The Power of Connections: How to Host Events That Build Your Business

Hosting events is an integral part of getting ahead in business. Business events provide the ideal context for networking, connecting and collaborating. They also provide business owners with the perfect opportunity to showcase their work and achievements to date to potential new investors and shareholders, as well as to industry peers.

These types of events are also a place to celebrate your business’s success, as well as learn from other industry professionals new ways to integrate and capitalise on advancements in your field. For this reason, hosting a business event is an essential tool for learning, sharing and connecting with others, and just as importantly, growing and building your business.

Here’s how to host one.

Step 1: Identify Your Ideal Event Audience

The first and one of the most critical steps in hosting events that build your business is to identify your target audience. Who do you want to attend your event? What audience members would be most beneficial to include to propel your business growth?

For the best results, do your research. Identify voices of authority in your industry, and be sure to invite them. Then, ascertain which audiences would be most interested in your product and service offerings, and make sure they’re on the guest list too.

Step 2: Procure Branded Event Merchandise and Decor

Setting the tone of your business event requires you to consider procuring branded merchandise and decor to keep everything on theme. Some of the items you may wish to arrange for your event can include:

Branded Flyers and Pamphlets

What’s an event without branded flyers and pamphlets? Having your staff hand out informative print media to attendees on the day can do wonders for your customer engagement, and to promote your business offerings.

Branded Posters and Signs

Similarly, lining the walls of your event space with branded decor like posters and signs displaying your company logo will remind event attendees why they are there - to learn more about your business.

Staff Dresscode and Accessories

For the final touch, also ensure that your staff are dressed on brand. Have them wear your company colours, or better yet, branded t-shirts or pullovers. You may even ask them to wear branded accessories, such as hats, caps, and scarves bearing the company logo, for example.

Keeping your staff’s appearance presented uniformly can do much to set the tone of your event, as can considering even the smallest details. If your business’s logo has a black background, for instance, arranging for each staff member to wear a black lanyard will keep everything on theme, and will also be effective in visually tying all of your branded decor together.

Step 3: Promote Your Event via Social Media Platforms

Finally, what is an event without attendees? For your event to be a success, you’ll need to drum up interest, as well as create a buzz that compels your audience to attend. How to do this? By harnessing the power of social media.

In the lead-up to the event, try ‘teasing’ your audience with a social media drip campaign. What does this mean? Essentially, a drip campaign involves dropping a series of hints leading up to an event, often via social media platforms. This strategy piques the interest of your audience and gets them excited and intrigued about what your event could entail. It also ensures your event stays front of mind with your audience, and ultimately, drums up excitement around the upcoming event.

When it comes to building and growing your business, hosting events is essential. Business events not only provide invaluable networking opportunities - a place to connect with like-minded industry peers and potential investors - but they also enable business owners to learn from others about how to improve their product and service offerings.

So, as a business owner, how do you hold a stellar event? First, consider your ideal audience - who are the best people to invite to your event? Next, set the tone of the day with branded event merchandise and decor. Finally, encourage your ideal audience to attend your event by using social media to drum up interest in the lead-up to the day.