Five things every event must have

Tyler HurstReview8 Comments

PodCampAZ
Image by tdhurst via Flickr

There are far too many bad events out there. From events about Twitter to marketing events that seem cloned, it’s tough to stand out and be useful. Here are five things every successful event must do:

1. Make the event about the participants, not the speakers or the organizer.
-SOUNDS easy, but it’s tough not to parade the speakers around like stars, nor is it easy to not overshadow your participants. Want to get people involved? Ask them to. Have them bring food. Have them help set up. Make them responsible for part of event. Participation makes them a part of the event, and the more you give, the more you get.

2. Don’t complicate things.
-Not every event needs a committee, nor does everything need to be voted on. Stop wasting your time in meetings, unless you accept that those meetings are social events, rather than a group of people looking to get something done.

3. Don’t invite the same people.
-Stop using one medium to get the word out. Twitter is seldom the sole answer to anything.

4. Talk about practices, not theories.
-Theories are fun, but they aren’t going to help anyone run their business. Give them something solid.

5. Do NOT over promise.
-Do all the little things really well and forget about the big stuff. The big stuff will take care of itself. Trust me.

Oh, and make it exclusive.

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Tyler HurstFive things every event must have

8 Comments on “Five things every event must have”

  1. Mark Dudlik

    Point 1: The events need to be about the speakers and the participants. One leads to the other.

    Point 2: After a certain scale, this is completely false. There needs to be a solid organizational structure, so people know who to talk to about what, what goes where, whose already done something and who needs help finishing their tasks.

  2. Mark Dudlik

    Point 1: The events need to be about the speakers and the participants. One leads to the other.

    Point 2: After a certain scale, this is completely false. There needs to be a solid organizational structure, so people know who to talk to about what, what goes where, whose already done something and who needs help finishing their tasks.

  3. Tyler Hurst

    Point 2 depends entirely on the size and scale of the conference. Too often committees are formed giving everyone equal say. Allowing this is pointless.
    Having a staff of workers/volunteers is different than having a committee.

  4. Tyler Hurst

    Point 2 depends entirely on the size and scale of the conference. Too often committees are formed giving everyone equal say. Allowing this is pointless.
    Having a staff of workers/volunteers is different than having a committee.

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