Company Announcement - According to Paul J Meyer, founder of the Success Motivation Institute; “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” Without productivity, there can be no success. These principles can easily be applied to the events sector, where expectations grow exponentially year-on-year, to ensure operationally sound events that offer real return on investment. 

The first step is a commitment to excellence. For this principle to have a real effect on the success of the event, it needs to be an ethos that is lived, rather than a nice phrase used in marketing material but which holds no weight in reality. “Before the planning stage of an event commences, clients should ensure that the events agency they contract with have a proven track record of excellent service delivery, ethical management processes and a high level of credibility within the market,” says Janyce Dalziel, Chief Executive Officer of Currin’t Events.

Once this is established, the next step to success is intelligent planning. Kim Currin, Currin’t Events Account Director, believes that the crucial starting point to achieving intelligent planning is customer collaboration and goal setting. “Even the greatest event management plan will fail completely if it is not aligned to the customer’s needs, and the purpose of the event. The starting point for any event plan is to collaborate with the client, brainstorming the exact goals that they seek to achieve by hosting the event. Once these goals are determined, the correct type of event can be planned to achieve those specific objectives.”

By focusing on customer needs and building a goal-driven plan, real ROI can be achieved. “It’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean financial ROI – as this might not be what the client needs to get out of hosting the event,” confirms Currin. “Achieving great monetary return will not satisfy a customer whose ultimate goal was attendee satisfaction, such as for our clients Discovery and Visa. There are various measures in determining event success; from media and press coverage to social media mentions, registration numbers, driving sales and employee engagement – it is vital to pinpoint which measure is to be utilised at the onset.”   

The goal of the recent Carolina Herrera event in South Africa, for example, was to create awareness about the brand’s corporate social investment into breast cancer research and support. According to Currin; “Attention to detail in meeting the client’s brief and the PR generated around the various events, resulted in R9 million worth of coverage being received – a 225 percent ROI offering real awareness. The goal was similar for the Rhino Conservation Awards, which received R1 million media coverage, marking a 2 500 percent ROI.” In contrast, events managed for Edcon require a high level of customer interaction, and this will be the measure as to whether the event has been a success.

Putting effect to the plan requires a focussed effort. “This entails constant client contact, ensuring that the event remains aligned to their needs and that they feel a part of the process. Attention must be paid to the goals set out prior to planning the event, enabling the achievement of these goals,” says Currin. “A hands-on approach is required to convert the client’s ‘big idea’ from concept to conclusion, while giving their brand the exposure that they actually want.”

Dalziel concludes that; “Events are not mere parties, they are marketing and brand building exercises, presenting the opportunity to engage with stakeholders in a meaningful and memorable way. With the right event partner, a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focussed efforts, it is possible to produce world standard, first class events.”