Having had our own business in the events industry for the last couple of years, we’ve definitely been through every emotion possible, from absolute happiness to “I don’t think this is gonna work.”
We’ve delivered on time and on budgets for clients (great), worked on our passion projects (great) and somehow we’re still husband and wife with two little ones running circles around us (even better).
I’m a big believer in sharing what you know, so I thought I talk about the myths, the red herrings, the untruths that currently exist in the events world. How do I know? Because I’ve been through them. Whether it was having an idea, getting ready to communicate said idea to the world, only to come to the shuddering realization that the idea just won’t work, through to only having a fraction of the audience you thought you needed to break even.
Yep, we’ve been through it, and we want to share with you, so you won’t have to. Who am I kidding – if you’re in this game, you’re gonna go through this – let’s not beat around the bush. Instead, let’s make it a little harder for you to fall for the same myths we fell for.
Event Myth 1: Events are cheap.
Err…no. No, they’re not. We Are Parable focus on providing our audiences with the best experiences possible, and more often than not, that means putting our money where our mouths are and investing. Yeah, it’s possible to get certain event resources in kind (like photography, performances, etc), but the creatives you lean on need to eat too.
Event Myth 2: I can do it on my own.
You probably can, but I’m thinking that if you’re creating events for other people, you probably want to be alive to actually deliver the damn thing. Here’s my advice, don’t work yourself into an early grave. Seek help. Who could assist you and on what? Do you have a graphic designer brother (we do)? A best mate who’s a lighting technician (we don’t)? A neighbour who’s a dab hand at set design (okay, we need to start networking)? If money’s tight, think about what you could offer them instead – a logo on the flyer to spread the word, discounted tickets, whatever. If you haven’t got money, start getting creative.
Event Myth 3: It’s easy.
If you’re one of the lucky few who can create a compelling event at the drop of hat, then you’ve probably arrived at the wrong blog. For the rest of us, there is an inexplicable urge to work on and deliver the impossible. The early mornings and late nights working on your project define you. If you have to work a 9-5 like me, you will feel it – believe me. If it’s your side hustle – even if it’s not, planning and delivering your event will be hard. Hey, if it was easy, everyone would do it, right?
Event Myth 4: Paying to promote my event? Nah!
Got a big network of friends (or day ones) who will support your event? Great, so do we. So do a lot people. But if you want to scale your events up a couple of notches, you’ll need to step out of your comfort zone. One way of doing this is paying a small amount for facebook or Twitter ads that promote your event. Simply target your audience based on their age, location, what they like, what they hate, etc and serve up different themed ads. Test and measure the responses you get and hopefully you’ll see an increase in signups.
Event Myth 5: I won’t bother my audience now because I don’t have an event right now.
This is the complete opposite of what you should do. Just because you’re not actively promoting something, you should always try and stay ‘front of mind’. Keep posting cool stuff on Instagram that you think is interesting. Start a blog as good as this one (!), make a playlist on Spotify and get your audience to follow and listen to it. Listen to what social media is saying about your particular area and join the conversation accordingly. The worst thing possible is radio silence because when you do have an event to push, you’ll have to work twice as hard to re-engage your target market to tell them what you’re all about.
To be honest, this blog could have been the 50 biggest events myths but we want to hear from you. What would you add to this list – let us know!
Until next time.
Anthony Andrews is the Co-founder of We Are Parable, an experiential events company that helps you stand out. Follow @weareparable on Twitter or visit www.weareparable.com for more information.
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