I need some business examples where there was a special event involved. What was it for, how well did it work

Question

I'm looking for business promotion ideas. What worked, what didn't and what would you change if you did the event again. Did you run into any problems? The more detail the better. Fund raisers, special sales, thank you parties. The more the better. Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Hi,

Some of my latest fundraisers for breast cancer reasearch were entering a float into a Christmas parade. It was all pink and silver, we had the entire community involved with donating everything from artificial Christmas trees to candy canes. Because so many people were involved and they felt that they were making a difference, they spread the word and continue to this day to do so. We raised money for the research fund by winning first prize in the float contest and by collecting funds along the way. We gave out the donated candy canes and a wallet size breast cancer fact booklet. It was successful because of the amount of people who were eventually involved with the fundraiser and the fact that collectively we could reach so many women. Another reason for it's success was that it was fun! It allowed people to have a good time WHILE they were doing a good service and making new friends who shared their charity mindset.

Another promotion I did for my company after they just moved to a new area and were faced with having to re-build their customer base - organized a bbq and invited potential customers to come and have a free burger (both veggie and original), and a pop. It was advertised and I also did a mass mailing of invitations. All "guests" also received a copy of our latest catologue. We got to know everyone face to face. It was a huge success and put us at our 2 year goal cusomter count almost immediately!

Promotions that foster face to face opportunities, a social atmosphere and as much fun as you can infuse your event with will be a success.

Hope that helps a little. Best of luck.

Answer 2

I'm in the event business, and while I don't think specific examples would be helpful or relevant, I can tell you this: When planning a business event, the most important thing is to determine the GOAL. That is, why are you having it? Is it to get more business from existing clients, raise your company's profile in the media and attract new clients by being a good corporate citizen (sponsoring a fundraiser would fall in this category), or some other reason. You have to have a goal and you have to be sure that everything about the event supports that goal.

Because there's no surer recipe for mediocrity than to hold an event and not understand exactly why. From the first planning stage, to the invitations, the decor, the program, the kind of event, the place it's held... it all has to be in support of the goal.

As long as you do that, you'll be able to measure the success and determine what worked, what didn't, and what you could do differently the next time.