources For Further Information

Give out handouts or book and website recommendations
for attendees interested in more information. Post
speaker notes, conference proceedings, or a summary of
the key topics on your website after the conference
along with a message board or forum to facilitate
discussion and feedback.

About Morningstar

Morningstar Multimedia LLC is a marketing
communications firm established in 2000 by
Krista Baker and James Balaguer in Philadelphia,
PA. They specialize in strategic marketing analysis
and planning for professional service firms. They also create the marketing tactics such as identity,
print, and web design to put that plan into action.

More information can be found at

www.morningstarmultimedia.com

Please feel free to contact us if you have any
questions or comments about this article.

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