1. Theme, Theme, Theme – People don’t just network with others without a reason. They also look forward to learning something new. To bring an audience of divergent professionals to an event you need to create a timely and futuristic event theme. Better if it be thought provoking or indicating to the audience where their business is heading in the next 2 years. People decide on a theme more than anything before they sign a check for attending. So take your time to circulate the theme choices to industry experts for their opinion before you book a venue.
2. Summary, Summary, Summary – Once you have selected a theme, work on it to bring out the latest issues to the fore for discussion. Each summary point must be thought provoking and tell the audience why discussing this at the event is crucial to the survival of their business.
3. Location, Location, Location – a good networking event must happen at a top venue. So go for the top hotel in your town or city and pay the bill. It’s worth it. It sends out a message to your potential sponsors, delegates and speakers that this is an important event that they shouldn’t miss. Surprisingly, top venue sites like in classy hotels need not be so expensive. Some of them offer better rates that may work out to be cheaper than lesser venues. If you tell the hotels that you expect to have important business heads and executives to attend the event they may offer you a decent discount so as to meet them for their own future business.
4. Speakers, Speakers, Speakers – After the selection of your theme, your potential audience will look at the quality of speakers to decide for or against attending. The importance of a speaker can pull or dispel an audience. “If he is attending, then I will go listen to him,” is how an undecided delegate might think. So invite the top guys. The rest will come.
5. Sponsors, Sponsors, Sponsors – After speakers, sponsors decide the success of a networking event. If your conference or event is sponsored by big industry names, then you can attract good speakers and audience. But your sponsors may first want to know the quality of speakers. So be proactive and enlist some expert names in your list of speakers. From my experience, most sponsors want to know first the top speakers.
6. Sub-sponsors, Sub-sponsors, Sub-sponsors – Once you’ve finalized your top sponsors, go for smaller ones to sponsor materials like stationary, conference bags, etc. This will cut your costs down. They too will be happy because they paid so less to get into the good book of event attendees.
7. Network, Network, Network – You’re organizing a networking event. So make it happen! The more the networking opportunities you put in during the event better the value for money for the attendees. Give ample space and time for everyone to meet everyone. Introduce one to another wherever you can. Make the luncheon and dinner or banquet seating arrangements in such a way that everyone can talk to most number of people. That’s why they came to the event. So let them have it. More the interaction between the attendees better would be their opinion of your event.
8. Feedback, Feedback, Feedback -- Get feedback from everyone who attended the event. This serves two purposes: you know what went well and what didn’t. Next, it makes the delegates feel important. They know you value their continued support for your future event. Don’t just ask for feedback. Ask tips for future events and theme ideas. If the delegate is a top executive, ask them if they would be interested in speaking at your future events. This would ensure their interest in your networking plans.
9. List, List, List – Attendee list: distribute it to paid attendees once the event is over. They came there not just to list to the speakers but also network with other attendee for opportunities. So make it a point to mail attendance list to everyone soon after the event. Nothing flatters them than getting the full contact list of attendees. They deserve it.
10. Restrict Media, Restrict Media, Restrict Media – This may sound sacrilegious. But the truth is that press is an intruder at most networking events. People attend a networking event only to meet potential clients or partners. They would also want to meet the top speakers and corporate honchos something they can’t do otherwise. If the media is allowed free access, they would dominate these most wanted heads for themselves so much so that other delegates would barely have access to them. They may feel cheated. So keep the top guys exclusive for the rest of the attendees. Of course, you can invite the media for the opening keynote address or post-conference brief.