The 3 ‘Guys’ You Need to Run a Successful Event…

Ray Bianchi’s blog post in the March issue of Expo offered an interesting perspective on the different types of employees found in our industry. The post prompted me to look at the industry from a different angle, identifying some of the typical event management “personas” (as they say in marketing) that I often come across in my travels. However, I also felt that his cast of characters was not quite complete if I were going to try to explain the event business to someone outside the industry. If I were trying to apply Ray’s personas in a way to make the event business understandable, my cast would have three personas:

1. The Worker Bee (Ray calls this person the Great Administrator)
   Worker Bees are the people who get things done. They are usually very efficient, but they are not inclined to be creative about attempting to change the course of an event without external help, either because they don’t see the need for change or they are not the change agent type. So if an event is on track, these are the folks that will ensure it stays that way. Your successful events don’t take place without many worker bees helping to make it happen.
2. The Idea Guy (this is Ray’s Change Agent)
   This typically is the person who comes up with the event in the first place. But an idea and an event are two different things and this type of event manager may not have a real grasp on the financial implications of execution, nor the amount of work needed to transform the idea into reality.
3. The Money Guy (my addition to the cast)
   If you are looking for an event to be viable over both the short and long term, failure to consider this character might leave your goal in peril. The Money Guy may not come up with the ideas for an event or be the one that does the hands-on execution of the plan, but without their guidance, no money is going to be made on an event. The Money Guy looks at an event as a business opportunity and works to focus the event’s concept (from the Idea Guy) and execution (via the Worker Bee) to maximize that opportunity, while always being attentive to delivering value to an event’s sponsors/exhibitors and attendees.

So how do you incorporate these three types into the successful execution of a profitable event?

• Well, of course, you need an idea. For a newly conceived event, this is perhaps obvious, but it is an important step even for events that have a long history. Reaffirm the idea of the event to be sure that the premise is as it has been in the past. If not, consider changing it to accommodate new circumstances, thus remaining fresh and viable. Who knows – the changes might prompt different approaches to sponsorship and exhibitors that expand the opportunity for your event.
• Next you need to flush out the idea into an event theme. Marketing an event requires you to develop both a theme and supporting messaging that is topical and in-the-moment. It should be reflective of what is happening in the market in ways that will encourage sponsorships and attendance.
• Then you need to tailor the event to satisfy the needs of the participants. This means mapping your theme to the actual event and developing a structure for the event (including length, the composition of sessions, etc.) that will encourage attendance because the value (in information sharing or prospective business) has been made evident.
• Next, to make money, you’ll be working hard to market and sell exhibit space and sponsorships and working to market the event to attendees to ensure that you attract the people with whom your sponsors want to connect.
• And, for extra credit, think beyond attendee numbers to the effort needed to make the event something that sponsors/attendees will truly appreciate, which means being aware as to how will you mastermind the event experience.

Assuming agreement, how do the three types of event character fit in?

Clearly the event concept and theme will come from the Idea Guy. The event idea needs to convince The Money Guy that the event is viable and worth funding. That means that a revenue forecast and supporting budget need to be developed. Is profitability planned for the near term or is this an investment where the returns are in the future?

Assuming we get through that, The Money Guy hires the necessary Worker Bees who do what is needed to sell sponsorships, manage the logistics, and execute the event – under the direction of the Idea Guy and the Money Guy. They also work together to deliver the ‘event experience’ that makes your event memorable and builds a foundation for the future.

The result? A successful – aka profitable – event.

In my next post, I’ll discuss how to determine which type of event person you are, and how to move (or adapt characteristics of the other types to improve your career).