There is no doubt that the landscape in advertising products and services has changed dramatically. In some forums and coffee table discussions the trend that companies are cutting back on traditional ads are very much talked about. Another trend that adds a kick on these gatherings is the increased budget allotment in events to promote companies’ products and services.

Of course, as one of the event suppliers I am too happy to hear this news. However, one of the clamors of companies is the scarcity of available suppliers – professional and well trained.

The question now is why is there a need for advertising and event suppliers to continuously learn and improve their craft. Here are the 3 top reasons:

1.       Event Management is Critical to the Success of the Brand

As more companies venture into event as a medium in promoting their products and services, the event becomes critical in communicating the brand personality of a particular products and services. Therefore, the room for error in the advertising and event companies executing an event becomes slim to zero.

2.       Execution of Event Must Always Offer Novelty

Continuously learning and grabbing any related conferences and learning forums that will improve the suppliers is a must. Ideas can only be generated by a pregnant mind. A pregnant mind is produced by observing and listening to great ideas.

A Novelty Idea is what will separate a brand to another brand. Most of the times, event concept is demanded to advertising and event suppliers. You cannot give what you don’t have. In this dictum, learn continuously or die.

3.       Event Management Companies Must Create Order in Chaos

A lot of details are needed to be addressed during the pre-event implementation. More details are tackled in the actual event. If the advertising and event suppliers are not prepared there will be an explosion and implosion – a great catastrophe in the actual event. The by-product will be an irate client and consumers or visitors.

Advertising and event suppliers first and foremost must have the skill to create order on what seems to be a chaotic environment bereft of structure. It is what the clients paid for. You can only have that capability if you continuously learn the craft and monitor the small trends taking place in the industry.

Maybe you have better ideas why advertising and event suppliers must embrace a learning culture I will be happy to know it.

Practice makes perfect. It sounds cliché but it is so critical in events management. How many times have we experienced problems that pop out all because we failed to discuss and conduct dry runs and technical meetings?

In events, we always say that the actual implementation is just the reward of the pre-event planning that your team worked hard for. One of the critical moments in the pre-event planning is conducting dry runs and technical meetings.

Dry runs and technical meetings is precisely what will take place in the actual event. The more you know, the more you are confident that it can be done. This is the mantra that you and a lot of people wanting to create an event must have in mind.

Knowledge is confidence. It is minimizing Murphy’s Law. It is preparing your mental abilities to what will happen. It is event management.

I for one have a lot of experiences of how important dry runs and technical meetings are. In some instances, I was witness and sometimes part of events that encountered problems coming from areas of the event that we are not able to discuss during the technical meetings or conduct during the dry run.

As I always say, GOD IS IN THE DETAILS. Dry runs and technical meetings are the important pages of this important rule.

Nobody is perfect. But in events you must strive for perfection. To err is human. In events to err is a mortal sin.

Perfection can be achieved in events because of the technical meetings where each details and key result areas are discussed. Perfection can be attained when we conduct dry run because we see the possibilities of our plan and its bad side that can be corrected before the actual event.

I believe I have given reasons and arguments why we must all conduct dry runs and technical meetings. I don’t care how easy or small the events are, when Murphy’s Law strikes you cannot do anything about it. The only force that can defeat Murphy’s Law lies in dry runs and technical meetings.

In my recent Event Management lecture at a membership based association of entrepreneurs, I was asked by one of the attendees why is it not important to think of the budget first before creating an event.

He eagerly awaited my answer as I requested him to wait as I unfold my lecture slide per slide. When the time is ripe I answered his question. I told him and the whole audience that in creating an event one must first think what will be the contribution of the event to the betterment of the society before continuing to move forward.

It is this that he felt puzzled. The attendee believes that budget must first take precedent in order to avoid risks and ensure profitability. My answer is not exactly what he expected.

The truth of the matter is we must always put first the benefits that the event can give to the society or a particular segment of the society before pushing forward because it is the best way to ensure profitability.

For example, Exlinkevents created the first Customer Loyalty and Rewards Conference. This generated excitement and a lot of participants from companies that already are implementing Loyalty and Rewards Program but are looking to upgrade and develop it further. They saw that the conference is the event that they are looking for and that no one in the market is offering this needs.

We created the event not thinking first the budget and the risk that a new concept entails. We created it thinking that it is needed and will benefit companies in retaining and creating loyal customers. In accomplishing this, we strongly believe that companies can further experience growth.

After a lot of explanation and convincing, I used the powerful “ADD VALUE” to the society when you start a business or create an event. In the end the audience and the attendee that asked the question were convinced.

I strongly drive this point by quoting Zig Ziglar’s “People will not care until they see and feel that you care for them”. Not exactly the precise words used by Ziglar but in essence it is what he said, a saying so true in our society.

Again, in anything you do before you start to create it you must always bear in mind that ADDING VALUE is the first and most important step one must take in event creation or project creation.

I saw the eyes of the entrepreneurs after the seminar and they are all shining emitting to me that they understood what I am driving deep into their hearts.

In return, I just smile secretly as the time I spent with them did not go to waste.