Many businesses are as successful as they are, courtesy of well-planned business seminars. Actually, according to a 2019 report, live events are considered the most effective techniques for businesses to achieve their goals.
From boosting your knowledge and skills, and forming new, rewarding business relationships to spurring change and achieving positive publicity, there are countless reasons why hosting good business seminars can improve your business.
The question is, how do you do it? How do you plan a successful business seminar? Here are some of the things you should do.
Look for the Right Venue
There are many places that businesses choose to hold their seminars, but you’d be better off booking a conference center. It can be connected to a good hotel or simply a stand-alone center. Just remember that if you want the most flexibility, you should aim to get a venue that is connected to a large hotel.
Besides that, look for a room that can house the maximum number of attendees you’re expecting. If you’re expecting a smaller number, you can create partitions to make the conference appear full.
Try to negotiate the rates for a number of rooms on behalf of your attendees to encourage them to stay within the conference center.
Before you close the deal, also make sure the institution has all the necessary video and audio equipment, such as sound systems, projectors, and screens.
Choose the Right Event Format
You need to make it clear from the outset as to whether you want to host the event in person or online. Remember that the pandemic is still with us, and depending on certain factors, such as location and date, you may have to consider hosting the event online due to certain COVID-19 restrictions.
Although a physical seminar always seems like the better option, a well-organized webinar can still achieve the same results. Sometimes, businesses find it more practical to host webinars because they aren’t bound to the many physical event restrictions and travel inconveniences.
Look at Things from an Attendee’s Perspective
Chances are your attendees have graced many seminars before, and they don’t want to attend another boring seminar. Although you may already know this, it can be difficult to create an exciting and valuable event for your attendees without thinking like them.
Ask yourself:
“What would I expect to find in the event if I were an attendee who canceled or postponed important matters, and even took time to prepare for this seminar?”
“What kind of seminar would have a lasting impact?”
“Would another PowerPoint lecture be exciting or completely mind-numbing?”
As you figure out what you’d like if you were an attendee, consider the fact that attendees always appreciate any opportunity to leave their seats and participate in the event by doing things instead of sitting there and listening or watching.
Outsource the Task
If you’ve tried to host a business event before and failed, then you understand that event planning and execution is no easy feat. In some cases, resources to hire an experienced event management team to deliver that amazing seminar may not be sufficient. On top of that, event planning requires a lot of time owing to the many details it often has. You may not even have enough time to handle the process alongside your business’ primary tasks.
These are some of the factors that make smart business owners outsource in person event planning.
At any given time, there are event planning professionals out there with all the resources, experience, time, and professionalism waiting to give you that outstanding seminar within a set period of time. Moreover, if you do your research right, you can find a great organization that has already established rewarding relationships with some of the best and affordable caterers, convention centers, hotels, entertainment companies, and many more. This is often a result of event planning and management experience, something that your company might not be able to brag.
Therefore, unless you’re completely confident that you can handle the task internally, outsource.
Always Work with a Budget
As with most things, you need a solid budget while planning your seminar to avoid issues. If you’ve held one or more seminars in the past, reflect on the expenses you incurred. You can also research how other similar businesses spend on seminars and create a better budget based on your findings. Your aim should be to create a realistic budget and spend the least amount of cash possible.
Organizing a seminar can be easy or difficult depending on how you approach the process. To increase your chances of success, use these tips as a guide
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