By Robert Channing
We all make mistakes at some point in our life. Our only hope is that they never come back to bite us in the "end". But the sad fact is that for many Campus Event Programmers such as yourself, these mistakes could create literal nightmares for your event... In fact, you could be experiencing an "event-killer" right now, without even realizing it...
As you read every word of this intriguing article, you're going to discover not only what these event-killing nightmares are, but you'll also learn how to avoid them completely, and ensure your every event is a dynamite success!
First of all, through our extensive research, we've boiled down our results to the 5 worst possible mistakes of event programming. Here is a direct account of each potential nightmare, and how to avoid them completely:
Nightmare #1: Activity Budgets Are Now Being Drastically Reduced!
This is by far one of the worst nightmares we've encountered. Our survey revealed that over 72% of all Campus' Activity Budgets were reduced to make way for other types of funding. As a direct result of poor judgement and uneducated spending, over 66% of these same Universities held far fewer events, and 34% were even forced to hire "low level talent!"
Does that sound like something you've been through lately?
It's terrible. Why hire "low-level talent" when you can use your exact same budget to hire top-level A+ entertainment? (We've been asking ourselves this for years...) -- It's a simple solution really... when you know how to do it!
Keep reading and we'll show you the "Secret Weapon" that all the most successful campus event programmers use, every time they plan an event!
Nightmare #2: Total Frustration with Booking Shows!
Did you know that an unprescedented 98.5% of all event planners claim to have had extremely poor communication from booking agents and talent management when booking shows for their events?
Whew. That's like pulling your hair out every time you plan an event. Eventually, you go bald. There's nothing else left but a strand or two of "hope" where once stood a mountain of faith. You may be thinking, "If that's really what it's like to deal with these so-called 'professional booking agents and talent management' you can count me out." We hear you, and there's actually a much better way...
Keep reading to discover what 98.5% of all campus event planners wish they knew! (It would save them tons of frustration -- and a full head of hair!)
Nightmare #3: Entertainer or Speaker Dissapointments!
Let's face it. Some "entertainers" are terrible.
A few "speakers" are terrible too.
Have you ever been let down by a speaker or entertainer whom you were just certain would "bring down the house", yet all they brought down was the wrath of an angry, dissapointed audience wanting something better?
It happens all the time. You'll spend your entire budget on what you feel would be a great entertainer or speaker, only to find the entire experience less than mediocre at best.
All that money wasted.
Your director looks at you with a gleam in his eye that says, "THAT is the best you can do!?"...
Why would you want that? -- I'm just guessing here, but I believe you wouldn't wish that fate on a dog. (Or maybe you would, if you don't like dogs!)
It doesn't have to be this way, you know.
There's something *much* better in store for you.
Just imagine having a "secret weapon" in your arsenal for any time you need to plan an event. Any time you need a top-level speaker, entertainer or novelty attraction, you'll have something that will captivate your audience. Hold them spell-bound. Make them walk all over each other to attend your every event...
Something that would make your director stare at you in disbelief, admiration and confidence all at the same time, because he knew he chose the right person for the job. He chose YOU, and you pulled it off every time - to perfection.
No one has to know your secret...
(Keep reading to discover your new Secret Weapon!)
Nightmare #4: Extremely Poor Attendance at Events!
Have you ever planned an event so big, you just *knew* would fill the seats and pack the crowd, but when the time comes, next to no one actually showed up?
You could have the greatest event in the history of the world, planning every little aspect to make absolutely sure it all goes off without a hitch, but if your potential audience never hears about it in the first place, your time, blood, sweat and tears will have all been spent in vain.
In fact, you might as well have never planned the event at all!
Last year, this nightmare happened to over 33% of all Campus Events.
Programmers worked tirelessly on creating the *perfect* event for their campus, only to find that less than 50% of their intended audience ever showed up in the first place!
This could be quite damaging to your self-esteem as a successful programmer, but could also damage your reputation in the eyes of your director -- After all, who wants a programmer who can't even fill the seats?
Again -- it doesn't have to be this way.
You may not realize it, but you are only three words away from discovering how to fill the seats every time. Pack the house. Make people stand in lines to come to your events. These three words are...
"Multiple Marketing Tools."
In order to draw people into your events, you must market to them effectively. You must be able to reach out and grab your audience. Pull them in to your event. Make them want more, and keep them coming back...
And if you're not sure what 'marketing' is, have no worries because we're going to explain that to you right now.
According to Webster's Dictionary, the term marketing is defined as: "The process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service."
Marketing = Promoting.
Promoting = Advertising.
Advertising = Getting the word out about your event to fill the seats!
So essentially, marketing just means the process by which you promote a product or service. Without getting too techical, let's just say that your event can be considered your service. You want to "market" or promote your event (service) to let people know that you're having an event, and you're telling them WHY they should come see it!
Make sense?
Power Performers is a full service event planning firm, and we can help apply our marketing knowledeg to help make your events a success.
Ok, let's move on...
Our survey revealed that 98.3% of all programmers simply use fliers, posters and table tents, placed "strategically" across various locations around campus, call it "marketing" and then expect droves of people to flock to their event. (which seldom, if ever - happens.)
It just isn't true.
Now don't get me wrong, distributing fliers, posters and table tents across campus is an effective tactic, but is NOT the *only* marketing technique you can use. In order to fill the seats every time, you're going to need to market aggresively. This doesn't mean you have to work harder, just work smarter...
First, you should have what is called a Marketing Action Plan.
I know this term may sound "technical" but I assure you, it's easy as 1-2-3 when you know what to do. And you'll be astounded at the amazing results that come from *just* having a simple plan of action...
Your Marketing Action Plan should consist of three main points:
1. Your Overall Objective.
2. Your Tactics to Reach that Objective.
3. Your Strategy Behind Each Tactic.
First, take out a blank sheet of paper and a pen, and make two columns going all the way down the page. At the very top of the page, write "My Overall Objective."...
In the first column, write "My Tactics" and in the second column, write "My Strategies."
Now, before you go any further, allow me to help you understand -in detail- what these three important aspects of a Marketing Action Plan entail...
1. Your Overall Objective - You've heard of "goal-setting" right? Well, this is something along those lines, just a bit more... powerful.
Put simply, your Overall Objective is the core-reason behind your marketing.
It contains the exact 'intended outcome' of your event.
What do you want for your event? A full-house for example?...
Ok, let's say you're putting on the event in your campus's gym, and it will seat approximately 5,000 people. Your Overall Objective is to fill every one of those 5,000 seats. So for your 'Overall Objective', you'll write:
"To fill 5,000 seats and pack the gym."
Alright. Now your desire is already becoming more of a reality simply because you wrote down *and specified* exactly what you want to occur.
Now, here's how to make it all happen...
Turn over the sheet of paper and put a big circle in the middle of the page. Inside the circle write "Tactics to fill 5,000 seats" (as in our example)...
Now begin brainstorming all the possible ways you can get the news of your event out to a bare minimum of 5,000 people...
For our example, here are a few suggestions...
-Place fliers on cars
-Place posters in cafeteria
-Hand out fliers to students coming out of classes
-Place table tents in front of high traffic-areas
-Gather email addresses of students and mail to them about the event
-Ask teachers to participate in giving the news of the event
-Write a press release and send it to the local TV network and newspapers
-Survey college students to find out what kind of events they want to attend and then give it to them
(These are just a few ideas. There are actually many more -- keep reading to learn more about them!)
Just write as many possible ways as you can think of to reach as many people as humanly possible, who may be interested in coming to your event. Be creative. Don't think, "this won't work" or "I could never do this" because that will only slow you down. Think as if you had mystical unlimited powers and could do anything you wish. This may sound a bit crazy, but just try it and you'll surprise yourself with what you come up with!
Everything you've written down thus far are called "tactics." These are the main tools you will use to get the word out about your event. Be sure and keep in mind you want a bare minimum of 5,000 people. Don't ask why. Just trust it and I guarantee it will work for you.
Now, take all of those "tactics" and draw a circle around each one, then draw a line leading from each circled idea straight to the main circle in the center. This is called "mind mapping" and is a proven, extremely effective way of brainstorming and organizing all your ideas into a powerhouse action plan for success!
Next, you'll want to take each idea or "tactic" you've written and connected to your overall objective and write them down in the "My Tactics" column on the other side of your worksheet. This is solidifying your intention into a specific set of ideas, which will come in *very* handy, as you will soon discover...
Once you have all your tactics in the "My Tactics" column, it's time to begin thinking of your REASONING behind each tactic. This isn't the 'Overall Objective', but should contain a smaller "step-by-step" objective that ultimately leads into your Overal Objective. I'll explain...
1. Your Overall Objective contains exactly what you want to ultimately happen or occur (i.e. Fill 5,000 seats and pack the house)
2. Your Tactics consist of ways and methods you'll use to achieve your Overall Objective. (i.e. the list we created to get the word out about our event)
3. Your Strategies are the reasons behind you running each tactic. (i.e. you're placing fliers on cars because people will definitely see them and even pick them up before getting in their car and driving away, which gives you free publicity.)
All three go hand-in-hand. You can't successfully have one without the other.
You can't have strategies without tactics to make them work.
You can't have tactics without an overall objective to achieve.
You can't have an overall objective without tactics and strategies behind it.
Here's a simple three-step formula for ultimate success in marketing your events:
Overall Objective + Tactic + Strategy = ULTIMATE SUCCESS!
You're getting closer and closer to learning about your new Secret Weapon -- Keep reading to find out more...
Nightmare #5: The #1 Reason Students Leave an Event!
You've worked hard to put on a great event. You may have worked even harder to actually get people to come to the event..
The LAST thing you need is to sit back and watch people leave your event before it's over!
They say, "it is better to have love and lost, than never to have loved at all..." Not so with event programming! Your job isn't only to plan a great event, but also to get people to the event, AND to have them STAY at the event. It's like a slap in the face when you see people getting up and leaving the event you worked so hard to make a successful reality for your campus.
Well, here's a surprising statistic taken straight from our survey of over 1,497 campus event programmers...
Did you know an unbelievable 67% said the #1 reason for leaving an event or not attending at all was simply because of the lack of food and beverages???
Can you imagine instantly increasing the rate of people staying throughout your entire event by a whopping 67%, simply by offering food and beverages to your audience? Shocking -- but true.
What's even more surprising, is that over 34% of these same Campuses claim to have cut back on food and beverages in order to "save money."
They're cutting their own throat without even realizing it!
Are you?
We'll show you how to increase your attendance, keep them at your event AND book the best of the best in quality entertainment, speakers or novelty attractions, while saving you valuable time, money and frustration -- all in one dynamite, FREE orientation where we'll reveal...
