Curtain down, guests departed, event wrapped… The perfect time to put your feet up and relax, right? Well, for event planners, not so much. When it comes to running an event, the end of the night doesn’t mean your job is over – in fact, over the years we’ve found that what you do after an event officially ends can be just as imperative to its success as the event itself. From gathering feedback to measuring your ROI (Return On Investment), and even starting to think about the next event, follow these key steps to ensure that you get the most out of your event long after it’s done.
Remember to say Thanks!
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it also wasn’t built by a single person. Large scale events (and, well, small scale events for that matter) take a lot of collaboration and group work. Bothering to acknowledge people afterwards is incredibly important to foster strong supplier relationships and make your team feel appreciated. If someone went above and beyond, don’t be afraid to go above and beyond to thank them. Remember, personalisation is key here, so take the time to make your Thank Yous meaningful. People will always remember you for this and go the extra mile for you because of it.
Gather Feedback
At Worx Group we believe that every event is a learning opportunity, and feedback is a great way to figure out what went right (and wrong) and use that going forward. Feedback is especially critical if you’re planning on to host the same event or others like it in the future, so reach out to your suppliers, team, client, and even guests. Get their thoughts – what did they love? What would they like more of? What do they want to see next year? These insights are gold, but make sure you grab them quickly while they’re still fresh in people’s minds.
Stay Social
We’ve already spoken about how useful Social Media can be in promoting your event, but what about chatting about it afterwards? Social platforms are a really great place to keep in touch with your attendees if you’ve built up a community ahead of the event, especially if you’re hoping to share content afterwards like photos, videos, and thought pieces. Plus, it’s a great way to begin building your event guest list for next year and getting the FOMO started…
Crunch the Numbers
Although we know that not all events are strictly about making money, taking the time to look at the numbers of an event is a key part of measuring its success. Understanding factors like your event ROI is important for understanding where your gaps were and how to improve, and that’s always important to move forward both as an individual and a team. Just be honest with yourself about those numbers, even if they’re hard to acknowledge.
Take time to debrief
If an event has gone well, and especially if it’s gone badly, don’t neglect the importance of a good team debrief. Set aside a solid chunk of time as soon as you can to evaluate the success of your event and look at these three key factors in particular: Did you meet your objectives? What do you need to improve on? And what really worked? Keep the positives till last and work to build a sense of excitement in your team about the next one.
Lastly, don’t forget to congratulate yourself. Working as an events planner can be incredibly stressful and creating and running an event from start to finish can be pretty exhausting. So, once the dust has settled, be sure to take some time to relax, recharge, and reinvigorate your love for what you do – you deserve it.