5 Elements to a Great Event by Derrick Sier

Have you ever went to an event that was just….okay? Don’t get me wrong – you had a wonderful time, but there were so many elements that could have made the event a lot better. And it’s not even the big things you would have changed; just small things here and there that could have taken the event from okay to good to maybe even great! Yeah, I’ve definitely been there…on the planning side as well…wishing I would have had this tid-bit of information before attempting to create, develop, coordinate and host an event. So, in order to make sure you don’t do the same, I’ll discuss a few steps below.

I would like to preface these steps by saying, this isn’t the only way to go about an event. These are just things that I’ve found work for me. I’m sure there are steps in between each of mine, but for the sake of time, I’ll narrow and group my experiences into five topics:

1. Get Help! No matter how great a thinker, organizer, motivator or coordinator you are, you can’t do it all by yourself. One of the ways to prematurely fail at creating an event before it even starts is by having one person doing everything. With this “one man takes all’ mentality, you narrow your event development because of having a single point of view, you run the risk of missing deadlines because of possible poor multi-tasking abilities and quickly smother out the passion of the event by being tired of it before it even exist. You want a solid infrastructure of people who are going to creatively challenge what you suggest, are able to carry out what you request and share the same passion for the event as you do. These simple components can successfully take your undeveloped idea of an event to the next level.

2. After getting help, make sure you and your help Know the Event. Inside and out. Upside down. Up-right. Backwards and forwards. Just like knowing a close friend, you must know all the intricate details of the event; not only the basic who-what-when-where-how, but even the issues that branch off all of those rudimentary concepts. By knowing these, you are making sure the framework is solid enough to start build your house of latter thoughts. Basic details may include: what is the event, why are you doing the event, when is the event, where is the event, how much do we charge to get into the event, has this event been done before, if so – how did they do it, etc. Latter/developing thoughts may include: how do you want the event to feel, what group are you targeting, how many do you want to come, what do you want them to wear, what makes this event unique, etc. So, for the most part, just make sure you know the event. Later, this will help you maintain the integrity of your event as well as sticking with the long term “big picture” aspect of the event.

3. Do Something Different. This doesn’t necessarily mean doing something that hasn’t been done before. Although that would be nice and refreshing, the benefit of succeeding immensely is evenly weighed with the risk of low participation because of its unfamiliarity. However, you should feel quite comfortable doing something that has already been done, but in a different way. By doing an event that’s similar to another, you are able to scrutinize to pros and cons, and use this process to your advantage. For example, there are several poetry nights in the greater Oklahoma City area, but all of them feel different. Some churchy, others more urban. Some alternative, others more traditional. Some cultural, others more broad and eclectic. And within these listed types of poetry nights, there are still hundreds of other levels to make them even more different than the next. Some have music, others have just poetry. Some show art, while others have dance. You can throw into the equation: food, location, lighting, marketing, promotion, price, themes, genre, discussion, social opportunities, give-aways, guests artist, etc. By the way, this is just poetry nights we are talking about. Imagine all the different things you can do with other events. The whole point is to be fresh; a source of change. Conquer uniqueness. Be new. Be you. Be different.

4. Get the Word Out! Flyers. Posters. Hand bills. Emails. Radio. Editorials. Television. Partnerships. Business contacts. And the most important one….. word of mouth! Your level of business or amount you are prepared to spend on promoting your event will dictate which of these methods you choose. However, the point is this: get the word out about your event! No one can come if they don’t know about it.

5. Build a Business Rapport With Your Participants. One of the good things about going to a concert is the way the performing artist uses the music to build a rapport with the listeners. People don’t go to concerts to simply hear a musician play the music as it’s recorded on the track. On the flip side, the artist doesn’t do a concert to simply play the songs already recorded. People and artists alike, come to be a part of the show. People, to experience firsthand, the emotion, mood and setting portrayed by the artist on their CD; the artist to show the people the heart behind the music, all while bring the music to life. Through this simple interaction, fans have dedicated their music following to certain artists and artists have committed their lives to doing music. This is the relationship event coordinators should try to build with their participants. Somehow – someway, event coordinators should have people eagerly awaiting the next event. This happens when previous events are well thought out, successfully developed and implemented, and presented in a fresh and exciting way. People begin to take ownership of the event; almost as if it’s theirs. Once the interaction is made and the rapport is developed, just as much work should be invested in maintaining the relationship. Rapport is a vital component to great events.

Derrick Sier is President of Jesus First Productions.