In a competitive and uncertain economy such as ours, event budgets are being monitored carefully, organizations are working diligently to protect themselves from bad press and event professionals are expected to provide measurable value for the cost of service and expectations on the overall ROI to have multiple levels of return. Organizations can no longer afford to host events that will be seen solely as festive and/or excessive celebrations, with little focus on how their success will be measured from a brand impact stand point.
While event planners provide an organization with valuable logistical support and potentially creative (theme, look and feel) design and support, traditionally they do not see their role as one in which they help clients maximize the experience as a tool through the use of a strategic plan. Event Strategists see live experiences as powerful tools that an organization should use to impact an array of objectives with measurable results related to all aspects of an organization. An Event Planner will design and execute an event solely based on the expressed needs of a client, without focusing on how it could provide a larger overall impact. An Event Strategist begins the process of developing an event strategy by asking WHY. The Event Strategist understands that this question will be answered differently by the different stakeholders.
Event Strategists will determine, through a discovery phase, not only the “why” of each stakeholder – this includes the organization’s C Suite Team, employees, partners, clients and community – but also how the key stakeholders will each measure success. This information provides the foundation for a strategist to design an event that will exceed a client’s expectation and live on long after the last attendee has left! An Event Strategist believes and partners with a client to create an event that is the foundation of something bigger than the live experience itself; one that can and will provoke thought, action and long term connectivity and impact to all stakeholders