Special Event Planning
Special Event planning is important if you want to have a successful event. The start of the winter holiday season in October provides no lack of opportunities to celebrate and your business might benefit from an instore or inline event.
Whether you offer goods or services, creating an opportunity for your customers to save or help you celebrate is important – especially in today’s economy. You don’t have to give away the store, just be sure your offer will help them.
It’s easy to believe you can post an event on Facebook, or one of the other social media channels, and people will show up that day. Unfortunately, with billions of websites and social media pages, it’s just not that easy.
It Takes Planning
In today’s marketplace, you need to be planning your ad, merchandise, and treat 6 weeks ahead of your special event.
Once you have it planned, you need to start your campaign 4 weeks out. In today’s crowded browser world, it takes 2 weeks to rank and that only gives you 2 weeks of exposure.
Special Event planning isn’t difficult, just time consuming. Your first season of special events should be simple, ana totally within your budget.
Your Special Event Budget
Make sure you have a budget amount that fits your company. When you first start, it’s fun to think about offering fancy gifts and treats, but you have to have the money and quality is more important than quantity.
Decide what your “treat” will be, then how you’ll deliver it. Then the cost per “treat” and divide that number into the budget amount for acquisition.
Based on that number, how many “treats” will you be able to give away?
Historical Based Treats
When planning your special event, finding a theme for special historical event can make it easier and more interesting for your customers. For instance:
“In Ireland, (to celebrate Halloween) people started to carve demonic faces out of Turnips to frighten away Jack’s wandering soul. When Irish Immigrants moved to the U.S, they began carving Jack-O-Lanterns from pumpkins, as these were native to the region.” Wikipedia
Using this history, you could host a pumpkin carving contest. Or create an outline of a pumpkin in various sizes and shapes, then have children color them as Jack-O-Lanterns. Be sure you have prizes appropriate to the ages.
In our town, Cedar City Police will hold a Trunk or Treat and have invited local companies to join in the fun. You’d need to find out what they anticipate are the number of children that will attend. Then what kind of candy or other item will you give away? Check you budget for funds and advertising monies, then you can decide it you can afford to join them.
Whatever you want to do, be sure you get it started today – 9/19/22 n- and start your campaign by 9/26/22. It’s hard to be too early, but terrible when you’re too late.
You don’t want to have a party where no one comes.
Have questions or comments? Need help planning your campaign?
Let’s hear from you below!!!