Nowadays, it seems as if every company has their own conference or event initiative.
Live events for networking and business are more popular than ever, from theoretical TED talks to industry-specific conferences like Salesforce’s Dreamforce.
Perhaps you’ve been tasked with producing an event for your company. Maybe you want to organize a local thought leadership series to help grow your professional network. But how will you make your event stand out?
I produce a popular thought leadership series in San Francisco called Uncharted Minds. We host panels and produced half-day events on a variety of topics such as entrepreneurship, technology, marketing and design. It’s been a huge success — past speakers at our events include industry luminaries from companies like SoFi, Airbnb, Lyft, Pandora, Medium, Paypal, Microsoft, Boost VC, and others. In the process, I’ve learned how to plan events that attract attendees and speakers alike.
Here are my tips for individuals or companies who want to produce their own thought leadership events.
- Observe a well-run event to learn from the pros
This is an obvious tip, but it’s amazing how frequently it’s overlooked. Observing or even volunteering at a successful event is a great way to gain knowledge. You will see firsthand the issues they face and their solutions to those problems.
One talented event organizer I know learned by volunteering for other successful events. In the process, she learned how to solve many common challenges. For example, how do you handle people who show up without a ticket? Or people who say they’re friends of a speaker, and want to get in for free? After seeing this handled at many events, she now simply asks them to buy a ticket on their phone if they’re not on the guestlist — no exceptions. Of course, they also make this clear to all the speakers in advance, to avoid confusion.
- You don’t need well-known speakers, just timely topics
Don’t let a lack of access to well-known speakers deter you from putting on an event. Instead, focus on timely topics that you can build a panel discussion around.
Panels that feature multiple people are a great way to get started. If you have five people on a half hour panel, they only need to speak for about five minutes each. Nearly anyone can be interesting for at least five minutes.
- Produce the event you want to attend
Find a venue or space that you think is comfortable. Pick topics that you think are interesting. Serve the refreshments that you would want to eat and drink. Hold your event’s environment to high standards, and pull out all of the stops to make people comfortable — your guests will notice.
Location can be the deciding factor for event success. An out-of-the-way or unknown venue can seriously hinder your carefully planned event.
- Use every opportunity to get the audience involved
Your audience is there to learn and always wants to ask questions. But it can be intimidating to stand up in front of a group of strangers. Try soliciting questions in advance for a more polished Q&A. (Or use a tool like Sli.do to manage the process.)
At an event I run, we gather advance questions through the registration process. First, we require people to type in a question for our speakers on the signup form. We then use that list of questions to prep our guests and gauge what topics will be most interesting to the audience in advance.
- Think through all the logistics in advance
Pulling off a flawless event requires focus and attention to detail. Parking, refreshments, seating, microphones, presentations, name tags, the registration area — it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the details. Careful planning and preparation are key.
Give yourself plenty of time if it’s your first event. I recommend at least three months of planning. Use the first month to solicit speakers and develop content. Start promotion two months in advance to get a great turn out. Then, in the 30 days leading up to the actual event, focus on logistics.
- Ruthlessly prioritize your time
No one will remember the color of the names tags. But they will remember if the event started late, if there was no water available to drink, or if the speakers failed to show up. Focus on getting the right things right. Let go of everything else.
Content, speakers, and the environment are critical to success. People will get cranky if they’re hungry, thirsty or have to wait too long for the event to start. Focus on the basics first, before you put your limited time into other details.
Now that you’ve learned how to set up a thought leadership event, you’re probably wondering how to get the word out. For tips from my team on how to sell out your event, check out this free on-demand webinar with AdRoll and Eventbrite on how to advertise your event online.
