Not every event planner or business owner can host an event as big as the ones hosted by Apple or Samsung. The giants make it all look so easy. They have awesome venues, amazing speakers and sweet marketing strategies. But, that’s often not within the budget of small businesses. This, of course, doesn’t mean that events hosted by ‘smaller’ entrepreneurs are bad and dull. There are event ideas for small businesses that are worth taking a look at. Keep reading and find out what you could do to host a great event.
Webinars
Webinars are online seminars. They are an awesome way to host an event without having to book a venue. There are tons of companies that simply cannot afford a venue. However, they also have the goal of reaching a scalable audience. Without informing your target audience about the stuff you offer, you can’t do good business. Well, you can but it’s a bit more difficult without proper marketing tools. Webinars also serve as ways to generate leads, too.
Awards
Have you ever watched Oscars or The Brits? Various folks gather around and then the organizers hand out awards to certain individuals for their achievements. Well, a great event idea would be for you to host a similar event. For example, you could even do that at your office but, it’s better that you find a spacious bar or something like that. There you should reward the best employees and even the customers. Awards event is a great way to acknowledge and reward the hard work of your employees and the loyalty of your customers.
Evening of networking
How about you plan a conference that is laid back and relaxing but also beneficial to you and your partners? Host a laid back networking event and have all your sales prospects and the most loyal customers in one room. You never know who you might need in the coming years to help you grow your business. Send out your employees to mingle and make connections that could potentially be valuable. Provide food and drinks, chill music and let the people enjoy themselves. However, make sure that everyone knows whose event they are attending. Don’t be shy with the company logo, place it somewhere where everyone can see it.
Pop-up events
Pop-up events are awesome if you want to introduce your company to new, potential customers. Pop-ups and discovery events are just what you need if you’re looking to tap into new markets. These events serve to show people what you offer. You can get onto the street and spread the word among your target audience. Sometimes these events take a little more budget and imagination but the brand value can be huge. For example, one football team gave out their new kits few years ago in the streets of the city they play in. A couple of players showed up with the marketing people and they gifted tons of kits to passer-bys. Sales of the company that made their kits boomed in that region after the event. They even had a simple stand placed in the street where people could take leaflets and get to know various details about the new merch and the company.
Host a party
A party is an event, too! There’s not much to say about parties, really. Just throw a party, as a company. Host a party at a cool bar near your office and invite people to come. Invite both friends and strangers. Have fun, relax and if there’s a reason, celebrate! People generally love good parties and if you manage to host a banger of a party, folks will remember you. They will remember the company that hosted an awesome party. You may not think that this is a good marketing move since it’s more of a stunt. However, it’s worth a shot.
Conclusion
If you’re still growing as a company and you can’t splash out on expensive venues, popular speakers and expensive catering services, these ideas will be of use to you. No company had it all from the beginning. Everyone started small and then grew into something big. However, just because you don’t have a huge budget, doesn’t mean that you should completely abandon the idea of hosting an event.
