The Top 7 Items to Check Off Your List After Your Event
After weeks or even months of preparation the close of the event can be seen as the termination of all the work done to prepare and execute it, but there is much to do even after the lights go out:
1. Apply Social Media Strategies
Social network content derived from the event can be used to efficiently set up your next event:
- Conduct a full review of all the audiovisual material captured at the event and set up a schedule to post it on an ongoing basis on all your social media presences
- Follow up with attendees to complete a basic survey as to how they rated the various aspects of the event and what they'd like to see in the next one
- Encourage all presenters and participants to post their impressions of the event on their own pages
- Compile a review of all positive comments, apply as press release content, and use them as testimonials issued on a consistent, steady basis until the next event
- Offer attendees a considerable discount and various motivations to pre-register or buy tickets to the next event
- Provide a clear and valuable incentive to attendees, staff and participants to solicit their social circles to attend your next event
- Set up an email drip campaign to build anticipation to your next event
2. Pay Everyone & Everything
Leaving bills outstanding is a severe procedural violation that can handicap any future events:
- Review all payables to ensure that all vendor checks and payroll payments are issued in proper time and that there are funds for clearance
- Directly confirm with all governmental agencies such as taxation and business licensing to ensure that there are no outstanding charges
- Distribute all funds to partners and associates according to the terms of their agreements
3. Follow-Up Returns & Deposits
Every event has some elements that are rented or borrowed and have to be returned:
- Ensure that all rented and borrowed equipment was returned on time and without any form of damage
- Account that all deposits were returned as expected
4. Thank Everyone
Don't miss anyone who was involved in any way:
- Major stakeholders should receive a valuable gift along the lines of a bottle of champagne, an engraved piece of gold jewelry or a wine or chocolate gift basket
- Staff should get at least a personal (not boilerplate) thank you note and if the budget allows it, a small gift would also be appreciated
5. Conduct a Comprehensive Program Evaluation
A professional event manager learns something more from every event:
- Examine everything from staffing levels to the pricing of refreshments to see if there were failures that can be improved next time
- Discuss with the venue management how they can provide more and better services for the next booking
- Review the success of the event with key stakeholders such as participants, vendors and sponsors
- List the conflicts that were encountered, how they were resolved, and what could have been done to avoid them in the first place
- Evaluate the goals, objectives, and financial expectations with an eye towards whether they were reasonable and if they have all been achieved or surpassed
6. Plan for the Future
The past can provide a serviceable blueprint for the future if you learn from your event experiences through your program evaluation:
- Update all contact lists
- Analyze every vendor's performance and pricing
- Evaluate the promotional expenditures and media buys to determine their efficiency
- Review whether the venue will still be in sync with the audience expectations
- Determine whether the presenters lived up to expectations and which of them would be on a list to invite for the next event
7. Fill Out a Self-Analysis
Possibly the most critical element in any event is the manager, so evaluate your own performance from a completely unbiased outside perspective. Make sure to exhaustively list what you did well, where you failed, and what can you improve the next time to be the best event manager you can be.
- No matter whether your next event is scheduled next month or next year, a thorough review of all aspects will boost your future success.