The Challenge of Creating an International Event
I discuss the pressure of running an international event for the first time, especially when there is no prescribed format to follow. The focus is on shaping a compelling experience from scratch whilst giving people a strong reason to attend.
Key Takeaways
- Running an international event introduces added complexity, particularly when it is the first of its kind.
- Unlike conferences, bespoke events require organisers to define the structure, experience and purpose themselves.
- A successful first event must be both well executed and compelling enough to attract attendees without any previous precedent.
Topics
- Event Planning
- Business Strategy
- Marketing
Transcript
What were the challenges of running an international event? I suppose the first challenge is it being international. We've never done anything like this before. We've done conferences, but conferences are quite prescriptive in how they work. So, you know, you order the stand, you have the various vendors, like it's kind of laid out for you. Whereas doing an event, there's no pre-prescribed plan. So you have to make it what it is. And therefore it's even more difficult because the first one has no precedent. And therefore, why should the people come? You've got to make it interesting enough. So it's like double pressure. You've got to make it both good when you don't know what you're doing, and interesting enough to get enough people to agree to come. So yeah, it's quite a lot of pressure, but also it's a good challenge. It's exciting.