How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Events
How to Use Social Media to Promote Your Events
Event planning and marketing go hand in hand. Without marketing, your event may not live up to its full potential. Living in 2022, the marketing world has a strong lean toward the digital side which comes with many challenges, however, once you have a grasp on using digital tools, they can come at ease and help you immensely in your event planning. As an event planner in the Edmonton and surrounding area for years, I have a few tips on using digital means to help promote your event, which I will share with you today. This blog’s focus will be on using social media to help promote your upcoming event!
Tip 1: Establish Social Media Accounts for the Event/Organization Early On
First things first, to promote on social media, you need to have social media channels. There are two ways of going about this:
- Social media channels for the organization
- Social media channels for the event
Sometimes it may be beneficial to use the social media channels for the organization as it already may be well established. By well established I mean:
- Steady growth in followers each month
- Post regularly
- Strong engagement with followers
Don’t worry, if you don’t have social media accounts set up for the event or organization it’s not too late. It’s best to set these accounts up as soon as possible so that you can start posting and gaining a social media presence among the right audience. There are four main platforms that I typically like to focus on depending on the audience and type of event which includes Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Each of these platforms provides great benefits however explore the idea of YouTube or even TikTok too if they are relevant for your event!
Need some more help deciding which platforms to use? Check out this great HubSpot article which outlines different platforms and their pros and cons!
Tip 2: Create a Social Media Plan in Advance
Ok, now that you’ve got your social media channels, the next thing to do is create a social media plan in advance. I recommend starting to post about the upcoming event months ahead, especially if you are looking for sponsors and exhibitors! Consider posting:
- Event information (who, what, where, when, why)
- Reasons to attend the event
- Attendee information
- Exhibitor information
- Sponsor information
- Highlight special guests attending or keynote speakers
- Highlight sponsors
- Registration information
- Promotion (ticket pricing etc.)
Use your social media channels to bring awareness to your event, share the benefits of attending your event, information about the event, and much more. It’s important to share information in advance, for example, if the last day to purchase tickets is May 10, ensure you give your audience plenty of notice!
What I like to do is create a calendar using a spreadsheet to help you organize your posts. Are you going or post 1x a week or 4x a week? You can track all of this information on your spreadsheet.
Tip 3: Use a Scheduling Tool
I can’t stress this enough, but using a scheduling tool will save you so much time! Scheduling tools usually come at a cost of $10+ per month depending on the capabilities you would like included. Instead of trying to remember to create your post and share it across your platforms multiple times a week, you can schedule a few hours at the beginning of each month or an hour or two a week to schedule out in advance. I prefer scheduling for a month in advance. This frees up a lot of my time so I can focus on planning and executing the event. If I ever have any last-minute announcements to make I can quickly add them in.
Using a scheduling tool not only saves you time, but it saves you the stress of forgetting to post and messing up the social media plan you made in advance.
Tip 4: Evaluate Engagement & Find Key Takeaways
Just like it’s important to evaluate your event to find out what worked and what didn’t work, it’s just as important to do this with your social media. (Keep an eye out for the next blog this month as I’ll be sharing ideas on how to evaluate your event) It’s important to try out different ideas and methods to see which creates more engagement with your audience. This way, you can put your effort into what works for your event and not waste time on what doesn’t. It’s best to test new ideas over at least the span of a month to help you really gauge engagement. So how do you measure engagement?
- How many likes is your post getting?
- Are there any comments? If so, what are they?
- Are people sharing, re-tweeting, or saving the post?
- Is your channel gaining more followers?
I’ve been in the events industry for over a decade now and each year new waves of promotion types come about. It’s important to stay on top of trends and evaluate what works best to promote your event. If you have any questions about planning your upcoming event or you need a helping hand, feel free to reach out!
Courtney’s 5 Special Event Tips
Courtney’s 5 Special Event Tips
For those of you who are returning to the Planit Blog, it’s great to see you, and for those of you who are new here, my name is Courtney and I’m the owner of Planit Events Inc. I’ve been in the events industry for many years now and I’d say that I’m just as passionate about it as the day I started. I love curating event designs and putting my client’s visions together to ensure that they have a successful event. Usually, I pick a topic to focus on for each of my blogs, but I thought I would switch things up a bit for this one. In today’s blog, I will be sharing 5 tips that I have learned throughout my experience as a professional event planner in the Edmonton and surrounding area.
Copyright Lauren Voisin Photography. All Rights Reserved 2016.
Tip 1: Plan Ahead
I apologize in advance to those who are returning, but I’ve said it once (ok, more than once) and I’ll say it again, always plan ahead! Planning your event is the core structure that your entire event relies on. Planning has the following benefits:
- Gives you time to troubleshoot when problems arise
- Allows you to potentially test out ideas
- Gives you ample time to research
So, when you are planning what things should you consider? I like to start with deciding what the event is for, who the audience is, and what my goals are. I then like to decide on a budget. This aspect can be tricky sometimes but don’t worry I’ve got you covered. Check out the Planit blog to learn how to plan out your event budget.
Once you have your budget you can start to make decisions on the details. Think about the venue and how you picture the event. Need help choosing the right venue for your event? Check out the Planit blog. Work on the details from biggest to smallest.
Tip 2: Stay Organized
Now with details, it’s important to stay organized. Planning an event can become messy, fast. But if you stay organized from the start, things will be much easier for you and your team. So how do I stay organized?
- Plan out my days (ensure to make time for yourself too!)
- Use reminders on my phone and calendar to keep me on track
- Make lists and monitor them
- Use digital tools (read more about this in the Planit blog)
Organization is different for anyone, so try a few things out and see what works for you.
Tip 3: Ask for Help
Planning an event can be super overwhelming and take up a tremendous amount of your time. Don’t forget that it’s ok to ask for help! Believe it or not, most large events aren’t just put together by one lone person. Make yourself a team of friends, family, colleagues or vendors. I know sometimes we don’t always have a team available, but you can also consider hiring an event professional to ease the burden. To learn more about how hiring an event planner can help, check out the Planit blog.
Tip 4: Don’t Be Afraid to be Creative
I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the latest trends or get nervous to try out something completely different, but I’m here to tell you to be elaborate and think outside of the box! The best events that I have attended have always been different than the typical event and that’s what makes it so memorable. The only tip I have to give is to make sure the idea you have fits the audience that will be attending your event. Will your creative idea help you reach one of your event goals? If the answer is yes, then give it a try! Event planning in many cases is about trial and error. I didn’t find my favorite food vendors quickly, it took years of trying different ones out.
Tip 5: Always Evaluate
Last but not least, always evaluate post-event. This tends to get overlooked but it’s important to address how well your event went. Ask yourself the following when evaluating your event:
- Overall, how did the event go?
- What went well? What did not?
- Did I meet my event goals? Why or why not?
- What would I do differently next time?
- What would I do the same?
- Which aspects can I improve on for future events?
- Did I stay within the budget? Why or why not?
- What unexpected challenges came up?
- Did I deal with the challenges well?
- How did my team perform?
Although events are a lot to plan and put together, the reward of a successful event is priceless. To learn more about the services I offer at Planit Events Inc. visit our website. If you have any questions or you want to inquire about any services please feel free to reach out.
Notable Catering Trends in 2022 You Need to Try
Notable Catering Trends in 2022 that You Need to Try
Each year it’s so exciting to see the new and emerging trends in the events industry. In December I wrote a blog post that summarized the trends from the events industry in 2021 (you can check it out here). This time around I decided I would share some of the catering trends that have gained popularity and perhaps one of these trends will be fun to implement into one of your upcoming events!
Pandemic-Friendly Food Serving
The first one is a little obvious, but due to the pandemic (I swear, I will try to say this word less and less), catering has had to become creative to share food and treats safely. This led to a huge increase in individually wrapped servings, but many catering companies made light of the situation and got crafty. Take a look at some of these awesome ideas:
I do predict moving forward that this trend is here to stick around. Whether you are catering your own event or hiring a catering company, don’t be scared to be creative and have fun with it. Give your guests something to talk about!
It’s All About the Flavor
In the past, when thinking of catering for large events, many planners tended to stick with the more conservative palette for flavor, but according to studies from recent years, guests love trying new and bold flavors. Your event isn’t just about being informative or celebrating, it’s about being memorable and most importantly creating an experience for your guest. By incorporating bold flavors you’re doing just that!
Alcoholic vs Non-Alcoholic Beverages
Depending on your event and audience, you may choose to incorporate alcoholic beverages. This isn’t anything new or memorable to note, but what is, is that more are choosing to not indulge in alcohol anymore. So they’re left with the option of ordering a water, soft drink, or coffee/tea. And guess what, that’s no fun. Consider asking your bar team to add in a few fun non-alcoholic beverages, mocktails. Looking for some inspiration? Check out these fun mocktail ideas!
Think Green
Moving into 2022 more individuals and organizations are moving towards becoming more green. This is great, however, it can pose a bit of a challenge and this may require you to be a bit more creative about your catering. So how can you move towards a more green-friendly option?
- Not using disposable plates, cutlery, or glassware
- Cloth napkins
- Responsible sourcing of ingredients
The key message from this blog that I would love for you to take away is, make your event an experience for your guest and I can assure you they will be returning in years to come. And of course, if you need help along your event journey, or perhaps you’re looking to pizazz things up a bit, Planit Events Inc. is here for you! Send us a message and we would be happy to see how we can help your vision come to life.
How to Create Contingency Plans that Guarantee Success
How to Create Contingency Plans that Guarantee Success
Before we get started, it’s important to know what a contingency plan is and why they are important to have in place for your upcoming event. A contingency plan is any “backup” plan that you have in place in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Some examples of unforeseen circumstances in the events world include:
- Budgeting issues
- Catering canceling
- Bathrooms failing (trust me I’ve seen this before)
- Time delays
- And much more…
In the events world, so many things can go wrong due to so many independent factors so it is best to be prepared with contingency plans ahead of time so that when something does happen you are prepared and the event can continue like nothing even happened in the first place.
Step 1: Create a List of Risks
The first step in creating contingency plans is to decide which elements of your event are potential risks. It is crucial to be extra diligent during this step because even though it may be unlikely that part of your event may fail due to unforeseen circumstances, it is still a possibility. Some things to consider putting on your list may include:
- Failure of specific guests (especially speaking ones) to arrive on time
- Weather, for both indoor and outdoor events. Even though your event is indoors, will the road conditions to get to your event be a potential risk?
- Injuries or accidents
- Team members calling in sick
Step 2: Rank the Risks
The second step is to rank the risks in order of how large of an effect it will have on the event’s success. For example, weather for an outdoor event may have a larger impact than the special speaking guests arriving 15 minutes late. I like to use a scale ranging from 1 to 5, with 1 being a low risk and 5 being high risk.
Step 3: Creating the Contingency Plans
Step three is one of the more crucial steps – making the plans. This step can sometimes take a little sprinkle (or a big sprinkle) of creativity. To develop contingency plans you need to think outside of the box. For example, at a wedding I attended a few years ago, everything was going smoothly until it wasn’t. The toilets at the hall started to fail and it was a very short time before not a single toilet worked, and there was an open bar to boot so as you can imagine it was a less than ideal situation. So, where’s the contingency plan? Porta-potties were quickly delivered just in time to save the day! Not a pretty problem, I know, but contingency plans need to be in place, or problems like these can end up being disasters.
If you’re planning an outdoor event, especially in the Edmonton area, we know the weather can be… let’s say a little unpredictable. Has it snowed in May? Absolutely. Weather is one of the more tricky elements to create a contingency plan for. Will your event continue rain or shine? Do you have tents as backup just in case of bad weather? Will your guests still want to continue with the event? All of these questions must be considered when developing your contingency plans.
Step 4: Briefing Your Team
What’s almost just as important as the contingency plans themselves? Your team! Don’t forget to include your team members in the plans, whether it’s solely the ones they’re involved in or all of the plans to increase overlap. Ensure you notify team members of the following:
- Their role in any plan they are involved in
- Where they can find a written copy of the plan
- Who they can contact for additional support
- Any additional details that may assist them
Planit Events Inc. is at your service. If you want to run a successful event without the hassle of all the nitty-gritty planning, send us a message, we would love to chat about turning your vision into a reality. My numerous years in the industry have allowed me to face many challenges and become a great event planner over the years, and I would be happy to share my skills with you to ensure your event is just as perfect as you are envisioning it.
If you’re looking for more event planning resources, check out my blog page!
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3 Christmas Party Tips to Help You Throw the Best One Yet
3 Christmas Party Tips to Help You Throw the Best One Yet
As the frost rolls in and the air becomes crisper, it’s safe to say that the holiday season is right around the corner. I know that for most of us, the holiday season is one of the busiest times of all between your work and personal life, which can lead to extra stress. So whether you are getting your plans together for a corporate or family event, I have some great tips to share with you to help ensure that your Christmas party is a hit for each and every one of your guests.
Plan Ahead
As the holiday season can become hectic quickly with numerous events, buying presents for family and friends, and much more, planning ahead will save you a considerable amount of stress. First, pick a date and stick to it. The sooner you let your guests know about your fabulous Christmas event, the sooner they can pencil it into their calendar before other invites arrive.
Once you’ve set a date, create a checklist for yourself. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! Check out the Planit Events Inc. starter checklist to get you started. What kinds of things should you include on your checklist? Consider the following when making your unique checklist:
- Where will the event be held?
- How many people will be on the guest list?
- Will the event be held at a restaurant, or do you need to start looking for a catering company?
- Will there be a bar?
- Will there be a gift exchange or prizes given away?
- What will be the entertainment?
Download the checklist here: Christmas Checklist
If you want to check out some more great tips on planning, visit my blog!
Décor
It’s not a Christmas party unless there is holiday décor! With lots of advance planning, give yourself a chance to think of a theme or, better yet, start a Pinterest board of all your favorite décor ideas, and from there, you can narrow it down. Think about who your guests are? Do you want to go for a more elegant look, or do you want a more fun, spunky vibe?
Need some help putting your décor together? Look no further! Planit Events Inc. launched a new product earlier this year, Décor Crate! Décor crate makes decorating for your event simple! So how does it work? You will receive your custom curated Décor Crate, which has all your decoration needs, as well as a small box with items that you will keep and do not have to be returned. Don’t worry; a handy guide will be in the crate! Once you are done with your event, simply package all the items that are to be returned back into the crate.
Once we have the crates back, we will sanitize and clean all the decorations and have them ready to go for the next event!
Entertainment
It’s important to choose entertainment that everyone will enjoy! But where do you start? Again, think about who your guests are and what they enjoy. What have you done in past years that people liked or disliked? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Photo Booth
- Guests tend to let loose a bit during holiday parties, and it’s great to capture these happy moments with a photo booth! Christmas props like antlers and Santa hats can make them even more fun!
- Live Music
- Music is a great way to get people up out of their chairs to dance and sing along! Remember, if you’re going to have live music, ensure you secure a band or DJ that will play the right genre of music for your audience.
- Games and Giveaways
- Games and giveaways are a great way to get people excited and involved in the party. Perhaps a gift exchange or raffle! There are lots of ways you can go about this. Remember, if you’re going to incorporate a gift exchange, set a minimum and maximum spending limit.
Now, remember, the holiday season is supposed to be fun and full of appreciation for one another. Planning ahead and sticking to your checklist will help you plan a great party that not only your guests will enjoy, but you too! Planit Events Inc. is always here to help, especially when you have too much on your plate. So let us take the stress away so that you can sit back and enjoy the holiday season with your colleagues, friends, and family! Reach out to us to see how we can help you plan the most fabulous holiday party that people will be raving about years from now!