You Need The Professional Meeting and Event Planning Firm …That Is!

You Need the Professional Meeting and Event Planning Firm! You’ve heard it said you only get one chance to make a good impression. This is true of most things. When a job seeker interviews for the ideal job…one chance. When the young man desires to date that ideal woman…one chance. When the performer wants to exhibit his/her skills on the stage or big screen…one chance.  Just as with business, no matter how small, making a good and lasting impression is paramount!

The product/service you offer…one chance to let customers know they need you.  Your professional, loyal and motivated staff…one chance to ensure they understand your culture and represent you well. Effective promotion and marketing makes an impression to ensure customers and your workforce value what you do. Effective promotion and marketing also reassure yours current and new customers you will consistently be there to fill their needs.

Think about it, large retailers, automobile dealerships, insurance companies, healthcare providers and others set aside thousands of dollars to market and promote themselves repeatedly on TV, radio, digital media and through meetings and/or events. They do this, in part, to keep themselves on their customers’ minds. Small businesses also set aside marketing and promotional monies to do the same, but some small businesses cut or choose not to include one of the most powerful marketing tool in their promotional and marketing arsenal – meetings and/or events. Why? Why, when the human connection is still the most powerful and cost effective method to build and maintain customer and workforce relationships. Face-to-face meetings and/or events allow your customers get to know your company. The rapport built with your company workforce highlights your desire to train and maintain the very best. The connection built is a wonderful sphere of customer service, quality products and/or services, repeat business and best practices.

Some small businesses might include a fraction of the marketing budget required to have a first-rate meeting and/or event and have one of its employees’ pull double duty, in other words complete their regular work and the additional logistics tasks required to put on a meeting, event or training. The results, more often than not, are an overworked employee, the meeting or event costing more than was expected and, a mediocre activity which doesn’t produce the desired outcomes.

Think about this, on average, your sales manager is paid $52,000 annually plus a 20% benefit package. You have tasked your sales manager to plan and manage one of your major corporate meeting/events. Your sales manager spends about 200 hours planning, oh yea, don’t forget to add in the clerical and support time needed from other company staff. Think about it, a little over $6,500 not being used on the actual work hired for but on the upcoming event…is this really cost effective?

On the other hand, consider contracting a third-party meeting and event planning firm, who specializes in the management of those logistic tasks. You would be able to more effectively use your company’s time and resources, leverage savings and enhance the meeting or event’s appeal. A third-party meeting and event planning firm has established resources, will do the legwork and become an effective part of your team. Meanwhile your sales manager could be used more effectively developing an agenda, increasing attendance, recruiting speakers, etc. As a small business, you can successfully market your products and services just as efficiently as the larger companies, if not more so, through the use of a professional meeting planning firm.

Remember you’re responsible for it all but you shouldn’t try to do it all.

I hope this information has been helpful and cause you to re-think your promotion and marketing strategy and budget. Feel free contact me with your questions or comments.

Natalie Poole is president of Exceptional Occasions, a full-service meeting and event planning firm. The company provides meeting and event concept development and design, financial management, site selection, venue/vendor selection and contract negotiation, marketing support.