Make It Kickass

We answer ALL of the questions about ALL of the things! Do you really need AV? What's a "professional emcee" and why does it matter? Join Isaac and Nessa as they wrap up this season of MiK. Get more at geteventlab.com

03:25 You're probably obsessed with logistics .. and that's wrong.

08:25 What are the resources you already have?

09:10 Revenue and budget

11:14 What type of conference can your business actually sustain?

13:00 What your audience needs AND what your business needs

15:31 Know thy audience

It's important to understand your audience. Why? Because events don't just serve businesses, they serve the people attending them. And if you don't understand who those people are, what they value, and how best to serve them, you're not going to be successful. That's why having a solid strategy from the beginning is so important. Once you have a clear strategy in place, all of the questions you have about your audience, goals, and needs can be easily answered and executed. Stop worrying about the logistics and let the strategy guide you.

Want to dive deeper? Grab a copy of the tool we use with our clients to answer all the big questions about their event. Go to geteventlab.com

See you next season!

Isaac and Nessa discuss breaking down stereotypes around marketing and sales, and communicating the value of the event to potential attendees. Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

02:42 Do I have to market when I hate marketing? 

05:14 "This is what marketing should look like" 

9:00 What are you giving before asking? 

11:18 Team bandwidth around marketing 

12:36 Recap!

We've been discussing how to sell conference tickets without being annoying. The key is to have a strong marketing strategy that communicates the value of the event to potential attendees. Marketing should be active and ongoing, rather than passive. By understanding the needs of your audience and communicating value effectively, you can make it easy for them to decide to attend your event.

If you want to explore even more, visit geteventlab.com and nab a free copy of the questionnaire our clients use to set strategy to their ideas.

Next episode: The season finale!

This season we're tackling the hot questions we get asked ask conference producers. Today, the one question we have a lot of spicy takes on: Do I have to pay speakers? Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

02:21 What do you really want to know?

03:16 If you're asking this, you should probably worry about your budget more.

05:42 Do you have this resource management issue?

08:34 Exploitation via "exposure" capitalism

12:08 What can you offer your speakers?

14:22 What do they need? (Some examples from our past work)

18:07 The speaker selection process and recap!

The real questions underlying the question of speaker fees are budget concerns. Proper budgeting, setting compensation packages, and using the speaker selection process in a way that is aware of your goals, your audience's goals, and your budget.

If you want to explore even more, visit geteventlab.com and nab a free copy of the questionnaire our clients use to do the foundational strategy work for their conferences. Learn more at geteventlab.com

Next episode: How do I host a free conference?

Is a free conference creating a negative perception of worth? If it's free, will they come? Isaac and Nessa discuss an online event FAQ. Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

02:39 What are people actually asking?

04:24 Have you even defined your event's value?

05:22 Quality over quantity and vanity metrics

07:55 The marketing strategy!

08:59 The perception of value from audience to audience

14:34 Just because it's free doesn't mean you don't have a ticket to sell.

18:00 Recap!

The question is, should my event be free? What people are usually asking is whether the event is actually worth what they're charging for it. Work through those doubts by looking at what outcomes you're delivering and what value you're creating for your audience. Then make a calculated and informed decision on what, if anything, you should be charging for your event.

If you're obsessing over ticket price, you're doing it wrong. Start working out what your audience actually wants from an event. Learn more at geteventlab.com

Next episode: How do you sell tickets without being annoying?

Should my conference be hybrid? It's the new normal, but people are worried about the expense of producing a hybrid conference now that we can go back to in-person. Is that really the right thing to do? Isaac and Nessa get into it on this episode. Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

02:12 Do we "have to" do hybrid events now? 

05:00 Is the industry abandoning accessibility?

10:57 Tweet mentioned in today's episode: @Tarja_pk on Twitter 

12:26 Does every event need to be in person? 

16:19 We've been building communities online for over 30 years, why is everyone acting brand new when it comes to events? (aka a tangent about LiveJournal)

24:48 Recap!

Should my conference be hybrid? It's the new normal, but people are worried about the expense of producing a hybrid conference. They want to go back to what's easy. But the ways that we can really embrace these audiences and serve them better are by first understanding them, designing an experience that is inclusive, and using a mindset toward accessibility. Finally, figuring out not just how you can jump on the bandwagon for whatever event trends are happening, but how you can really create something that is best catered to you and to your audience's needs.

If you want to explore even more, visit geteventlab.com and nab a free copy of the questionnaire our clients use to set the foundation for incredible events, right from the start. Learn more at geteventlab.com  

Next episode: Can I really get conference speakers for free?

Companies sponsor events all the time but, how do sponsorships actually work? And, how do you convince strangers to give you money? Isaac and Nessa open the doors behind sponsorships and how to create a compelling offer sponsors will love. Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

02:20 What do people actually want to know when they ask us this question?

06:20 The actual problem.

07:47 You probably already know your best sponsors.

09:34 Are you asking without having something to give?

13:46 Tips for approaching sponsorship development

20:43 Recap!

• Sponsorships are about relationship building: what can you offer that supports the sponsor’s goals while creating a better attendee experience?
• Not all sponsors are good sponsors, be judicious with who you work with. Who aligns most with your vision and values?
• You probably already know people who are either sponsor material or who would be happy to connect you to someone who is. Most sponsorships happen with people and connections you already have.
• Don't go into a sponsorship conversation without doing your research.

The main questions we get asked about sponsorship are how to get sponsors for an event and how to make a sponsorship deck. The underlying questions that feed into this are how much money do we need to support the event, and what do sponsors actually want from our audience? We can avoid this line of questioning by understanding the goals of the sponsors and how we can offer value to them that doesn't sacrifice the attendee experience. This will help us solicit the right kinds of asks from the right sponsors.

If you want to explore even more, visit geteventlab.com and nab a free copy of the questionnaire our clients use to define the best sponsorship strategy for them. Learn more at geteventlab.com

Next episode: Should my conference be hybrid?

When planning a conference, how do you get people to attend? And how do you keep production costs down? Is the answer in picking the right location? Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

02:40 Does a location sell tickets?

07:22 Budget considerations outside of venue

09:56 Virtual vs in person location

13:15 How do we make the right location decision?

17:34 Recap!

• understand the audience: Who are they? What do they prioritize? What is their financial capacity to travel?
• understand the totality of the costs: a location isn't just the venue. What about travel, lodging and food costs?
• location should play a supporting role in your marketing efforts, not the major starring role.
• After the pandemic, people are very much in a place of relearning how to socialize with each other in person. Your choice of location should be influenced by that.

When planning a conference, the key to success is understanding your audience and what they value. If you can figure out who you want to attend and what they prioritize, you're well on your way to delivering a great event.

Stop worrying about small things and gimmicks and start working out what your audience actually wants from an event. Learn more at geteventlab.com

Next episode: How do I get sponsors?

Isaac and Nessa confront the mental blocks around pricing and how to get the feelings out of the way so you price your event tickets right the first time. Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

01:06 Today's FAQ and what people actually want to know 

03:34 Managing feelings around reputation and money fears 

05:30 Unclear marketing strategy = unclear pricing decisions

07:56 Reframing "marketing" and erasing that stereotype you have in mind 

09:44 What do people want from this experience? Know your audience. 

14:39 A recent personal experience with pricing for a specific audience in mind

17:03 Recap!

• To price a conference strategically, understand your audience and the outcomes they need to achieve.
• Know your audience! What value are you delivering to the audience and how does this event serve those needs?
• How does your audience perceive value? What is most important to them?
• These questions should inform your content which will term turn your marketing efforts into a conversation communicating values and not a hard sell.

The question of how much to charge for a conference ticket is really about the value of the conference to the attendees. To price tickets fairly, consider the outcomes attendees want and how they perceive the value of the conference. Also consider demographics like where attendees are located and what they can afford. Marketing should communicate the value of the conference clearly to potential attendees.

Figure out how much your conference ticket could be worth using a tool we regularly use with our clients: geteventlab.com  

Next episode: What city should I host my conference in? 

How do you even begin organizing and hosting a conference? Where’s the checklist or to-do lists to get it done?  Isaac and Nessa dive into another frequently asked question in this week’s episode! Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

01:58 Today's FAQ and what people are actually trying to find out: where are the #hacks?  

07:34 Our solutions to the actual problem: strategy!

11:07 Stay in your lane and zones of excellence

11:40 Get it out of your head

13:59 Recap

• There’s no one-size fits all approach to organizing a conference. What you need starts from your goals and then builds from there.
• The logistics is actually the easiest part if you've done your deep dive strategy work first.
• You don't have to DIY it all yourself! Stick to your zones of excellence and bring in help that can fill in the gaps.
• Write things down! The problems you keep in your head are probably not as complicated as you think.

Go to geteventlab.com and start working on how to make the best decisions for your event from the very start: geteventlab.com  

Next episode: How much should a conference ticket cost?

What’s the best online event platform to host a conference? With the pandemic the market for event tech has exploded with an overwhelming amount of choices. Isaac and Nessa reveal the choice isn’t that hard, if you know what to look for. Get more at geteventlab.com

00:00 Intro

01:21 Today's FAQ and what clients are actually trying to find out with this question. 

04:49 Shiny Object Syndrome and selling the box instead of the product. 

12:50 How do we solve this decision paralysis problem? 

18:20 Recap!

• There is no one platform to rule them all.  (We wish there was.)
• The audience cares way more about the quality of your content than what platform you’re hosting it on. 
• You can pull off an amazing event with the simplest tools imaginable, developing quality content is where the gold is!
• Every event is different, the right platform for you depends on the needs of your audience and the content you’re presenting.

Go to geteventlab.com to grab the worksheet our clients use to build up their programming strategy, choose the best platform for their events and more: geteventlab.com  

Next episode: How do I organize a conference?