When it comes to planning events, it’s easy to get caught up in the glitz and glamour of big-name speakers, fancy venues, and cutting-edge technology. But as I’ve learned through years of experience and countless conversations with industry experts, the true measure of an event’s success lies in its ability to drive meaningful outcomes for attendees and organizers alike.
Recently, I had the pleasure of chatting with Liz Caruso, CEO of Techsytalk, about the art of identifying and pursuing an event’s true goals beyond just revenue. Her insights offer a fresh perspective on how we can create more impactful, transformative experiences for our audiences.
Looking Beyond the Surface
One of the first things Liz emphasized was the importance of digging deeper into a client’s goals:
“A lot of times people say more money or I need a bigger audience, but they haven’t really quantified what that looks like and they don’t… I find 8 out of 10 times they don’t even know where they’re at.”
This resonated with me deeply. As event strategists, it’s our job to help clients see beyond surface-level objectives and uncover the true purpose of their gathering. Here are a few strategies to help you do just that:
1. Ask the Right Questions
Instead of jumping straight into logistics, start by asking probing questions about your client’s long-term vision:
- What problem are your attendees trying to solve?
- What transformation are they seeking?
- How does this event fit into your overall business strategy?
These questions can help uncover the deeper motivations driving the event and guide your planning process accordingly.
2. Focus on Community Building
Liz shared an interesting perspective on the types of clients she works best with:
“I’m a big community person. I really believe that we’re better when we’re connected to each other. So those are kind of the best clients for us.”
This emphasis on community-building can be a powerful guiding principle for your events. Consider how you can create opportunities for meaningful connections and collaborations among attendees, rather than just delivering information.
3. Align Expectations Early
One of the most critical elements in achieving an event’s true goals is ensuring that everyone is on the same page from the start. As Liz put it:
“If you aren’t able to articulate what you need and what you expect from stakeholders, vendors, attendees, whoever it is, then and you’re not able to ask them the right questions to figure out what their expectations are, you’re starting off failing.”
Take the time to clearly define and communicate expectations with all stakeholders involved in the event planning process.
Designing for Transformation
Once you’ve identified the true goals of your event, the next step is designing an experience that facilitates transformation. Here are some strategies Liz shared:
1. Rethink Traditional Formats
Liz challenged the conventional wisdom of slide-heavy presentations and theater-style seating:
“We try to eliminate or greatly reduce the need for AV. So smaller events, less, you know, stage and speaker type setups and more round table, intimate retreat type setups where they’re interacting with each other more.”
Consider how you can create more interactive, engaging environments that encourage participation and dialogue.
2. Embrace Experiential Learning
Instead of relying solely on lectures and panels, look for ways to incorporate hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. Liz suggested ideas like:
- Taking a hike with a speaker to discuss a topic
- Participating in a cooking class while exploring industry trends
- Offering a variety of concurrent sessions with different formats to cater to diverse learning styles
3. Create Space for Reflection and Implementation
True transformation doesn’t happen in isolation. As Liz pointed out:
“For transformation to happen, there has to be, yes, some good inspirational aha content. There has to be time for reflection and I think there even has to be time and guided activity through the implementation of that.”
Consider incorporating elements like:
- Guided reflection sessions after key presentations
- Action planning workshops
- Post-event accountability groups to support implementation
Measuring Success Beyond Revenue
While financial metrics are important, they don’t tell the whole story of an event’s impact. Liz shared some alternative ways to gauge success:
- Attendee surveys focused on emotional experience and transformation
- Social media sentiment analysis
- Return attendance rates
- Post-event action implementation (like the attendee who found a $10,000 idea in one session)
By broadening your definition of success, you can create events that not only meet financial goals but also drive lasting change for attendees and organizations alike.
Embracing Your Role as a Strategic Partner
As we wrapped up our conversation, Liz emphasized the evolving role of event professionals:
“Planners have to really be thinking about how they can sit in more of that advisory strategy role to stay relevant, you know, with this ridiculous AI wave that’s taking us over.”
This shift towards strategic partnership is crucial for creating truly impactful events. By focusing on uncovering and pursuing an event’s true goals beyond revenue, we can elevate our role from mere executors to trusted advisors and change-makers.
Remember, at the end of the day, our job is not just to plan logistics but to create experiences that catalyze transformation. As Liz beautifully put it:
“Bring people together with purpose… Let the humans show up as humans and give them space to connect with people on human levels.”
By keeping this human-centered approach at the forefront of our planning, we can create events that don’t just meet expectations – they exceed them, leaving a lasting impact that resonates long after the last attendee has gone home.
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