15 Event Planning Tips To Make A Big Impact At Industry Events

Few things affect a company’s health more than industry events. Regardless of your field, these events allow direct contact with consumers and clients, the value of which you can’t overstate. Even in a world increasingly conducted online, nothing makes a greater impact than the kind of in-person conversation and demonstrations that can take place at industry events. These wall-to-wall feasts of the mind and senses can be exciting, valuable, and overwhelming. Don’t agonize over the details and decisions, though. Formulating a plan of attack in advance will enable you and your team to step through the doors armed with proven methods to make a lasting impression. To help, we’re sharing 15 event planning tips to make a big impact for your next event.

15 event planning tips

Know your messaging

Before your team even arrives at the event, it’s important to establish consistent messaging. Are you selling a particular product or your company as a whole? Do you want to maintain current clients or actively seek new ones? What are the positives of consumers working with your company? What are the pitfalls? Having ready-made answers and consistent messaging means your team will never waver in any conversation, whether formal or informal, and attendees can engage with multiple representatives from your company, from executives to interns, without you or your coworkers inadvertently contradicting each other.

This is the first on the list of event planning tips because establishing a message is an essential first step necessary to make any other decision. From the mundane, such as the color of tablecloths, to the big picture, including primary objectives, a message will set a tone and, subsequently, a theme.

Plan a schedule ahead of time

Once you and your team arrive at the event, days will be long, schedules will be hectic, and any hope of making a plan as you go will quickly disappear, leaving you with no plan. Set a schedule ahead of time for each facet of the event, such as who will work the booth when, who will spend time networking, nail down the times of any speaking engagements, and pre-schedule any meetings, both externally and internally.

Internal meetings, especially, are crucial during industry events. A team check-in ensures everyone is where they need to be at the right time, and you can address any concerns or questions. Set these up at regular intervals, based on the schedule, but do so regardless. Establish a designated meeting place so people aren’t running around looking for each other, and appoint a person to lead each of these meetings, regardless of their formality.

Think outside the ballroom

Most industry events occur in a large room, such as a hotel ballroom or convention center. This setting allows the event to conveniently host multiple vendors in one area, providing your company with access to a large captive audience. It can also prove overwhelming for everyone involved, especially those walking around, trying to take it all in and visit every booth. When considering your strategy, some crucial event planning tips involve thinking beyond the main hall.

While you need a presence in that area to reach everyone at the event, consider also setting up an activation away from the action. Whether it’s something in a hallway or outside, utilize the space available. An activation like this also provides more space to spread out, set up more engaging displays, and interact for longer, since other booths aren’t competing for people’s attention.

“Inflate” your chances of making an impression

In a room full of attention-grabbers, make sure to stand out. One fun and memorable way to do this is to invest in custom inflatables. These are more than your average bounce houses and air dancers, although the latter is impactful. You can tailor custom inflatables to suit your business and needs, such as placing your logo on an inflatable, hosting a giveaway or contest, creating a dynamic entrance to your booth, or even using smaller rotating inflatables at your entrance, like a stanchion.

Research shows it takes event attendees an average of 3.5 seconds to walk past a booth. Capture their attention quickly with an inflatable.

Give them a reason to step in

Once you have the attendees’ attention, ensure they have a reason to step closer. You don’t have to be a carnival hack, but something as simple as a giveaway will cause most people to stop and consider. Place signage for giveaways or contests at the front so attendees know what you are offering immediately. It is a truth universally acknowledged that people love nothing more than free giveaways. Here are a few event planning tips to consider:

Consider placing a product demonstration near the front, depending on the event’s tone and your company’s image. If you make and sell handmade chocolate, consider having one of your chocolatiers create fudge near the front. If you are a videography company, place at least one screen at the opening of your booth to offer a glimpse of a finished video. If your company specializes in enticing products, use them to your advantage.

Another proven way to draw attendees toward your booth is by tapping into the power of scent. People will follow a pleasant smell—sweet, spicy, or flowery—before they even realize they are doing so. Use power outlets to plug in scent diffusers or place an inconspicuous fan near the entrance to send out scents of baked goods or similar aromas.

Create an experience

You’ve captured their attention and given them a reason to step closer; now, you must give them a reason to stay. Create an immersive experience for someone from the moment they step into your booth or activation, drawing them in as deeply as the space allows. You can achieve this by creating a path with a runner rug or by arranging decor or lighting in a way that directs people toward what you want them to see. An immersive setup can also showcase your product through promotional material or actual product placement.

Place those manning the booth throughout the space as well, to have someone in a position to speak with attendees and to man different parts of the activation. If there is enough space, you can set up vignettes for sitting areas, demonstrations, or refreshment areas.

Put care into the details

You pour so much time and attention into the product, promotion, and networking that will take place at an industry event that it’s easy to forget about the small details. These are the little touches that attendees won’t consciously think about missing but will notice if they are present: things such as tablecloths on tables, soft lighting, and spots of flowers and greenery, the latter of which adds a touch of natural life to what can be a manufactured environment. While not the most needle-moving among event planning tips, these touches might not sell your product, but will market your company since they showcase that you can be attentive.

Carefully choose promotional items

We’ve all been there, leaving an industry event with a bag of goodies, only to return to our room and realize we’ll never use half of them. Too often, companies distribute items that are easy to order and discard. The purpose of a promotional item, though, is to remind potential customers and clients about your product after they’ve gotten back into the grind of day-to-day life.

Choose items that are both useful and related to your product or company. As cute as koozies are, people rarely use them unless they are on vacation. Nondescript coffee mugs are sometimes used as pen holders, if one is lucky. If you are a coffee company, a bag of beans gives a better look into your product. Be creative, think about the product and the consumer, and whittle that into something that is effective marketing and easy to put in a tote bag.

Try a tri-fold

There are a few things that will have a more lasting impact on your industry event than literature. The written explanation doesn’t need to be long or dense; instead, highlight your talking points to remind clients of your product or company’s details when clients review the material later. This type of promotional material is also an ideal opportunity to include relevant graphs, testimonials, and contact information. When considering your materials, here are some helpful event planning tips:

Choosing the right vehicle for this information is essential. A business card typically doesn’t hold enough relevant info. A standard brochure can convey the same message. However, a more extensive booklet can be cumbersome. A tri-fold brochure is usually the perfect size to share your business’s highlights, contact information, and other key details.

Bring your heavy hitters

Bring executives and high-level personnel from your company to industry events whenever possible. Their presence isn’t always feasible, but when it is, the payoff is worth the trip. Consumers and clients want to put a face to the name, and when they can meet a founder or president, it connects them to your company in a way that has some of the highest return on investment. Whether you are a small start-up or a Fortune 500 company, the basis of all good business is interpersonal relations. Capitalize on that with face-to-face communication at your event.

Be front and center

Industry events are about establishing yourself within the field. Doing so is done with potential clients and amongst your fellow vendors or companies. Become a beacon for best practices by establishing yourself and your company as a leading voice in the industry. If there are speaking engagement opportunities, sign up for them. Speaking to an assembled group is a chance to put your company in front of all the movers and shakers in the field.

Host a smaller event

While industry events are a great place to meet many people, the process can be suffocating for some and too short for others. If you have identified your goals while establishing your messaging, chances are you also identified the type of consumer or client you want to target. In some cases, you might even identify specific people or vendors you want to work with in the future. These considerations are essential for effective event planning.

Schedule a smaller, more intimate gathering at some point during the event. Such an event can be a company-sponsored dinner, a networking event, or even a coffee mixer.  Once you make connections at the event, invite those targeted people to this off-site event, allowing you and them to see if there’s a future working together.

Tap into influencers

The world of marketing has undergone significant changes in recent years. While there is still value in traditional PR and advertising, it must be married to a world that is primarily online. Regardless of your product or company—whether high-end skincare, data solutions, or anything in between—there is an influencer within your field.

These influencers are individuals on social media, across all platforms, who review products, promote companies, and provide real-time and in-depth opinions and analysis. Influencing is an exploding market that shows no signs of slowing down, and any industry event today is bound to have influencers in attendance. Finding someone who believes in your company can be crucial to your marketing campaign.

Network, network, network

For all the signage, inflatables, promotional items, and literature, nothing can beat the power of word of mouth. Industry events are stuffed with people working in your field, meaning they know a client’s and consumer’s needs better than anyone. While there will inevitably be a crossover between some products, not every company is the same. Interact with the other stations around the event to support each other and learn what the other offer. If a consumer crosses their path that isn’t a proper fit, the company can point them towards you, and vice versa. Rising tides lift all boats.

Networking also creates business connections that can prove helpful down the road. These are valuable event planning tips to keep in mind.

Sell a good product

None of this matters if you don’t have a good product. It doesn’t have to reshape the landscape of the field or immediately make millions. Find something solid, productive, and, most importantly, something you believe in enough to share with others. That confidence will speak volumes, and you can promote the product or company with conviction to everyone who crosses your path.

Conclusion

When competing for attention in the industry event arena, every detail counts. You can’t just show up and hope for the best. Make a lasting impact by prioritizing engagement, thoughtful souvenirs, and effective promotional materials. Ultimately, you know your product and company better than anyone. Tailor these tips and tricks to your style, and you can dominate every industry event.

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