How do you use events to showcase your products and services?

1 Define your objectives

Before you start planning your event, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve. Do you want to launch a new product, increase brand awareness, generate leads, or educate your customers? Your objectives will guide your decisions on the type, format, theme, budget, and agenda of your event. Make sure your objectives are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

2 Know your audience

Your event should be tailored to your target audience, their needs, interests, and preferences. You need to research your audience and segment them based on demographics, psychographics, behavior, and goals. This will help you design an event that appeals to them, provides value, and solves their problems. You also need to consider how to reach and attract your audience, using the right channels, messages, and incentives.

3 Choose your format

Depending on your objectives and audience, you can choose from different formats for your event, such as webinars, workshops, conferences, trade shows, product demos, or networking sessions. Each format has its own advantages and disadvantages, so you need to weigh them carefully. For example, webinars are cost-effective and convenient, but they may lack interactivity and engagement. Workshops are interactive and educational, but they may require more resources and planning. Conferences are prestigious and influential, but they may be expensive and competitive.

4 Create your agenda

Your agenda is the core of your event, as it outlines the content, speakers, activities, and timing of your event. Your agenda should be relevant, engaging, and informative, and it should showcase your products and services in a compelling way. You can use different techniques to create your agenda, such as storytelling, gamification, case studies, testimonials, or demonstrations. You should also balance your agenda between educational and promotional content, and between formal and informal sessions.

5 Promote your event

To ensure your event is well-attended and successful, you need to promote it effectively. You can use various channels and strategies to promote your event, such as email marketing, social media marketing, influencer marketing, press releases, or paid ads. You should create a compelling value proposition for your event, highlighting the benefits, features, and outcomes of attending. You should also create a landing page for your event, where you can provide more details, collect registrations, and track conversions.

6 Follow up after your event

Your event is not over when it ends. You need to follow up with your attendees, speakers, sponsors, and media contacts after your event, to maintain the momentum and relationships you have built. You can follow up by sending thank-you notes, feedback surveys, certificates, or offers. You can also share the highlights, recordings, slides, or photos of your event on your website, social media, or blog. You should also measure the impact and outcomes of your event, using metrics such as attendance, satisfaction, leads, sales, or media coverage.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?