Essential Tips for Event Success: Lessons from the Manhattan Catbackers Banquet & Auction
By Brooke Hoeme, Intern
Organizing a successful event is no small task. Through my experience working on the Manhattan Catbackers Banquet & Auction as a Martinez Media & Marketing Group marketing intern, I’ve learned some essential tips to help events run smoothly and leave a lasting impression on attendees. Here are my top four for event success:
Plan and Prepare as Much as Possible
Thorough planning and preparation are crucial to the success of any event. By setting clear goals and outcomes from the beginning, you shape the entire event's direction. Especially when trying something new like online bidding, cover all your bases. Start early and make everything as easy as possible for your attendees. From registration to checkout, every aspect should be carefully organized to ensure a seamless, stress-free experience. The more you plan, the fewer surprises you'll face on the big day.
Anticipate Problems – Plan to be Flexible
When planning an event, it's crucial to get ahead of potential problems and have solutions ready. For instance, we anticipated challenges with online bidding since it was our first time using it. To avoid confusion during the event, we created handout cards with step-by-step instructions on how to log in and bid. Thinking about possible hiccups and preparing for them in advance helps you tackle problems before they happen.
However, even with the best planning, things can still go wrong. No matter how well-prepared you are, expect the unexpected. Stay flexible and ready to adapt to any situation. When something goes wrong, because it inevitably will (it’s the beauty of event planning), handle it calmly, find the best solution you can and note what could be improved for next time. Flexibility is key to ensuring minor issues don’t turn into major disasters.
Engage and Communicate with Attendees
Communication shouldn’t stop once attendees arrive. Keep your guests in the loop with reminders and updates before, during and after the event. Beforehand, remind them about the event and what to expect. During the event, have volunteers ready to assist and answer questions. Afterward, follow up to share how the event went. Also, if there are future opportunities to engage with attendees or donors, tie those into your post-event communication and outreach. Keeping attendees engaged makes them happy, and happy attendees are the key to a successful event.
Post-Event Follow-Up
The event might be over, but that doesn’t mean the work is done. Collect feedback from attendees to identify what went well and what could be improved upon. Send out thank-you notes and surveys—this not only shows appreciation but is a great way to get valuable information for future events. I am a firm believer in continuous improvement, and getting feedback after the fact is essential for that.
By following these four tips, you can ensure your event is well-organized, engaging and memorable for everyone involved. My time working on the Manhattan Catbackers Banquet & Auction at MMMG was a huge learning experience, and I’m excited to take these lessons into future projects, making each event better than the last.
Need help activating your next event? Check out our team at MMMG and see if we are the right fit to do more than just plan the event. We will help you achieve your goals and exceed expectations.