So, your event was a total success, everyone congratulates you, the participants are happy, your partners are satisfied with the results. Good job! Now you have a chance to relax and consider…
What can I do to make my event even better?
This question is essential especially if your event did very well but did not achieve the expected results. Plan a second edition!
It is second editions of events that are one of the biggest fears for event managers, and it that’s completely normal, expected even. In our daily lives we see sequels of successful Hollywood productions going down in flames all the time. One problem that can be encountered when planning the second edition of an event is that we may feel we have exhausted our creativity and used most of our good ideas. So how can we make part two better, or even just as good as the first one?
Truth is, you should not be afraid of the challenge. Your greatest advantage is that you have already planned and measured the results of a great first edition and…
You can use everything learned as a starting point in your event planning
My advice is that you don’t waste time after the end of the event, but you sit with your team shortly afterwards and write down everyone’s fresh impressions and observations. It is crucial that you and your team have a prior strong trust relationship and are open for critique and feedback with each other.
These notes will turn into your guide when planning the second edition of your event, whatever that may be.
Once you have the feedback of your team members, your sponsors and participants, a familiar phase begins – planning. Second edition events are challenges, they are not obstacles and they give you good footing for becoming an even better event manager! One day you will wake up and realize you have planned 20 editions of an event, and thinking of the great results you will know with certainty that it was all worth it.
Good luck! I’ll be happy to hear about your planning practices when organizing a second edition in the comments below 🙂
Ovanes is the CEO and Co-founder of Weemss, he has been working in the event planning and management industry for a number of years.
Featured image: Ryan McGuire | Gratisography, licensed under CC0 1.0
