Surely using a professional event company is an unnecessary expense when organising your events, it is easier and cheaper to do it in-house. Well of course you would expect us to disagree, but here are a couple of reasons we think that you should always use a professional to make your event run smoothly.
1. You only have one chance to make a first impression !
Here is a real example. Last week we attended a free business seminar. The business hosting it were using the seminar as a sales tool. However they had decided to go it alone and did not use the services of an event company. The result? As I arrived at the hotel there was no signage pointing the way to the seminar nor were there any staff to ask. Having found the room the promised ‘refreshments on arrival’ had been used, even though I arrived 5 minutes ahead of the start time. There were 3 thermos flasks for coffee but only 1 for hot water and that had already run out and again there were no staff around to ask. The room was not set-up for enough guests and there was no indication of what you were supposed to do, take a seat, sign in etc.
If any one of Oliver Myles’s professional event managers had been there we would have had clear signage, with the hosts logo, up an least an hour before the start. A member of hotel staff chained to the refreshments at the start and during the breaks ready to top up if needed (and more than one thermos of hot water). Seating for the correct numbers, with a seating plan if the client wished. And most importantly a smiling face to welcome and direct guests.
These may seem like small details, the content of the seminar was in fact very good. But how much better would it have been to have arrived feeling like a welcomed and valued guest.
How you are perceived by your guests is a reflection of your brand. Don’t let yourselves down getting the small things wrong when you get the big things so right.
2. It’s cheaper to do it in-house?
Are you sure that is true. An events company will often buy at a better price than a one-off corporate booker as we have established relationships with venues, which means that we will be offering exactly the same package as if you go direct, but with the added benefit of having a professional on board to look after you in the lead up and on the day.
If you are using in house resources such as a PA or a marketing assistant their time has a value and any time spent organising your event takes them away from other company business.
And finally an Events Company will often negotiate a better deal just by using their experience and contacts. For example we had a client looking to hire a particular venue but had been told it required a minimum spend of £35K. They approached us to look at other venues as this was too expensive. We were able to go back to their original choice as it is a venue we know very well and got the minimum spend reduced to £18k. The result was a very happy client who got to use the venue they wanted at a price they liked.
So the next time you are thinking of going it alone, why not give us a call and see what we can offer to help your event really fly.
Oliver Myles Events| 01442 345 031| www.olivermyles.co.uk
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