When starting out with event planning, a lot of people underestimate just how difficult it can be to get people excited enough to attend. Sometimes you might have the luxury of a star attraction such as a celebrity or sporting event, but often it is necessary to be creative in order to draw people to the event.

To get you started, this guide outlines some effective tactics that will help to promote your event.

Choose an event hashtag, and use it

Your event needs a consistent hashtag, which you can use in all your marketing including social media posts, your event website, social media account bios, and printed materials such as flyers or tickets. This will connect all the elements of your campaign and make it more memorable. Ensure that your team and any entertainers or guests are using the hashtag when they talk about the event.

Learn to love SEO

When people turn to search engines such as Google and Bing to find events happening in their local area, you want your event to turn up on the front page of the results. To make it more likely that this will happen, you need to invest some time and energy into search engine optimization (SEO). This means that when you write a blog, a social media post, or a press release, you do so with SEO in mind. For example, find out which words and phrases most people are typing into search engines (known as keywords) and include those words and phrases in your content.

Ensure people can buy tickets easily

Even if someone likes the sound of your event, if they have to jump through hoops to get a ticket, they may give up and go elsewhere. Ideally, they should not have to click away from your social media profile or website to buy tickets as this can create a disconnect in terms of branding. With a WordPress event registration plugin on your website, people will be able to buy tickets there and then. If you are sharing content on social media, be sure to include a call to action to get tickets, which links directly to the event registration or ticketing page on your website.

Offer tiered ticketing

A great tip for boosting sales is to offer different tiers of tickets depending on when people buy and how much they spend. For example, people who buy tickets before a certain date could pay a cheaper price to encourage early purchases. Offering a discount for group tickets can also be effective, as you encourage people to bring their friends along to the event. This means there are more people to spread the word and potentially more people to spend money at the event. If you are serving food and drink at the event, some tickets could include a special deal on a meal or a free drink. Alternatively, VIP tickets, which give attendees an improved experience such as priority seating or a gift, can also be popular.

Target social media audiences differently

A one-size-fits-all approach to social media marketing is rarely effective. It is best to identify a few platforms that are popular with your target audience and to post highly shareable content. Facebook is usually a good choice as it has dedicated space for event promotion, while Twitter enables you to share short updates and teasers before and during the event. Instagram is great for sharing photos and behind-the-scenes moments, while LinkedIn is better suited to professional events. Whichever platform you choose, try to seek out your audience and engage with them when you can.

Incentivize your attendees

When you have secured some attendees, you can put them to work. Offer them the opportunity to upgrade their tickets to the VIP level or give them free drinks vouchers if they bring a friend along. Ask all your attendees to share that they are planning to attend on their social media accounts. Your performers or speakers could also promote their upcoming appearance on their own website and social media accounts. It is in their interest for the event to be a success, so they should not have an issue with spreading the word.

Run a competition

It might seem simple, but running a competition or giveaway can be a great way to stir up interest. Social media has some restrictions on the type of competitions you can run, but caption competitions, polls, votes, and asking people to comment (e.g. “I should win because…”) can be effective at generating engagement and reaching new audiences. On Instagram, you could ask people to create and share photos on a theme or using your event logo. Winners could receive free tickets or freebies at the event, but the point is that people are buzzing about your event.

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If you’re planning a large event, no matter what it is, there’s a lot to take on. Whether it’s the logistics, the guest list or the venue, the list of things to sort out can seem endless and one thing which often gets forgotten about is whether or not you’ll need an alcohol licence.

The reason for this is that most people really don’t know that much about licences, so in this post, we’re going to take a quick look at the basics to make things a little bit simpler.

Do I Need One?

The main question that you need to ask yourself is whether or not you’re actually going to be selling alcohol, or just giving it away.

If you’re going to be selling alcohol, then you’ll need to apply for what is known as a “Temporary Event Notice” (TEN), under the Licensing Act of 2003.

A couple of things to note about TENs; your event must have fewer than 500 people at all times and must last no more than a week (168 hours).

You can also only apply for up to five TENs a year unless you already have a personal alcohol licence, in which case you can apply for up to 50, and a single premises can only have 15 TENs in one year.

How Do I Get One?

If you’re going to be selling alcohol and need a licence, then you’ll have to apply to your local council to get one (you can find the right authority for you at gov.uk).

Example of a California alcohol permit

Make sure that you have all of this sorted well in advance, as you need to apply for the licence at least ten clear working days before the event takes place.

Unfortunately, TEN’s aren’t free, and you’ll have to pay a fee of £21. Once the TEN has been served, you have to send a copy to the police at least ten working days before the event, although if you’ve applied online, the council will do this for you.

If you’ve only realised that you need a licence at the last minute, it is possible to apply for a “Late TEN”, five working days before the event, although this isn’t recommended!

If all of this sounds like a bit too much hassle on top of everything else that needs sorting for your event, you can always turn to a licensing service such as Hospitality Training Solutions, who can arrange your licence for you!

Objections

In the vast majority of cases, a TEN will be passed with no problems, but there are a couple of grounds on which the police or Environmental Health can make an objection.

The main reason that licences are denied are when the authorities decide that the event could lead to crime and disorder, create a public nuisance or be a threat to public safety.

In the unlikely event that your licence is rejected, you can appeal to your local magistrate’s court.

It might all seem like a lot to take in, but applying for an alcohol licence is actually a lot more straightforward than you might think, and it’s also really important, and can lead to heavy fines if you don’t have one, so be sure to get it sorted well ahead of the big event!

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Booked Prom 2017 Yet?
Starting the new year with planning for Prom 2017 may not be the most exciting thing to add to your task list.

Start With Small Steps. Taking on too much is a common reason why so many New Year’s Resolutions fail. Dramatically slashing calories, over-doing it at the gym, or radically altering your normal behavior are sure-fire ways derail your plans. Instead, focus on taking tiny steps that will ultimately help you reach your larger goal.

Don’t Let Small Stumbles Bring You Down. Encountering a setback is one of the most common reasons why people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions. If you suddenly relapse into a bad habit, don’t view it as a failure. The path toward your goal is not a straight one and there are always going to be challenges. Instead, view relapses as learning opportunities.

Keep Working on Your Goal. By February, many people have lost that initial spark of motivation that they felt immediately after making their New Year’s Resolution. Keep that inspiration alive by continuing to work on your goals, even after facing setbacks. If your current approach is not working, re-evaluate your strategies and develop a new plan.

Reward Yourself. To stay motivated throughout the year, you must reward yourself for each benchmark you reach. Create a list of rewards for each goal you reach to help you stay motivated, especially when you feel close to giving up on your resolutions. Keep your list in a handy place so that you can refer to it occasionally for motivation.

Let us help you! With amazing resources and access to a wide range of venue and vendors, our team can help you plan your entire event from start to finish. Why do the work when you have us? Contact us today!

 

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