Right around March 20th, as the sun starts to warm everything up and the last mounds of snow piled to the side of the road start to melt, people head outdoors to have fun. For many, Spring marks the beginning of event season, when you can’t walk past a public park or outdoor square without seeing one event or another. Whether it’s a food festival, a music event, a literary showcase or a clothing store grand opening (to name only a few), events take careful planning and forethought in order to attract people and run smoothly. If you’re looking to throw an event this spring – big or small, indoor or outdoor – there are a few tips and considerations to keep in mind.
Plan, Plan, Plan
This can’t be said enough: if you want to pull off a well-attended and successful event, you probably shouldn’t do it on the fly. It all begins with understanding your target audience. Who are you trying to attract and what types of things do you think they want from an event? If you’re throwing a small music festival, for example, you might want to secure part of an outdoor area for a beer gardens; that, of course, means you have to apply for an outdoor liquor license, and hire staff trained in smart serving procedures… As you can see, these decisions have implications down the line, which is why it’s good to start early.
Develop a budget that includes projected ticket sales and/or corporate sponsorship, and from there you can begin securing a venue, partnering with food providers (if applicable), advertising and training staff. Be flexible throughout this process, as there are bound to be some hiccups along the way.
A Great Staff = A Great Event
You want a dedicated, coordinated, helpful staff, whether they’re volunteers or hires. Brief them well in advance on what the day will look like, and once you’ve secured a venue allow them to familiarize themselves with it. Once you’ve locked down a logo and sponsors, immediately get in contact with a quick-turnaround screen printing company like Printscanada.com to start working on making custom printed shirts or jackets for the event staff.
These will help add credibility and consistency to the event; they’ll help event-goers track down help easily in case they have questions or concerns; and they’ll double as a kind of mobile advertising for the event. With an informed, uniformed staff, you now have a “team”, a group of people that can work together to ensure the event’s success.
Get Yourself Out There
In this age of social media, if you want your event to be well-attended you have to be aggressive in your online presence. That means teasing the event over Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and drumming up excitement (read: ticket sales). Contact a local arts and culture publication – Toronto’s BlogTO, for example – that has a popular events page and plug your event there. Most of the time, it’s easy, free and welcome by the publication.
Always, throughout everything, continue to remind yourself of who this event is for. Keep your audience in mind with every decision you make, and you’ll be more than set to pull of the event of the spring season!
Originally posted on March 29, 2018 @ 8:33 am