Show Special kbb Birmingham 2018 How to… run the perfect event


Alice Foster, head of marketing at retailer Roundhouse, reveals her secrets for putting on events that build relationships, drive sales and keep customers coming back in-store


W


hy organise an event rather than any other form of marketing? Well, events are an excellent method for building relationships


– it’s a softer sell and a great way of getting people into your showroom to see, feel and experience your products and meet key people in your team. We’ve been hosting events at Roundhouse for a number of years and we’ve created our own formula for success.


Events are a form of marketing that can be measured,


but should always be considered as part of the whole marketing mix, including PR, advertising, digital, photography and off-line materials, such as brochures. They’re a great way of getting face-to-face with your preferred audience and this can be one of the most effective ways of marketing your brand. They directly raise strong brand awareness, while building important relationships and allow for measurable analysis to see if they really are working.


What type of event?


There are some key considerations if you are thinking of hosting an event. First and foremost, what type of event do you want to hold? What is your budget? Is it for networking or training? Is it a consumer or trade event? Maybe it’s for blanket brand awareness, or to warm up leads. Will it be an intimate sit-down dinner, showing appliances working, or a larger event for 60 to 100 with canapés and drinks? To some extent, this will be determined by the venue. It’s obviously much better to hold the event in your showroom, where maximum product is visible, rather than off-site, where your product can’t be seen. If you have regional or local multiple showrooms to support, you can establish a format that works and then roll it out, which in turn becomes more resource-effective.


Think about your hook – why you’re holding the


event. For example, a showroom relaunch, opening, or perhaps the unveiling of a new product.


Who to invite?


Think about who you want to attend your event – end consumers or trade, such as architects and interior designers. To achieve success, remember, in the final analysis, we’re all consumers. So you don’t necessarily need to differentiate between trade and consumer when it comes to the format and type of event. The bottom line is, ensure you are creating an event in areas that people appreciate and will want to come to. Building relationships is so much easier if it’s a fun and enticing event. It gives people the chance to learn about your product informally. A good method for managing this is to make sure


it’s an event that you would enjoy or attend yourself. In this way, people are more likely to leave saying they’d love to come again.


How many people?


The size of event will be in direct relation to the size of your showroom. Bear in mind that if you invite 600 people, around 60 will attend – there’s normally a 10% uptake. This also depends on how validated your data is, the format of the event and how you ask people to attend.


Think about how to invite guests. The personal approach, such as a one-to-one phone call, is always best for relationship building and works best for smaller events, followed up with an invite. For a larger event, you have the choice of an e-invite or a printed invite. Either way, it’s really important to make sure you have a graphic designer to make it look slick and professional – the invite really sets the scene for the event. If you send an e-invite, it’s a fact that some people won’t read it and you’ll need to allow for more follow- up calls. E-invites offer a cost-effective solution and by using Mailchimp, as we do, you can track the


The bottom line is, ensure you’re creating an event in areas that people appreciate and want to come to. Building relationships is so much easier if it’s a fun and enticing event


open and click-through rate. The pitfall is that the invite can get lost in a sea of e-mails.


The old-school printed way just works better sometimes and, if it’s a luxury, high-end brand event, it carries more weight to receive a nice invitation through the post – people remember it. We do both at Roundhouse, depending on the audience, type of event and, of course, budget. Remember to allocate resources to do follow-up calls two weeks prior to the event to ensure you get the attendance and numbers you want. And, always offer +1s – this all contributes to building those important relationships.


When? Before you set a date, ensure no one else is Continued on page 42 kbb Birmingham Special Edition March 2018 kbbreview 41


Opinion


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