The pandemic crisis has had a devastating impact on our industry. No one has escaped unscathed and the repercussions will last for years. When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger; the other represents opportunity. When faced with a crisis, you have three options Logic dictates that ... More....
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The Business of Events
“I need my people to think like business people and focus on the business of meetings, not the meetings business.” - Anonymous CEO Which is more important, understanding the events business or understanding the business of events? By that I mean, is it better to be an authority on how to plan and execute successful events or is it better to ... More....
How We Define Business Success
Generally speaking, event professionals are efficiency experts. They focus on managing the many logistical details that go into planning and executing successful events. By contrast, business professionals are effectiveness experts. They focus on the “big picture” and managing or allocating resources in order to maximize the business impact of ... More....
How We Define Event Success: Part I – How it should be done
When it comes to determining success, business professionals start by determining their overarching goals and objectives, translate these into sensible metrics or KPIs, store them in a repository where they can be properly analyzed and interpreted, and then turn that data into meaningful insights and ultimately, a competitive advantage. So what ... More....
How We Define Event Success: Part II – How it’s actually done
In Part I of this post, we looked at how event success should be determined. Now let’s look at how we actually determine event success. Determining event goals and objectives If you asked most event professionals what the goals and objectives of their event are, they wouldn’t be able to provide a definitive answer. For the most part, they ... More....
What is Strategy?
Despite the fact that the word, “strategy” is so commonly used, there’s still a lot of confusion surrounding its definition, even among so-called experts. The topic of strategy was first introduced by the Chinese in treatises like Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’, written in 400 B.C. Our Western understanding of strategy originates from the Greek word ... More....
The Business Case for Strategy
Every businesses start with an idea. If the business develops like most businesses, that idea is captured in a mission statement, which explains the businesses purpose or why it exists. Next comes a vision statement, which outlines where the business sees itself in the future - assuming it’s successful in accomplishing its mission. Then ... More....
The Difference Between Event Planning and Event Strategy
If event professionals - the efficiency experts - need to understand and act more like business professionals - the effectiveness experts - in order to deliver more value for their stakeholders, then it’s in their best interests to understand the difference between planning and strategy. Planning and strategy are often used synonymously despite ... More....
What is a Business Strategist?
A business strategist is a person responsible for the formulation and implementation of a strategy - that set of guiding principles used for decision making. You may not know many business strategists but this is an actual job title with an actual job description. Business strategists help identify new opportunities for their organization and ... More....
The Business Case for an Event Strategist
The Event Strategist is a relatively new role. As such, not much is known about it. There’s no competency model that outlines the required knowledge, skills and abilities that determines job success. There’s no clearly defined job description. Yet, there’s little doubt that there’s a genuine need for such a role. The changing nature of ... More....
What is an Event Strategist? Part I: The Competency Model
An event strategist is someone who’s primary objective it to realize the full business potential of an event. As such, they focus more on event effectiveness than event efficiency. An event planner, by contrast, is someone who’s primary objective is to successfully execute an event plan. In that sense, the event planner is primarily ... More....
What is an Event Strategist? Part II: The Job Description
The job of Event Strategist is so new, there are too few job descriptions available which can be used as a template when hiring one. So how does one develop a job description for such a relatively new job that barely exists? Every job description, even if you’ve hired for the job before, begins with a job analysis. A job analysis is ... More....
What is a Trusted Advisor?
A trusted advisor is someone who has exceptional, targeted knowledge in a particular industry; one you can expect to provide unbiased advice. What differentiates a trusted advisor from other advisors or consultants is the higher value they place on maintaining and preserving the business relationship over the outcome of the current ... More....
Random thoughts, opinions, observations, comments, questions…
Events that simply meet the status quo are no longer sufficient. You have to exceed expectations in order to differentiate yourself from the crowd these days. Never be satisfied with the status quo. There’s always room for process improvements. How are you exceeding expectations? How are you identifying areas and opportunities for process ... More....
Questions Event Strategists Ask
We asked event strategists what questions they typically ask their clients and stakeholders before they begin asking logistical questions. Here’s what they shared: If you have a strategic question you think should be added to this list, email us at info@event-strategist.net. Not all of these questions need to be asked of your clients or ... More....
The Strategic Planning Hierarchy for Events: Part I Mission, Vision and Values Statements
A strategy isn’t something that just appears out of thin air. Developing an effective strategy requires some preliminary steps and some subsequent steps that ultimately determine its success or failure. So let’s take a look at the strategic planning hierarchy. At the top of the hierarchy is a Mission Statement. As mentioned before, every ... More....
SWOT Analysis for Events
A SWOT analysis is a strategic planning technique used to help identify the current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a business before deciding on a new strategy. The objective is to gather meaningful information in each category that can be used for a competitive advantage. Here’s a sample of questions you can ask about ... More....
How to conduct a SWOT Analysis for your event
First, draw up a SWOT Analysis matrix. You can approach a SWOT Analysis in two ways: get people together to formulate strategy informally or as a more sophisticated and formal process. In either case, gather a team from a range of functions and levels in your organization that are involved in your event(s). Use brainstorming techniques to ... More....
Strategic Planning Models
There is no perfect strategic planning process or model. Each organization should customize the approach that makes the most sense for them considering its culture, the current situation, and the purpose of its planning. Basic or Conventional Strategic Planning Model This is the most common model of strategic planning. It is ideal for ... More....
Event Strategist Tools & Techniques
There is no single strategic planning tool or technique that will work for all events. You have to determine which one is best for your organization. Some will require fine tuning. Sometimes, you may need to combine two or more. Balanced Scorecard Blue Ocean Strategy Critical Success Factors Critical Question Analysis Five Forces Model Five ... More....
The biggest problem with strategy…
The biggest problem with the way organizations think about strategy is that they confuse strategy with plans. They’re not the same. Strategic planning is an oxymoron. A strategy is a framework for making decisions. Without a strategy, a company will run in too many different directions, squandering resources. The framework establishes how the ... More....
Quotes About Strategy…
“The essence of strategy is choosing what not to do.” Michael Porter “Strategy without process is little more than a wish list.” Robert Filek “Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different.” Michael Porter “Strategy is about setting yourself apart from the competition. It’s not a matter of ... More....
Why your event needs a strategy
Developing an event strategy isn’t something more to do, it’s a better way of doing what you already are doing. Need more reasons? Here’s a few… Event strategy helps… Summary: Strategic planning is no guarantee of success - no one gets it right every time - but it’s better than no strategy at all. ... More....
Good vs. Bad Strategy
Because “strategy” is such a difficult term to define and explain, even among the experts, I try to post more as opposed to less on the topic. In addition, very little has been written specifically about event strategy. Most of what’s out there is very generic and of little value. The three elements to strategy… The first natural advantage ... More....
Content Strategy for Digital Events: Part I – Content is Still King
What’s more important: your digital content platform or your digital content? To no one’s surprise, there’s been a tremendous surge of interest in digital platforms as a complement to - or a replacement for - face-to-face events. However, in the desperate scramble to identify the right platform, the preeminence of content is all but lost. ... More....
Content Strategy for Digital Events: Part II – Before Your Event
In the inaugural post in this series, I made the case that while everyone is rushing to launch digital events during this indefinite in-person vacuum we’re experiencing, content, which everyone agrees is the most critical element of any event, digital or otherwise, is being ignored. I also included this warning… “If you choose to put your ... More....
Content Strategy for Digital Events: Part III – During Your Event
In Part II of this series on creating content for digital events, I outlined the tasks you should complete before your event. Now that you’ve followed a standardized process for analyzing, designing, and developing more compelling content, you’re ready to implement your program. However, your content challenge isn’t over. It simply shifts now ... More....
Content Strategy for Digital Events: Part IV – After Your Event
In Part III of this series on creating content for digital events, I identified a number of strategic and tactical suggestions for content delivery during your event. The key objective of the implementation phase is to maximize engagement, and more importantly, to increase knowledge retention and transfer of that knowledge back to the ... More....
