{"id":109910,"date":"2017-11-13T10:22:26","date_gmt":"2017-11-13T10:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=109910"},"modified":"2017-11-13T10:22:26","modified_gmt":"2017-11-13T10:22:26","slug":"10-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/10-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-events\/","title":{"rendered":"10 ways to get the most out of events"},"content":{"rendered":"

Events are a big part of a PR pro\u2019s life, both as a host and as an attendee. But how can you ensure you\u2019re going to get the most out of an event? Whether it\u2019s the Vuelio Blog Awards<\/a> or a roundtable of five, here are 10 rules to follow so you can get the most out of any event.<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Prepare<\/span><\/strong>
\nCheck timings, the date and location to avoid missing out or accidentally turning up at a yoga class the week before. Make sure you know the dress code so you feel comfortable in your surroundings. And find out who else going so you can plan who in your team is best to attend \u2013 make sure they\u2019re audience appropriate.<\/p>\n

2. Set goals<\/span> <\/strong>
\nProfessionally speaking, this should extend beyond \u2018getting boozed up and having a good time\u2019. Do you have clients or contacts attending? Do you want to meet new people? A huge benefit of events is being able to put a face to a name and have real-life chats \u2013 something that is often lost in the social media age. Don\u2019t know if someone is going? There\u2019s no shame in asking people directly: \u2018will I see you at the Vuelio Blog Awards next week?\u2019 (Of course you will!). \u00a0And if you\u2019re a sponsor or host, make sure you\u2019re monitoring<\/a> event terms in association with your brand, both online and in print.<\/p>\n

3. Plan your entrance (and exit)<\/strong> <\/span>
\nDo you know your route to the event and the means that will get you there on time? Traffic, public transport delays and even slow tourists blocking your path while pointing at St Paul\u2019s cathedral, can make the difference between attending the drinks reception (and all that valuable networking time) and just missing out. And when the event is over, how are you getting back to the office or home? A daytime exhibition is easier to manage but an evening awards? No one wants to be stranded at 1am.<\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t be afraid to network<\/strong><\/span>
\nMeeting new people, meeting old friends, laughing, joking and enjoying the company of others is why you\u2019re at the event. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re hosting and you feel like you\u2019re running around like a headless chicken, you still need to make time to stop and chat. Don\u2019t be afraid to strike up a conversation with someone new. Start with, \u2018hello\u2019 and follow it up with: \u2018What brings you here?\u2019<\/p>\n

5. Don\u2019t just hang out with old friends<\/span><\/strong>
\nSometimes you don\u2019t have networking fear because you already have your buddies with you. Maybe you\u2019re attending with colleagues, maybe you\u2019ve planned to meet contacts on arrival, but you\u2019ll get more value out of new<\/strong> connections and conversations. So, if you\u2019re in a group and someone is alone next to you, bring them into the conversation. Chances are they\u2019re trying to find people to talk to and the more welcoming you are, the better it\u2019ll be for everyone.<\/p>\n

6. Relax when it comes to sales<\/strong><\/span>
\nNo one is going to be impressed with the salesperson of the year, hitting as many contacts as possible while pressing business cards into hands as they shake. Good networking takes time to know your new contact: talk about them, what do they do, why they\u2019re at the event and share the same info about yourself. Talk about your product or service only if it naturally occurs in the conversation, and business cards are reserved for people that will want to talk to you again. If it\u2019s an awards ceremony, you can contact finalists beforehand and wish them good luck \u2013 and then the winners afterwards, especially if you\u2019re a sponsor!<\/p>\n

7. Remember you\u2019re still at work<\/strong><\/span>
\nIt\u2019s 10.30pm, you\u2019ve had wine with dinner, the dance floor is open and the bars are flowing. It can be easy to forget that you\u2019re still at work, and you still represent your company so should be acting accordingly. Being professional doesn\u2019t mean you have to be a buzzkill, but maybe save the Karate Kid and\/or Tina Turner performances for when your professional reputation is not on the line.<\/p>\n

8. Follow up afterwards<\/strong><\/span>
\nFor event organisers this starts with a survey; mention it at the event and send it a few times so you get as much feedback as possible. If you\u2019re an attendee, don\u2019t let the business cards you\u2019ve collected go to waste \u2013 follow each one up with an email saying how excellent it was to meet the individual and then bring in the \u2018sales chat\u2019 with what you do and how you could help them. If you spoke to someone about a specific feature, make sure you note it at the time so you can easily follow up.<\/p>\n

9. Analyse your goals<\/strong> <\/span>
\nMaybe the event was a branding exercise or lead generation. Has your monitoring revealed an upswing in coverage and mentions? Do your key influencers know more about you? Have you made contacts you can now reach out to without a generic email? Present all the benefits back to the bosses, whether that\u2019s a Canvas<\/a> of the event (like this one<\/a> we made for the PRWeek Awards) or a presentation of your media analysis<\/a>.<\/p>\n

10. Plan the next<\/strong><\/span>
\nPlan your attendance as far in advance as you can, maybe this means putting sponsorship in the budget or perhaps there is an early bird rate on tickets. Either way, talk to the team that went and work out how next year can be even bigger and better for you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What rules do you follow when you attend events? let us know in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Events are a big part of a PR pro\u2019s life, both as a host and as an attendee. But how can you ensure you\u2019re going to get the most out of an event? Whether it\u2019s the Vuelio Blog Awards or a roundtable of five, here are 10 rules to follow so you can get the most out of any event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":109912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[184,7272,3672,3703,7238],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109910"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109910"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":109914,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109910\/revisions\/109914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}