How to Kill Your Competitor
For many of the events that I am brought in to launch, a key challenge is to create something that does not mimic others in that market segment. If you create a ‘me-too’ event – one that is not differentiated from everyone else in a substantive way – you are destined to fail. But how […]
Is Building an Event an Art or a Science?
Are you wondering about what the ingredients of building an event are? I asked my friend, industry renowned journalist and thought leader Michael Hart on the art/science mix on starting a conference. Here’s what he had to say: _____________________________________________________________________ The answer to the above question is “yes.” Yes, it is an art; yes, […]
The Right Number of Qualified Attendees or Profitability?
Well, your answer is likely to be, “Warwick I want both!”. But what if you must prioritize one choice over the other? We’ve all been there; what do you do? The direction you take depends upon the kind of company that you have and your event philosophy especially toward new launches. If each […]
What Trump’s Victory Means for Your Event
I was ruminating about Jeff Hurt’s article, “Our Increased Distrust Of Institutions And What It Means To Your Association, Conference,” and thinking about how the Trump election phenomenon follows other trends in our society in general and the events business, in particular. Here’s what I believe is the impact on our business: People are […]
When to Hire an Outside Consultant
A couple of questions I am frequently asked by event organizers are “How do I know when to bring a consultant/contractor in to help?” and “Isn’t it a sign of weakness if I have to go outside the company to do this?” Both are good questions. To answer the second, I would say that, […]
Do you have the guts to do a 3 month event launch?
At this year’s SISO Executive Conference in August I had the opportunity for a quick chat with Vinnie Polito about an event launch I had completed this past year. When I remarked about how well it had gone in spite of the white knuckle ride, Vinnie replied that “if you like a white knuckle ride, […]
You Can Develop the Next Blockbuster Event
You might be thinking, ‘Sure. How? I’m just a lowly (fill in the blank.) How am I going to come up with an idea for such an event? Or, conversely, you might be thinking, “Sure, but I’m a senior executive and I have people to do that kind of thing. I have neither the time […]
How to Stop Your New Agile Competitor from ‘Eating Your Lunch’
Are you worried about your next competitor which comes from out of nowhere? I asked my friend, industry renowned journalist and thought leader Michael Hart on his views of how to avoid getting killed by a new competitor.. Here’s what he had to say: ———————————- You run the flagship annual event for your industry. People […]
How to ‘take the temperature’ of your event sales effort
If your organization is not hitting its event sales goals consistently, then as the sales manager you’re responsible. How can you diagnose what and where the problem(s) may be? Here’s a handy checklist to figure it out: As a sales manager, are you within 10% (whether higher of lower) of your total annual sales goals […]
An Event Wellness Check: Weeding Out Potential Problems Before They Kill You
At a recent speaking engagement, a number of people asked me whether I could come up with five questions to determine the health of an event and whether they had had their ‘finger on the pulse’ of their market they were serving. Here’s what I came up with- these are questions you should ask […]