Events

1. Mike Bryan Joaquin
BS Entrep Prof.Andre Canaria
Assignment #1
Identifyanddiscusscriticallythe variouseventgenre of eventmanagement.
1. Conferences
The goal of any great conference istoorganize agroup of people witharelatedinterest andprovide
themwithhelpful informationontopicstheycare about.Conferencesusuallyschedule multiplesessions
spreadout overdays,weekends,orinsome casesentire weeks.
Conferencesare apopularadditiontoanyeventstrategyastheycan be made quite affordable
dependingonthe numberparticipants.Theyare heldinlocationsassmall asconference roomsoras
large as entire conventionhalls.Commonconference activitiesinclude guestspeakers,breakout
sessions,andnetworkingopportunities.
Apple’sWorldWide DeveloperConference isanexample of alarge scale event.Itspecificallycatersto
the interestsof developersandproductusers.Activitiesinclude ahighlyanticipatedspeakerand
sessionsthatteachcustomershowtoget the most outof theirproducts.
2. Seminars
If you planto hosta seminar,chancesare yourgoal issimilartowhatyou’dlike toachieve ata
conference:targetanaudience anddelivervaluable information.Forseminars,eventROIcan be
measuredbymultiplefactorsbeyondnetprofitfromticketsales.
Seminarsare typicallymuchsmallerthanconferencesandhave asingle sessionlastinguntil the endof
the work day(at most).Theyare most oftenusedtotrain employeesandmanagersand,contraryto
popularbelief,successful versionsemphasizeinteractivityoverlectures.
SalesandmarketingexpertsWednesdayRelationshostsaseminarcalled“BuildingB2Bmarketing
excellence”thatteachesattendeeshowtoproperlycommunicate andmarkettotheircustomersinthe
B2B SaaS space.Their90 minute eventtakesplace firstthinginthe morningandkicksoff witha catered
breakfast.
3. Internal CompanyMeetings/PeriodicBusinessGatherings
Internal companymeetingsandperiodicbusinessgatheringsare eventsusedtodiscuss aselectgroupof
topicsinorder to assessprogress,facilitate projectkickoffsorto solve aspecificproblem.Theyare
commonin companieswithover25employeesbutsmallerbusinessescanalsobenefitfromthisevent
type.

2. Thiskindof eventtypicallyincludesanagenda,coordinatingfacilityrentalsorbookings,organizing
audiovisual equipmentforpresentations,andplanninglunchforparticipantsdependingonthe time of
day,all of whichcan be handledthroughadvancedeventsoftware.Dependingon the formalityortime
sensitivityof the topicsbeingaddressed,preparationsforaneventlike thismighttake anywhere froma
fewmonthstoa fewhoursto plan.
PlumOrganics,a babyfoodcompany,addsa cleveractivitytotheirinternal companymeetings:coloring
books.Fittingforboththeirbrandand theirinterests,employeesenjoythe opportunitytocolorwith
crayonsand markersduringcreative brainstormingsessions.Thisfunactivityallowstheirstaff tocolor,
talkand decompressall atonce.
4. Trade Shows/ Expos
Trade showsandexposaimto presentnew productsandservicesfromavarietyof relatedbrandsina
professionalmanner.Typicallythese typesof eventshave atheme thattiesthe boothstogether.
Trade showsandexposare especially useful forprospectswhohaven’tyetdiscoveredyourproductor
are lookingtoreceive additionalinformationinperson.Thiseventtype isuseful forcompanieslooking
to increase the numberof in-personinteractionstheyhave withtheircustomerbase.
BrightAgrotechusestheirtrade showboothto bringtheirproductto life (quite literally).Thisvertical
farmingstart-upshowcasesawall of freshproduce andgreenerythattrulystandsout amongst
competitorswithlaminatedflyersandtvscreens.Their attractive boothalsoshowcasestheirsoftware
and services.
5. Thought LeadershipandNetworkingEvents
The goal of a thoughtleadershipeventsandnetworkingeventsistopresentabrand’sauthorityina
particulardomainandprovide opportunitiesforpeople withrelatedbusinessintereststomeetand
interactwithone another.Thiseventtype caninclude VIPsorfocusmore on general admission.
Whetheryouplanan intimate gatheringoralavishaffair,thoughtleadershipandnetworkingeventsare
a tool for establishingaproductor service’splace initsindustry.Tomake the mostof thiskindof event,
be sure toinclude featuredexpertsfromyourcompanyasspeakersorhostsand include some multi-
touch eventmarketingstrategiesintoyourplan.
The BozemanBusinessExchange HappyHour(hostedbyBizX) celebratestheircommunityeverymonth
withappetizersanddrinks.Tomix thingsup,theyhostthe eventata varietyof interestingspaces
includinghistorictheatres,hottubshowrooms,andhotel loungesinconvenientlocations.
6. Ceremonies/Galas
Ceremoniesandgalasserve avarietyof purposesbutthese formal eventshave one thingincommon:
theyprovide anelegantwayof presentingabrandandits productor service.Whetherit’sablacktie

3. fundraisingeventinarentedart museumora kickoff foran annual meetingata conference,
ceremoniesandgalasprovide asophisticatedwayof markingaspecial occasion.
All ceremoniesandgalasprovide some sortof entertainmentrangingfromlivemusicto guestspeakers.
No matterwhatis onthe agenda,these typesof eventsfavorfunoverproductivityandgive attendeesa
chance to enjoythemselveswithgoodbeveragesand/orfood.
The ANA B2 Awardsgala honorsprestigiousbusiness-to-businessagenciesforavarietyof rolesincluding
global brandstrategy,newmediastrategy,andsuccessful productlaunches.The awardstake place in
conjunctionwiththeirconference toguestscanchoose toupgrade theirconference ticketpackagesto
include thisspecial event.
7. Product Launches
A salescentricevent,productlaunchesare amethodforincreasinginterestandgeneral mediacoverage
for newproducts,services,orupdatedfeatures.Theyplayacritical role inthe marketingof a product
and,whendone well,have the abilitytodrasticallyincrease brandvisibilitybeforethe general publichas
a chance to chance to evenuse it.
Productlaunchesofteninvolve invitedmediaguestswhoreportonthe productbeingpresented.These
successof these soireesislargelydeterminedbythe timingof the event,attentiontodetail,andthe
general levelof satisfactionof yourattendees.
Namely’sHRRedefinedproductlauncheventusedaccount-basedeventmarketingtopersonalize the
experience foreachof theirhand-selectedattendees.Theygave eachpersonacustomizedname-plate
createdby a NewYorkdesignfirmspecializingintypography.Evenif youdon’tplantogive outswag,
the moral of thisstory isproductlaunchesshouldstill focusonthe consumerjustasmuch, or evenmore
than,your owncompany.
8. VIPEvents
VIPevents(orsalesaccelerationevents) focusonprovidingthe mostinfluential shareholders,
customers,andotherhonoredguestswithanexclusive(andimpressive) experience.The goal of anyVIP
eventisto ultimatelyincreaserevenue throughmaintainingthe loyaltyof these keyfigures.
Eventslike thisone are typicallycateredandinclude complimentaryentryandtravel servicesforthose
comingfromout of town.It’sespeciallyimportanttoknow youraudience sothatyou provide an
experience thatwill actuallybe enjoyableforthemandappeal totheirunique interests.
The annual Chief Wine OfficerFinancial ServicesIndustryHeadlineDinnerfeaturestwoof theirbrand’s
biggestresources:expertwine knowledge andacommunityof VIPfigureheadsinthe financial
community.Theireventattractsover50 seniorexecutivestotheirinvite-onlysoiree where theyenjoy
fine wine tastingandfacilitateddiscussiononthe industry’shottesttopics.

4. 9. Job Fairs/ RecruitingEvents
The goal of most jobfairsand recruitingeventsare tofindandsecure talentfortheircompanyacrossa
numberof departments.Typicallyheldatcollegesanduniversities,thiseventtype ispopularamong
start-upsor companieslookingtofindfreshmindstohelpexpandtheirbusiness.
Potential recruitsbenefitfromthe personal interactiontheygetfromthistype of event.Theycanspeak
to actual employeestogetinsiderinformationonthe workenvironment,benefits,anddetailsregarding
theirideal jobcandidate.Makingastrongimpressionata jobfairor recruitingeventtodaycouldpayoff
for decades.
The Departmentof Defense hostsaGrand Challenge eventforpotential jobcandidateswhoare eagerto
design,build,andtestself-drivingvehicles.Theirfocusistonot justsingle outthe besttalentbutto
encourage the continuededucationandadvancementof the industryasa whole.Evenif youdon’thave
the budgetfora large scale technologychallenge,there are lotsof waystocreate competitionsrelated
to a subjectyourbrand and audience reallycare about.
10. TeamBuilding
Team buildingeventsare internal meetingsfocusedonprovidingfunandinterestingwaysfor
employeestobond.The goal isusuallytofacilitate relationshipbuildingsoemployeescanbecome
betterleadersandcollaborators.It’salsoahelpful waytogetpeople fromdepartmentswithoutdirect
contact to be introducedtoone another.
Dependingonthe activitiesplanned,teambuildingeventscanbe motivating,inspirational,and
educational.Classicexamplesof teambuildingeventsinclude obstaclecoursesorsome otherphysical
challenge indoorsoroutdoors(weatherpermitting).Buteventslike hackathonsoroffsitescanalso
qualify.Teambuilding eventsshouldaimtobuildtrust,boostmorale,andincrease productivity.
Glassdoorhostsa board game tournamenttobringemployeestogetherfora little friendlycompetition.
Theychose gamesbasedon theirgoals,includingfacilitatingplay,building skillsets,andpromoting
teamcollaboration.Eventplannerscanreplicate thiseventwithanykindof teamwork-basedactivity
that isboth entertainingandchallenging.
11. FieldMarketing/Activations
The goal of most fieldmarketingorbrandactivation eventsistoformstrongeremotional bonds
betweenacompanyandits audience.Since relationship-buildingisthe primaryfocusof thiseventtype,
it’sespeciallyimportanttoknowwhichspecificaudiencesyouare targetingtoplanthe activities
accordingly.

5. A fieldmarketingeventtypicallytakesplace off site,inanarea where targetprospectsandrelevant
audiencesare centrallylocated.These typesof eventsoftenfacilitate salesandprovide amultitudeof
strategicopportunitiesformarketingand salescollaboration.
JetBlue’sUltimateIce BreakerChallenge setasix-footcube of frozensummeraccessoriesinNew York
Cityisboth an example of experiential marketingandacleverwayto promote activations.Passerby
were invitedtochipawayat the ice to reveal prizessuchasflipflops,beachattire,golf clubsandmore.
Theireventwasfocusedonsharingthe new collaborationbetweenthe airline andthe touristbureauof
PalmSpringsto advertise theiradditional flightroutesforthe season.