After the first time I decided to host a live event, I was jaded. I semi-vowed I would never do it again … or at least I would do it very differently than that first time. I only had five attendees and went into the hole renting the room. The only upside was that my kids loved the extra food I brought home (buffalo chicken wraps, chips, cookies and juice).
My Most Recent Live Event
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I recently put on my second event called the Billion Dollar Brand Event combined with a speaker showcase called Words Heard ‘Round the World. This time I did not go into the hole – hallelujah! I had more followers, promoted more, reached out one by one to potential attendees and planned much further in advance. Now I want to share what I learned if you want to host a live event and give you a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes. It’s not meant to be all encompassing but the main points that stand out most for me.
The Venue
- Plan six months or more in advance so that you can have your pick of venue.
- Consider hosting your event during the week. Hotel conference room rentals range from $150 to over $2000 depending on the day and place.
- If you choose a hotel, have them to give you a special rate room block, but make sure you’re not liable for any rooms not booked.
- Make sure your location is convenient for out of town travelers. Uber and Lyft is not available everywhere in Michigan where I live. The first event I did, it cost my attendees $95 to get to and from the airport and Uber wasn’t available going back, only a contracted driver.
- Read all details to the contract before you sign so you won’t have any surprises.
Event Food
- Sometimes you can get your room comped if you buy enough food. I was able to do that with my first event, but not my second. Only the VIP participants received lunch.
- Most venues won’t let you bring in your own food, but you can give your attendees swag bags. I included granola bars, fruit snacks, cookies, etc and my attendees said they really appreciated their goodies.
Other Finishing Touches
- Approach sponsors early (I only decided to pursue sponsors 6 weeks prior to my event and I was too late). You can get sponsors who give product and sponsors who pay for promotion.
- Book your videographer early and give them a shot list. I found mine on Thumbtack.
- Book your photographer early and give them a shot list too. I flew in effie@effiesstudio.com who has been a photographer for NY Fashion Week.
Additional Expenses
Negotiate with the hotel for discounts and extras. I got my corded mic and speaker for free just because I asked.- Don’t forget your gratuity and taxes. I paid an extra 22% plus 6% sales tax.
- Personalized swag bag items. I got my branded selfie sticks from National Pen, my pens from Myron, my banner from Build a Sign.
Do you think you want to host a live event? What was most helpful to you about this post? I’d love to hear about what you learned and what event you’re planning in the comments.
Vickie Gould is a Law of Attraction business and book coach, best selling author, and speaker. She believes that everyone has a story to share and a journey orchestrated for their positive growth — and that those experiences should be written in a best selling book.
Vickie helps entrepreneurs to write, self-publish and leverage their own business books to share those stories, grow their following, create more impact and turn readers into clients through her Easy Writer Program, one-on-one coaching and her free Facebook Group, Write Your Biz Book.
She has written 10 best sellers such as Easy Writer (named after her signature program) and Standing in the Gap, and helped nearly 100 others to become best selling authors as well.
Grab her free template 5 Secret Strategies to Write Your Book Quickly.
