We started having a discussion on Linkedin a few days ago about defining “success” for events. Since most events are done as a form of Event Marketing, what did the client have in mind when they committed xx dollars to the event?
The goals are important not just from an ROI standpoint, but because the destination determines the road that you take. To borrow a bit from Brian Tracy, if you want to go to San Diego, you take roads that lead to San Diego. If you want to go to Santa Barbara, you take a different set of roads that lead to Santa Barbara. In order to successfully navigate to your destination, you have to know what the destination is and which roads lead there. Every goal for your event has a set of roads that lead to the successful achievement of the goal.
The goal of the event dictates the routes you travel and effects every single event decision you make, from venue to catering. All choices come down to “does this move us toward the goal?” It is frighteningly easy to spend large amounts of money that do nothing towards achieving the goals of the event, especially when the client is the one coming up with idea.
One thing I always like to do at the start of a project is to sit down with the stakeholders and ask what the top 3 priorities are. Then we prioritize the priorities so that if there is ever any conflict we can steer back onto the correct path leading to the priorities in the order which the client specified them.
With the focus on ROI for event dollars spent, it is imperative that event producers define success and goals ahead of time. When everybody agrees on the destination, it’s a lot easier to justify costs.
What are your techniques for keep your projects on goal?
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