It is a common saying that the main reason for doing business is to make money. Well, this may not be completely true especially for the event management business. It is like saying; all it is to life is make money and die. Events managers, who want to remain relevant in these contemporary times, must seek out creative ways of relating with their networks; build an evergreen relationship that will keep their brands top on the minds of their networks.
Event management goes entirely beyond just making money; it is also about these factors examined below.
Building trust
According to Stephen Covey, an American business man and the author of the book titled ‘The ‘7 habits of highly effective people’, in his words, he said “trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication; it’s the foundational principle that holds every relationship”
Trust is one virtue that every event manager must have. No one will ever put their events into the hands of any event manager who cannot be trusted. It is an asset that money cannot buy, except consistency in delivering the best solutions at any time of contact. Trust can be described as the essence of life and a basic gene of relationship. It is through trust and perhaps goodwill you oil that relationship that keeps making you smile to the bank.
Building an educated or an informed audience
The world is now all about networking; events managers must understand that building their networks and audiences will never happen by taking from their followers or audiences, rather it will require giving out or giving up a value for the sake of gaining. Giving back in some ways, appeals to the emotions of audiences. In this case, event managers can initiate events on the bases of creating awareness and/or educating about issues that are very apt to a particular community or the society as a whole. It could be about preaching peaceful coexistence amongst a people, creating awareness about healthy living. During this time, the audiences are taken through a form of education through entertainment or other activities that are capable of appealing to the emotions of the audiences. It could also be to cause a behavioral change or influence the conscience of the people. This singular act goes into posterity records and is capable of keeping your name ringing in the minds of the people.
Mileage and opportunities
Opportunities are wrapped up in unpredictable packages, whose location is never known most times. So you are doing yourself a lot of good by creating an avenue that will bring these packages to you. Most times these are never brought to you through cash, but by providing opportunities that will impact on the lives of people. This can be done by targeting consciously people that matter in the network and reach out to them though carefully selected programmes that will make your effort go through. Mileage, in this context is all about the extent of profits or benefits that is prospective not in terms of money though. It is activated any time you are able to impact your network positively it leaves your names permanently in the minds of your network. They will definitely call on you when there is need for real business. Sometimes Opportunities are created through the inputs we put into our immediate environment especially for event managers.
Image source: Buzz Nigeria
Written by
Mfonabasi Udoh Barry
Mfonabasi Is a PR professional, he is a communications and social media strategist and works with DOXA DIGITAL NIG LIMITED