Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Vine like have made the way we communicated or even wasted time astonishingly simple; to an extent that even party, wedding or any event planning is a task best handled online. As an event planner, you have to realize and utilize this stunning power of the social media to pull off an event, which is the kind of stuff that urban legends are made of. Here’s why-
Stage 1: To bring everything together
The first step of planning an event is getting all your contacts in place. Even if you’re the sole person running the show, a successful event happens only when you have the A-Team. And what better a way to find the best guys for the job than via social media? You’ll need to find any or all of the following-
Fellow event organizers for huge events that you just cannot handle all by yourself. You’ll also need to collaborate with other event planners in case of multi-location events.
Vendors and suppliers: These are the guys who help make sure your event is not a hollow, vacant space. They make your event look complete, which only goes to explain why you need vendors that provide high quality services, be it the audio-visual guys, the photographers, the printers, the decorators, caterers and the like.
Reviews: For every business with an online presence, there is a user review too. Luckily, you don’t have to waste time searching a lot. More often than not, the reviews are right below the vendor/supplier contacts, thus letting you make the right choice without much waste of time.
Gather response: Thank heavens for online RSVPs, you no longer have to worry about whether people will actually turn up for your event or not. An approximate number of the turnout will also help you figure out how you should go about with things like seating and food.
Involve people: When you create an event on say, Facebook, you’ll know for a fact as to who is attending the event. Reach out to these users, ask them what they are expecting from the event, clear their doubts and answer any questions they may have. It always helps to incorporate some of the feedback they give you, so you know exactly what not to do to avoid failure.
Stage 2: To promote the event
Social media marketing, when done the right way, can go a long way in earning your event the spotlight it deserves. Create videos that have the potential to go viral. Live tweet from the event. You can hold contests and various promotional offers to create the buzz. Use social media for registration purposes; offer prizes, use hashtags, create events and much more.
Stage 3: Post-event discussions
The beauty of social media is that it has made two-way communication extremely easy. This allows your guests to give you feedback without much difficulty or waste of time. You get to have honest conversations with those who attended the event, so you can figure out what worked, what didn’t and what needs to be changed for the next time.
Stage 4: To create longevity of online presence
Do not waste even one minute post the event to post all pictures and videos online. Give a shoutout to the most engaging guests, encourage check-ins, upload the highlights. Create a scrapbook and put it up on Pinterest. Dish out tips you glean from personal experiences. All it takes is one epic event, to break that ice between your and audience and you, and to keep your social network buzzing all year long.
All said and done, don’t underestimate the power of social media. Even the most subtle moves, when made smartly, go a long way in making your event a thing to remember.
Author Bio:-Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger and she writes for Empire Audio Visual, a company offering audio rental services in Toronto. She is passionate about music and loves attending concerts of her favorite bands. You can also follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.
