A guide to promoting large-scale events!

Be a long-termist and try to maximize the experience of the audience, guests, and partners at every event. In the process of continuous work, word of mouth will be accumulated, and then a certain cognition will be formed in the entire industry. Then, through continuous output of activities, continuous connection with this group of people through activities will be established, and potential energy will be accumulated slowly. After the potential energy is accumulated, word of mouth and brand will gradually rise. With long-termism + value output + time compounding, you will unlock excitement and joy.

The activity process is mainly divided into six steps! Market research - event establishment - event preparation - promotion & recruitment - event execution - event review.

1. Activity Framework

1. Purpose of the activity

This is the most important question before doing an event: Why do I want to do this event?

• Enhance influence and strengthen brand.

• Policy releases, such as Toutiao’s Vitality Conference and Kuaishou’s Photosynthesis Conference.

• Sales meetings. Companies that hold sales meetings have a relatively high frequency and generally have standardized meeting processes, screen participants, and do not have strict requirements on the information density of the meetings. However, they emphasize mobilizing the atmosphere, have a follow-up mechanism, emphasize result conversion, have KPI indicators, and focus on promoting products and services.

2. Market research

This part is relatively simple. Since you are doing activities in this industry, you will definitely be able to reach some people in this industry. So you can solve your confusion through face-to-face chats, online chats, questionnaires, consulting industry veterans, or looking at activities of competitors in the same industry. You can roughly draw a conclusion, and then you can verify it. At this time, the direction of the overall activity is clear, and you can proceed according to your plan.

3. Determine the boundaries

Once you figure out why you want to do this activity, you’ll basically have a rough idea in your mind.

Working backwards from now, how long will it take to prepare for this activity? For example, if it takes 30 days, work 30 days backwards from the current situation to see whether it should be held during the week or on the weekend, whether it should be done half a day or full day, and what type of activity it is, and who will talk about it? Who will listen? What is the purpose of this activity? Basically, there is a general and vague portrait, which is not precisely connected to an individual at this time, but we know what kind of label it has and what channels it can be reached through.

At the same time, boundaries are important! It draws some directions and knows what can be used and what cannot be used.

①The budget is different, and the entire boundary is completely different. Maybe because of limited budget, some venues will not be considered, some construction plans will not be considered, and some teachers will not be considered.

②The number of people and the budget are also closely related. Organizing an event for 500 people, 1,000 people, or 100 people are completely different concepts.

③The duration basically determines the number of guests. Everyone is more keen on doing the afternoon activities, which are relatively simple. They start at 2 pm and end at 5 pm, a total of 180 minutes in 3 hours. If each guest has 25 minutes, the total is 150 minutes. The remaining 30 minutes can be set up for a roundtable forum. It is basically a 6+1 session setting. The control in the middle does not need to be so strict. This can be flexibly adjusted according to the number of guests, duration and other factors.

④ Venue. 2019 is a special year. Many large-scale events from July to October cannot be held. In addition, the Chinese New Year this year is relatively early, on January 25, the first day of the Chinese New Year. Many large-scale events are postponed to the end of the year. In addition, many annual meetings are also held at this time, which will increase the cost of the entire hotel. In previous years, we might have to look for a hotel two months in advance, but this year we have to look for two months, three months or even longer in advance! There are actually not many places in Beijing that can accommodate thousands of people and have convenient transportation. It may be cheaper in the west, cheaper in the south, and more expensive in the north and east.

Factors to consider for a venue include: price, size, number of people it can accommodate, floor height (under lights), transportation convenience, routes of movement, lighting, presence of pillars, and supporting facilities (accommodation, dining, etc.)

Through the above analysis, we can have a rough framework for what kind of activity we want to do. First, we need to define the entire boundary, and then further refine it. There is also a process of internal communication and coordination. It is impossible to make these very precise at the beginning.

2. Activities

1. Confirm the topic

• First, avoid ambiguity and ensure that the information is conveyed accurately.

• The second is to highlight the value of the activity, the value it brings to users, and increase its attractiveness.

• Third, try to combine with current hot topics to increase exposure.

For activities within the industry, usually only the guest’s title is written, because everyone in the industry knows who he is, so there is no need to say what the guest is like or what he has done in the event section. But please note that for cross-industry activities, you need to write an introduction of the guests, because the audience comes from different industries and may come from all over the place. You can judge what the guests may say through the introduction of the guests, and use this to confirm whether the event is suitable for you.

2. Time and venue

Generally, there is a large venue and a small venue. Here, the large venue refers to which city, and the small venue is a specific location. For example, if an event is decided to be held in Beijing at the end of December, Beijing is a large venue. How late can the large venue be? If there are many guests from other places participating, they will book their flights in advance and confirm the venue half a month or 20 days in advance; if the event itself is for people in Beijing to participate, a group message will be sent to everyone one week before the event starts.

Generally speaking, weekends are better than weekdays, and Saturdays are better than Sundays. However, we must also consider the scale and impact of the event and avoid holding it on Mondays, as there are often many meetings on Mondays and it can be difficult to get away.

Afternoon is better than morning: Try not to hold activities in the morning. For afternoon activities, the opening time can be slightly earlier and the ending time can be slightly later. For example, starting at 1:30 pm and ending at 6 pm can accommodate more guests and provide more information. This is more efficient and relatively cost-effective.

In addition, the traffic flow of the venue is very important in large-scale events. We must start from the perspective of "novice" users and not take it for granted. We must consider the direction of crowd flow, routes, congestion nodes, and the distance and direction between booths, and avoid "deserted booths" (booths where people cannot flow through).

The venue should preferably be "back-entry", with the screen and entrance not on the same side. Do not enter from the front door to prevent audience members from crossing and blocking your view. Set up isolation barriers in advance to avoid distractions. Generally, after we have done more activities, we can basically take a look at the venue and have an entire construction plan. We will know where to put the sign-in desk, where to put the entrance, where to put the screen, where to put the stage, and where to put the control console. It is basically quite clear.

3. Identify key communication nodes

If you hold an event for 500 people in January, working backwards, you must first confirm whether the event is free or paid, because the attendance rates for free and paid events are different. You need to calculate based on the attendance rate how many people need to register and how many people show up. Based on the resources currently at hand, we can work backwards. For example, if an activity can attract 60 people in one push, it will need to be pushed five times. During the five pushes, it may be pushed twice a week or once a week. Promote it twice a week, maybe using different channels, once through the official account and once through posters, and the communication nodes will basically emerge. Based on some major events in the entire industry, such as Double 11 or other events, we can predict some nodes and avoid competing with them for traffic, and stagger these nodes.

The materials are the external publicity materials for the event, such as posters, main visuals or backgrounds of guests, similar to some communication materials. These materials are helpful for recruitment or external publicity.

4. Information entry issues

As the person in charge of the event, I have to decide the theme, framework, tone, and boundaries at the beginning. When cooperating with external parties, I am most afraid of encountering one thing that requires several people to coordinate at the same time. Generally, when we organize an event, we will first establish a rule in the group: the company will designate a general person in charge, who is both the node for aggregating internal information and the outlet for external information, to ensure that all information has one person in the company to enter and outflow, and is synchronized to the group and collaborative tools to avoid information asymmetry. An event requires teamwork. Each person's specific responsibilities should be written down and synchronized with all partners. In short, the troops were divided into several groups, each with its own duties.

5. Information coordination and transmission

This is particularly important, especially for cooperative activities, such as those hosted by multiple parties and with the guidance and participation of the government. Such activities are very difficult. It is recommended that an event should have no more than three co-organizers. If there are more than three, it will be very troublesome because everyone's perception and needs of the event are different. In addition, many details need to be confirmed with multiple parties, and a lot of energy will be spent on the communication process.

For cooperative activities, try to simplify them as much as possible. At the beginning of the activity, the responsibilities of both parties should be clearly defined. For some things, you have the right to decide, and for some things, I will just inform you and I will handle all other matters. Otherwise, there will definitely be disagreements later, and it will take a lot of time and energy to deal with this matter. This is external. The same logic applies internally. For example, for guests, especially at conferences, there are more than thirty guests in total. There may be 5 to 6 people in charge of guest docking. Guests are divided into sections, and each person docks with several guests. In addition, in the process of docking with guests, we follow the principle of "all the way to the end", from the beginning to the best, and the entire process from the initial invitation to the final on-site reception is docked by one person.

It is impossible for some guests to come in person for the connection, so usually they will be connected by the brand manager or assistant, which involves the transmission and coordination of information. We need to use some tools to prevent information from being attenuated during the transmission process, such as Graphite Docs, Youdao Cloud Notes, etc. The specific one to use can be selected based on the internal situation of the company.

3. Guest Information

1. Invitation List

After the theme of the event is decided, everyone holds a brainstorming meeting together, and then says who you think the guest will be. Everyone writes on the blackboard. After writing, they use the elimination process, first adding and then subtracting, and then eliminate all unsuitable guests. For example, I recommend this guest, why do I recommend this guest? What’s good about this guest? What have you done this year and which part should be talked about particularly well.

There are two aspects to the guest mode: one is to do well, and the other is to speak well.

To do well, you need practical experience, because in the actual process there is a difference between having done it and not having done it. If you have done it, you can talk about some important details, but they may be overlooked by others. In this way, people in the industry will feel a sense of gain, which is the so-called dry goods.

Some guests, although they have never worked in the industry, have been observing the industry in depth, have excellent expressive abilities, aura and sense of rhythm, and speak very well on stage, but there are few such people.

There are also some people who do very well, but get nervous when they get on stage. They can't speak completely or well, and they can't express themselves at all. For such guests, it is recommended that you don't invite them, because no matter how well they may do, if they can't speak on stage, it will actually be of no benefit to the audience below, and the feeling on the scene will also be awkward.

Guests can also be simply divided into guests who provide useful information and guests who attract a lot of attention. There are also guests who are both. At this time, you will make a lot of money. In the later setting of the links, you should pay attention to the combination and matching to avoid one-sidedness.

2. Guest invitation

To make these things clear:

• Where and how large an event will be held, and how long will it last?

• Who will be the guests participating?

• Who are the guests on stage?

• From the guest’s perspective, what is the value of this event to him or his company?

During the invitation process, you must express these things clearly, either in the form of a PPT or text, and convey them to the other party.

Some events will list a lot of big-name guests in the early stages of the guest list, but in the end they may not be able to come. This is a very bad experience for the audience, especially for ticket sales events. The audience may come to buy tickets just to listen to one or two guests, but in the end they will find that the two people they want to listen to did not come at all. The scene is very awkward, and these may lead to ticket refunds or other unnecessary troubles later, so please be sure to indicate the intended guests in a prominent place.

3. Collection of guest information

When inviting guests, we usually ask for their profile, title, photo, success stories, and demos.

About the guest demo. Many guests may not be able to provide a demo, but if it is some paid activity that provides practical information, especially for guests from other places, they will generally be asked to provide a demo, discuss a topic in advance, and record a 10-minute video. Through the video, you can see the guest's image, aura, expression habits, logical framework, language rhythm, etc., which can give you an overall understanding and help with later judgment.

4. Guest Slides

① Time: The deadline for the guest’s PPT must be set. Be sure to move the deadline forward. According to industry experience, there will always be 1-2 guests whose PPTs are late, so you need to leave room for subsequent adjustments.

② Version: Remember to number them and develop good habits to avoid making the wrong version. The transition version must be deleted, because some control consoles will put the old version on top. Generally, the guests don’t change much at this point in time, but some guests have poor psychological quality. Once they find that the PPT is wrong, they will be confused on the stage, or make the problem public, “The PPT is put on the wrong page, can the organizer change it for me?” It will be extremely embarrassing at this time.

③ Volume: Make the PPT as small as possible to prevent it from freezing. If there is a video in it, remember to extract the video and save a separate copy. During the event, make sure to agree on the signal with the guests in advance. In case of an operational error, just send a signal on the stage, "Please help me play the video." This will not affect the entire process of the meeting at all, and the experience is lossless for the audience.

④ Content: There must be substance and methodology, especially those that can be used repeatedly and transferred, such as some data, analysis and outlook on the forefront of the industry, summary and sublimation of personal inherent successful experience, and some detours and pitfalls in the past, which are very important but some details that will be overlooked by others.

⑤ Golden sentences: These are called golden sentences and photo spots. This is why when some people talk about something to a certain extent, everyone can't help but take out their mobile phones to take pictures. It may be an emotional resonance, or it may be that the information content is large and difficult to digest in a short time, or it may be a very philosophical life motto that is very suitable for posting on WeChat Moments, or it may be a thinking model. Many people will take pictures to keep them, thus forming a secondary dissemination.

5. Speech duration

Some guests have little experience in attending conferences. A 20-minute speaking time was agreed upon beforehand, and the topic and outline of the speech were also finalized. However, they threw over a 60-page PPT. At this time, you need to communicate with the other party to find out where the problem lies, sort out the logical framework of the PPT, and significantly cut it down. The duration is controlled at this step. In addition, during the on-site execution, there are also countdown screens, countdown boards, background music and other signals to remind guests to pay attention to the time and control the rhythm of the event.

6. Guest reception

The guests' air tickets and hotels, airport pick-ups, accommodation, meals, text message notifications, participation notifications, welcoming and seeing off, and guest gifts are actually very detailed. Don't notify the details one by one. You must learn to "round them up." We usually give the guests two documents. The first document is mainly used for early docking. It tells you what information the guest needs to submit and the deadline, what the guest needs to do, etc., to confirm the speech topic, outline, and submit PPT, etc. The second document mainly contains details about the guests’ flights and hotels, airport transfers, hotel check-in, meals, rehearsals, seating locations, order of performance, whether the PPT will be released to the public, etc.

7. Guest Rehearsal

Rehearsal is very important. Even if you don’t have much time after the guests arrive, five minutes can be very helpful.

① Familiarize yourself with the venue: Where is it roughly located? Do you know where to get on stage, where to stand, and where the positioning and photo-taking points are? Is it a handheld mic or a head mounted one?

② The location and countdown of the reminder: inform the guests that there is a reminder, and then prevent them from looking back at the screen, and tell them where it is. Tomorrow a volunteer will hold a sign to remind the countdown, and they should pay attention to the signal prompts.

③ Notification of on-stage: The general principle is to notify one person as soon as he/she goes on stage. You can arrange sofas near the console so that the guests can wait in advance, configure the headsets in advance, inform them of some precautions, and cheer them up.

4. Site Construction

1. Selection of Builders

Professional and reliable. Working with professionals can save you a lot of energy and effort. How to evaluate whether they are professional and reliable? First, look at the past and see cases. Second, look at the other party's professionalism and attitude during the communication process. There is a period of adjustment between the two parties. It is best to cooperate with a company for a long time so that it knows your demands and work style.

2. Construction plan

This involves many factors, which I will not elaborate on here. The main ones are the large screen, stage, lighting, booths, off-site sign-in, interactive space, interview room, etc.

5. Activity investment promotion

1. Investment principles

In a word, cast a wide net and focus on catching fish. Generally, 80% is promised, and a 30% surprise is given later. A little bit is collected in the early stage. Do not make unrealistic promises for the sake of attracting investment, otherwise it is easy to cause disputes afterwards.

You must find ways to meet the customer's core demands, and if they cannot be met, make it clear in advance. If the customer can accept it, continue the discussion. If the customer cannot accept it, you can stop here, or balance the interests of all parties and take a step back.

2. Customer Source

① Seize hot spots and new opportunities. For example, short video live streaming e-commerce is quite popular this year. If you hold a conference on short video live streaming, these companies will definitely have demands and want to have a lot of exposure in the industry. In this case, the value provided by this event and their needs are a fit, forming a link, and then they may become your customers.

② We hold some activities every year to retain some customers, and these customers are likely to make repeat purchases. These customers need to be maintained and cared for.

③ What are the sponsors of competing companies in the same industry? The other party may have the same needs, because the entire user group is relatively consistent, which means that the other party has pointed out a path for you.

3. Integrate resources

To integrate resources, event sponsorship is divided into two parts. One is the event resources itself, such as some offline booths, on-site video carousels, stage speeches, roundtable participation, awards, host announcements, and other information related to the event. The other part is company resources. Many companies package and sell advertising space, information flow, etc. to customers. In short, they explore customer needs and meet them within their capabilities.

6. Activity Communication

1. User portrait

Who is the user you want to attract? Where is he? Through what channels can we reach him and how can we attract him?

2. Media Cooperation

The communication plan should be documented. Package A, Package B, Package C, please clarify which ones I can provide? Then the other party will match it according to your resources. Identify your own resources and the resources that can be linked. Before looking for help from others, think about why others would help you and what rights and interests you can provide to others. Ultimately, both parties must achieve a win-win situation. Otherwise, occasional help is temporary and not long-lasting.

3. Learn from others’ experience

Registered audiences can use some tools to generate personalized Moments posters in batches, making it easier for them to post on Moments. This can also gather scattered personal Moments traffic. Although the amount is not large, the conversion rate is relatively high.

4. WeChat groups: red envelopes, group naming, and active group owners

This point is relatively simple and I will not elaborate on it. The key point is: attract attention, otherwise it will be useless.

5. Activity platform - activity line

As the leading domestic event technology service platform, event publishing, event promotion , channel tracking, data analysis, batch generation of posters (invitations), etc. can all be completed on the platform. In addition, the conference H5, mini-programs, and APPs can also be customized according to the brand's personalized promotion needs.

7. Tickets and Check-in

1. Are tickets free or charged?

Charging for tickets can increase revenue while also raising the registration threshold. The quality of the audience is a little higher, but considering the influence of the organizer, the status of the guests, the local consumption capacity, the popularity of the topic, etc., free events are easy to recruit, but the attendance rate cannot be controlled. In addition, free events are easily affected by some external environment. Generally speaking, it is about 50-70%. If you hold an event for 500 people, all free of charge, and if the attendance rate is calculated at 50%, at least 1,000 people are needed to guarantee that 500 people will attend the event.

2. Check-in time and check-in tools

If the sign-in time is in the morning, for example, starting at 9:00, there will be few people signing in before 8:30, and the peak period is from 9:00 to 9:30. The peak sign-in period is when the event is about to start. A huge influx of people in a short period of time will cause many problems, which need to be prevented in advance. Things to think about: whether the sign-in space is wide, whether the sign-in channel settings and process are reasonable, how efficient the sign-in is, whether the sign-in personnel have been trained, how the sign-in tools have been tested, whether the sign-in materials are in place, etc. These factors will affect the sign-in process. If not handled properly, it will lead to complaints from those behind, which will affect the opening of the event and user experience. There must be someone on the scene who has the courage to make the final decision, take responsibility, act decisively, not be indecisive, and handle the problem quickly.

8. Execution Key

1. Focus on the big and let go of the small

All processes should be rehearsed more than three times so that relevant persons in charge are very familiar with the process of the event, such as the builder, host, stage controller, part-time person in charge, etiquette person in charge and other participants. If this cannot be achieved, the other party should also be informed of the approximate time nodes of the link they are responsible for, and who to contact if there are any problems.

All the icing on the cake comes from usual preparation. Don’t improvise during the performance. It is enough to get the prepared things done at the event site. There will be all kinds of unpredictable and unexpected situations on site. We must focus on the big and let go of the small, prioritize stability, solve the key problems, and deal with the secondary problems if we have the energy, otherwise put them aside.

2. Risk Management

From the initial registration to the venue, guests, audience, and equipment, there are actually many unexpected events. Just now everyone said that there is a "release" process and a "collection" process. In the process of "release" and "collection", there are various risks on multiple lines. For example, a guest agrees to come, but cannot come at the last minute; for example, what if there are not enough registrations for a venue with a capacity of 1,000 people? Then how to calculate? What should I do if there is a sudden problem with the on-site equipment?

To deal with these potential risks, in the early stages of the activity, we must break down each link, analyze key factors, make contingency plans, conduct drills continuously, reproduce the problems, create scenarios, and then design solutions to minimize risks. Risks cannot be eliminated, but they can be reduced.

IX. Activity Review

All activities must be reviewed every time to find out the gaps and fill them in. It is also a process of " selecting the good and following it, and selecting the bad and changing it ". We should learn from them, continue to promote the good ones, and discard the bad ones. This is also a process of mutual encouragement, mutual learning and continuous improvement among internal personnel. There is a principle here called "PDCA", also known as the "Deming Circle", which is a quality control process. P stands for planning, C stands for checking, D stands for execution, and A stands for review. Think about the plan before doing it, continuously optimize and iterate during the process, and finally continuously improve and reflect and continue to the next cycle.

Everything must be recorded by someone in the meeting, and put in black and white. This must be kept and accumulated continuously, gradually forming an SOP manual, which can also be used as internal training material.

This may be the most comprehensive large-scale event operation guide in history. Behind every successful event, there are meticulous and attentive attention to detail, but "knowledge gained from books is shallow, one must practice to truly understand", these experiences still need to be applied in practice, I hope you can also run a successful large-scale event!

Author: Activity Line, Note Man

Source: Huodongxing, Notesman (ID: Notesman)