Things to do AFTER an event
Once you’ve prepped and perfected your event, the enjoyment comes from seeing everything fall into place as your event takes place – and the host of happy faces at the end of it all. You helped create that – what’s more, you’ve done a fabulous job!
However, when that adrenalin rush is over, there are a few things to think about that will ensure you continue to receive value from the event; and make planning subsequent events much more manageable.
If the event de-brief is something you’re not familiar with, don’t worry– we’ve got you covered.
Where to start…
- Thanks everyone involved
A simple ‘thank you’ note, email, or call to everyone involved in making the event a complete success is a genuine gesture that you care, and appreciate all the hard work that the team involved in creating it, put in. Every single person should feel appreciated and valued. It also goes a very long way to building up goodwill and a keenness to work together on future projects – don’t forget to thank internal team members; as well as your suppliers and very importantly….your guests!
- Collect feedback
Gain valuable insights into what your guests really thought about the event. You can do this using various methods, including surveys, focus groups & informal conversations – you could even use social media to gain this information – however you do it -try and talk to as many attendees as you can to get their honest opinions and feedback. As a guide, you should be looking to find out the following:
- What attendees enjoyed, and didn’t enjoy about the event programme.
- What they thought about the logistics around the event, including location, the venue itself and transport modes available on the day.
- A chance to comment on what they’d like to see in the future: whether that’s catering choices, or changes to how the day/evening was structured.
- If they would attend the event again, or recommend attending to others.
- Review your event by conducting an in-depth event de-brief
Get together with your team and discuss what went well (and; of course, anything that didn’t!) no matter how big or small. Look at ways you can improve in the future; event planning is a learning experience; so think of ways you can prevent any future hiccups from happening (if any occurred!) The devil is in the detail here – an in-depth event de-brief will give you even more confidence next time you need to plan an event – theory is good, but experience (and analysis) is even better!
- Follow up marketing
Social media promotion and marketing matter just as much after the event, as when you’re planning and attending. Showing off great pictures & comments, not forgetting the all-important tags & hashtags afterwards – and encouraging attendees to do the same – can help create a hype around your event that lasts long after your event ends, and will encourage previous and new individuals to attend follow-up events.
- Admin and finance
This is something that can easily be put to the bottom of the list, but do check in with your finance department, as well as the finance department of your venue and suppliers. You want to make sure that all costs have been signed, sealed and delivered – and that everyone’s on the same page. This will usually be discussed pre-event, but it’s good business practice to double-check there are no loose ends to be tied up!
- Start planning your next event
It’s never too early to get organised, even if this means creating a preliminary event brief ; many venues and suppliers have events booked in their diaries well in advance, so don’t be shy to inquire even if your next event date is several months away.
We’re here to ensure that anything you plan, whether it’s a conference, dinner, or any event for that matter – will be a complete hit with everyone involved. Our team of dedicated experts are ready and waiting to help so, drop us a line via our contact form, or call: 020 7390 1590.