Once upon a time, event planners had one job – to manage events. Of course, this “one job” was no walk in the park. Even years ago, event planners would be in charge of everything from venue selection to audience seating, staging, accommodation and more.
But a few things have changed. And in big ways. Event planners now have more roles to take on – which means more challenge, excitement and learning opportunities.
These are a few of the new areas that modern event planners must excel at, to be considered as well-rounded event professionals.
Marketing
Today’s event planners are also expected to be expert marketers, especially in the online realm – where social media platforms, email campaigns and event websites make up a big part of the modern customer attraction strategy.
Clients look to event management companies who aren’t just put on great events but have the expertise to fill seats and pack event spaces as well.
Negotiations
The days of splurging with a huge budget are behind us. Even with clients who do have big budgets to spend, event planners are expected to be budget-savvy and deliver incredible value. This means being smart with every dollar spent – and one of the best ways to do so is by being an expert negotiator.
A trusted event planner is expected to negotiate well, getting a good value on the amounts paid to venues, speakers and third-party suppliers.
Audience Engagement
In 2019, “engagement” is a bigger buzzword than ever – and this will surely carry into 2020 and beyond. Modern audiences, inundated with entertainment, business and educational options at every corner, are looking for more than another “let’s sit through this and be fed with information” type of event.
They demand attention and engagement. They enjoy being a part of the event – participating in discussions, giving their feedback and interacting with other members of the audience. And one sure-fire way of skyrocketing audience engagement is by incorporating a mobile event app into your event’s activities.
Event Analytics
With the advent of big data, events are providing brands with more value than ever before. Now, brands can collect vast amounts of valuable data regarding their current and potential customers from every event, even small ones – provided their event planner has the tools to collect this data, and the expertise to make sense of it.
Once again, an event app can help you to collect all this valuable data from willing participants (as they engage in activities, games and other people at the event). And if you’re using the Angage event app, our team will put together a comprehensive, yet easy-to-understand event analytics report that you can use for yourself, or present to your client.
Need help getting started with anything discussed above? Speak to a friendly Angage consultant, we can help.