Hosting an event is a fantastic way for your business to get immediate exposure within the community in which you offer your services or products.

As a guest at an event you are one of many, therefore making it more difficult to stand out and be memorable, however as the host you have the advantage of being the centre of attention and if the event is held at your premises you also have the advantage of showcasing what you have to offer, the more exposure your business has the more opportunities you will create for your business to “sell” your product/service.

Holding an event should be part of every business marketing strategy, events will always generate new business opportunities.

Without events your company is just another online business, face to face interactions help real communication which builds trust between you and your clients, connecting with your audience on a personal level has a big impact on engagement.

Here are our 5 top reasons why you should host an event:

• Networking
For most of us, networking is one of the main reasons we hold and attend a business event, generating a good feeling and experience at your event creates a positive shared experience and without doubt builds bonds and business relationships.

• It’s not “salesy”
When you invite your clients potential or existing to an event they will be genuinely interested in attending, its not a “salesy” approach, they will be more than likely and willing to accept your offer, an opportunity to focus on chatting and getting to know your clients and their business, tell them about your business, offer advice give away free samples or demos, selling should not be the main focus at your event

• Follow ups
After the event you can call your attendees thanking them for attending the event, you could follow up with photos taken from the event (as long as they are not the embarrassing ones) we all like the personal touch, after that you can reach out for a coffee to discuss potential working opportunities. You’ve now turned a cold lead into a warm one.

• Be ahead of your competitors
Events should be and are a part of business life, people in your industry are looking to attend for networking & learning opportunities – whats new within your industry? If you host a quality event it will generate interest and the want to host again leaving you cornering that market within your industry, if you don’t do it your competitor will!

• Brand Awareness
Organising and planning an event requires a lot of communication, every printed marketing material, Email, Social Media content, phone calls, will get your brand out there in the lead up and during the event, use this as an opportunity to engage with existing clients, re-engage with dormant clients and nurture potential clients. The event itself allows you to showcase everything about your company, every interaction someone has with your business helps to build brand recognition

And if the event is done right, the experience of the event, the buzz around the industry creating all the word of mouth which will follow, will be the greatest marketing tool you’ll ever need.