Event Strategy

Strategy, plan and tactics: the difference

People use these words loosely. Keeping them apart saves arguments later.

• Event strategy

  The choices behind a whole year or program of events: goals, audiences, formats and how success is measured.

• Event plan

  The work for one event: budget, venue, schedule and owners.

  The event planning process

• Event marketing plan

  How you will fill that event with the right people.

  Event marketing plan

• Tactics

  The single actions inside a plan, such as a reminder email or a speaker call.

  Event marketing strategies

The six parts of an event strategy

A good strategy fits on one page. Each part answers one question.

How to write an event strategy in six steps

Set aside a day with the people who own the goals. Do not start with venues or speakers. Start with the business.

1. 1

   Start from the company goal

   Ask sales, marketing or the executive team what they need next year. Write it in one sentence. An event that cannot be tied to a goal is a candidate to drop.

2. 2

   Name the audience

   List the two or three groups you must reach. Be specific about role, industry and what each group needs from an event.

3. 3

   Choose the event mix

   Match formats to goals. Large events build reach. Small ones deepen relationships. Online events reach people who cannot travel.

   What is a hybrid event
4. 4

   Set measures before you plan

   Pick a few numbers you will track for every event, and agree on them in advance. Fewer is better.

   Event KPIs
5. 5

   Fix the budget and the team

   Decide what you can spend and who does the work. A strategy that ignores capacity becomes a wish list.

   Event budget
6. 6

   Build a calendar and review it

   Place events on a year calendar, leaving gaps for follow-up. Review the strategy every quarter and change it when the data says so.

   Event planning timeline

A corporate event strategy example

This is an illustration, not a benchmark. The numbers are left blank on purpose, because yours will differ.

EVENT STRATEGY: [Company], [Year]

Business goal: [one sentence]

Audience: [group 1]; [group 2]

Event mix:
- Flagship event: [name, month, in person or hybrid]
- Mid-size events: [number and format]
- Online events: [number and topic]
- Small events: [dinners, roundtables]

Core message: [what attendees should believe afterwards]

Resources: budget [amount]; team [names]; tools [list]

Measures for every event:
- Registrations against target
- Attendance rate
- Qualified leads or meetings
- Attendee feedback
- Cost per outcome

Review dates: [quarterly dates]

Stop rules: we drop an event if [condition] for two editions.

Common strategy mistakes

Most weak strategies fail in the same few ways.

• Goals no one owns

  If sales and marketing disagree on what an event is for, the event serves neither. Get the goal signed off first.

• Too many events

  Ten thin events do less than four strong ones. Count the staff hours before you add another.

• No follow-up plan

  Events create interest that fades fast. Plan what happens in the week after.

  Event follow-up email

• Measures chosen afterwards

  Picking numbers after the event invites cherry-picking. Fix them in the strategy.

  Event ROI

Where software fits in the strategy

Strategy is a thinking job. Software helps you carry it out and see the results. Eventdex's pages describe an event management platform with registration and ticketing, an event mobile app, check-in and reporting for in-person, virtual and hybrid events. Using one system across events makes it easier to compare them.

Eventdex's pages do not describe a strategy-writing tool, so treat the template above as a document you keep in your own files.

• Event management platform

  One place for registration, the app and on-site tools.

  Event management software