Strategies For Hosting In-Store Events That Work

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with clients that need help with creating VIP experiences on tighter budgets. Sound familiar? I’m going to share some strategies for “smart luxury” so you can create more of those win-win premium experiences while keeping you on-budget and driving the results you want! But first…I love this quote: “Luxury means just giving more; hospitality means being more thoughtful”. Powerful, huh? But what does that mean? Example #1: Rather than spending $100 more on caviar for every attendee, investing in an “event concierge” who will sending a personalized email to every attendee before a special dinner to ask them if they have any special requests, share with them who they can expect to meet, the format, how much you’re looking forward to making personalized intros to them...  Why does this work? If you take the time to invest in getting to know your attendees and showing you’re invested in their personal experience, they are more likely to show up, be engaged, remember to take the action you want them to take after the event. Example 2: Rather than providing fancy but generic gifts, do a little time “researching” guests and personalize a welcome amenity to set the tone for the event. I once bought-out a hotel for an event, and they sent up a “blind tasting” wine experience to my room when I arrived since I had recently passed the Court Master Sommelier exam. They had researched that about me. It was so fun to have a playful moment where I got to taste wine and guess what they had selected for me (it was a Robert Sinsky pinot gris and yes, I still remember 10 years later because it was so personalized and unique!) Why does this work? That bottle of wine cost them roughly $30, but the thoughtfulness that they put into covering the bottle, printing out a blind tasting test from the Court master sommelier site, and delivering it with some nuts/olives and a fun note made such an impact on me, I’ve shared this story so many times! They could have instead sent up a $150 bottle of champagne, but I probably wouldn’t have opened it and also probably wouldn’t have remembered it from all the other bottles of champagne I’ve received. Fancier isn’t always better and thoughtfulness counts! Example 3: Listen and respond. I was once managing a Google Executive event and I noticed in our event app’s chat one attendee was complaining that he was really craving his afternoon Diet Coke fix. So I went to the nearest vending machine, and bought one to hand deliver to him. That Google client was so surprised/delighted that we had delivered what he was craving in the moment, that he booked a meeting with our SVP afterwards, and we closed a major deal! Hospitality is about making your guests comfortable, anticipating their needs, and then delivering a personalized and delightful experience. It can involve luxurious treats, but doesn’t need to. All it takes is time, intentionality and good old fashioned hospitality.

Steal our event playbook to drive a 7x ROI on events. Events are a critical part of our GTM at Brij. Why? They cut through the noise, and are an efficient way to see and build credibility with multiple stakeholders in your business. If I were to guess, National Retail Federation will dramatically outpace that average. What works so well? 1. Preparation is critical We’re starting outreach weeks if not months before the events. We’re pulling lists and scraping LinkedIn to see who is speaking and who is attending. Outreach comes from every channel, email & LinkedIn…but especially LinkedIn. 2. Connect with Partners We’re pinging all of our partners to understand who is attending, who is hosting, and how we can collaborate. Partners are such a rich part of this ecosystem and building those relationships is critically important to our success. 3. Host something around the event This time, it was a coffee. Sometimes we do dinners. Other times we’re being a bit more creative. Hosting an event allows you to extend an invite to prospects where you can “give”… instead of just effectively asking to let them sell to you. I can’t stress enough how important it is to lead with giving. 4. Schedule check ins with customers Events are just as important to meet with and strengthen relationships with existing customers. This is a great opportunity to find out what is next for them, get any feedback, and 5. Take detailed notes You are meeting hundreds of people in such a short period of time. It’s easy for conversations to slip you mind. I’m taking detailed notes of every conversation in my apple notes - and pairing it with a selfie that I take with someone. 6. Rigorous follow up This is absolutely key. All of those amazing conversations are meaningless without follow up. And don’t stop at just one ping - people are busy catching up on their jobs. Follow up immediately…and then follow up again. The TLDR: - Prepare  - Outreach - Host - Follow up This has been such a successful playbook for us. A few highlights from NRF: Catching up with friends, founders, customers, partners & investors: Rachel ten Brink, Grace Gould, Michael Ludwig, Nate Rosen, Nancy Gurd, Jess Cervellon, Shane Pittson, Michael True, Andy Cloyd, Zena A., Laura Colagrande, Conner Sherline, Neal Goyal, Aman Advani Megan Blissick Theresa Cowing Meredith Glansberg, Gina Lombardo, Arturo Rodriguez, Rishabh Jain, Sarah Nesheim, Jeff Magill PS - check out the behind the scenes snap 📷 of our every own Sarah Davidson being interviewed. Being honored for the RETHINK Retail award & celebrating alongside some incredible individuals in the industry — special shout outs to Melissa Minkow, David Polinchock, Melissa Tatoris, Nancy Rhodes, Laura Meyer, Dianna Antlocer #NRF #Events

If you want your event to get the most buzz and attendance - follow this one simple concept. Refuse to feel traditional. Organizations are reimaging how they produce events - and I'm about to tell you how to apply these ideas to your own event. 🔹 Immersive Brand Activations Spotify and LinkedIn took to Cannes Lions and transformed spaces into branded lounges that doubled as networking hubs. 👉🏾 Your Turn: Versus a Step-And-Repeat wall, create a space where guests get to interact with your story. Think: Hands-on demo Branded lounge with entertainment A Themed environment 🔹 Reinvented Corporate Conferences Shopify gave attendees hidden speakeasies, garage style brainstorming rooms, and teaming building via hackathon labs. 👉🏾 Your Turn: Get out of that ballroom beloved. BizBash reported on FX celebrated their season premier at a laundry mat. Unexpected venues will forever surprise attendees and spark interest. 🔹 Fan & Sponsor Engagement Wins During the WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) All-Star Weekend, Nike and American Express built fan zones that converted foot traffic into measurable leads because they were interactive. 👉🏾 Your Turn: If you have sponsors, design experiences where guests are actively engaging with them and not walking past yet another logo. 🔹 Purpose-Driven and Sustainable Events Meaningful is the new Must Have. This goes beyond dietary restrictions and plant based food. 👉🏾 Your Turn: Add on elements that shows your value: sourcing local vendors including minority owned, reducing waste, and tying a cause to your event. My key takeaway: Your attendees don't just want to show up. They want a new lived experience, discover something new and have a story worth telling. The question you should always ask during the event planning phase is what story will attendees leave telling. P.S. Did you find this helpful?

We know that small, intimate gatherings drive the most impactful conversations and relationships, but field events have gotten boring. So how do you create fun, engaging experiences that bring customers and prospects together for an experience that feels more like a gift than a burden? Here are 10 ideas that you can turn into incredible field events: 1. Behind the scenes museum tour. Work with your local museum to create a behind-the-scenes experience with the curator, or take one they already have and customize it. 2. Find something weird, wild, and local in your community - If you're in the Dallas, Texas, area, did you know that ShangriLlama exists?? (https://shangrillama.com/) Just 40 minutes outside of the city, you can meet and hang out with llamas! 3. If your city has a zoo or aquarium, look for animal encounters or your audience might enjoy something like a Water Conservation or Sustainability tour of the facility! 4. Photo shoot! Rent out an epic location, bring hair and makeup artists, an amazing photographer, and do headshots & lifestyle photos for your customers. 5. You sent out enough cocktail kits for virtual mixology classes... so don't just host a happy hour at a bar, host a legit mixology class! Add in a Mocktail option so everyone feels included! 6. How long has it been since you rented out a movie theater? YEARS, right? You don't have to wait for the next blockbuster (though that's cool, too), you can bring back the classics for an experiential movie night in a private theatre! 7. Since stores already have their Halloween stuff out, what about a nice dinner followed by an incredible ghost tour of your town? 8. Got a lotta coffee lovers? What about a barista training experience - or really stretch their creative muscles with a latte art class! 9. Host a ukulele class! We found the most amazing nonprofit music school in Austin called the ARMSTRONG COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL that can teach your participants how to play three songs on the ukulele within 90 minutes of picking up the instrument for the first time! Bonus: a great Ukulele costs between $50 and $100 - what an awesome gift for your customers or team members to take home!! 10. Want the ease of something turn-key like Topgolf? How about adding a behind-the-scenes tour of the golf retrieval and gaming operation? Or (our favorite idea for groups between 30 and 75 people) add in a Spontaneous Think Tank to the experience: Use the meeting room to crowdsource and then use bays for small breakout conversations! Then end the day with a great game! Need more ideas or someone to bring the experience to life? Drop me a line! Don't worry, we have a gazillion more ideas just waiting for you! -------------------- Hi, I'm Liz. I help marketers connect. 🔔 To follow my content 💻 thecommunityfactory.com ✉ liz@thecommunityfactory.com Communities I run: 🏯 www.weareichi.com 📣 www.teamcmo.com #community #events #marketing Nicole Osibodu, XOXO Kamryn Bryce