Be Famous. Host A Seminar!
Summary:
Imagine hosting
your own seminar. Whether you dream of hosting clients for the weekend,
prospects for a few hours, or colleagues for a lunch-hour workshop, let's make
this year the year you realize that dream!
Planning and hosting a seminar, workshop, or other event is not nearly as
hard as you might expect. And today I'd like to share with you the five secrets
to a flawless event.
Keywords:
seminar,
workshop, online event, planning, virtual seminar
Article Body:
Imagine hosting
your own seminar. Whether you dream of hosting clients for the weekend,
prospects for a few hours, or colleagues for a lunch-hour workshop, let's make
this year the year you realize that dream!
Planning and hosting a seminar, workshop, or other event is not nearly as
hard as you might expect. And today I'd like to share with you the five secrets
to a flawless event.
Decide on a format
Remember, your event doesn't have to be in-person. You could conduct it
virtually--over the telephone or the Internet. You could offer webcasts and
live
chats, an email list for lengthier discussions, or you could use an online
meeting space.
Besides deciding whether your event will be in-person or virtual, you'll also
need to determine how long the event will last, what you'll cover, and how
you'll cover it. Will you host guest speakers? Will you offer discussion
panels? Or will the event be primarily lecture-based?
Go with your gut on these decisions. What makes the most sense for your
audience? What format do you prefer? How can you best deliver your
information?
Decide whom to invite
Will you advertise the event? Open it only to your select clients? Offer it to
a targeted list of prospects?
It may seem strange to decide on your audience before narrowing down your
topic, but by picking out your ideal audience first, you'll be able to zero in
precisely on their interests.
At this stage, also decide how many people you're comfortable hosting. Are you
picturing a small, intimate group of 20 people? Or do you see yourself speaking
before hundreds?
Decide what topics to cover
Next, you'll need to really get at the core of your topic. Sure, you're going
to focus on your expertise. But what, precisely, about your expertise will you
devote the time to?
This decision has a lot to do with your goals. Do you want to convert prospects
to clients? Dazzle your current clients? Build relationships with
colleagues?
Obviously, you'll want to choose your topic a bit differently for your
prospects than you would for a group of clients. Each audience will have
different concerns and slightly different interests.
Get the right support
There's a ton of planning involved with creating a workshop or seminar. You'll
need to find the perfect venue (or technological support if it's virtual).
You'll need to find hotels for guests to stay at, arrange special rates, and
plan special activities during downtime.
You'll want to accommodate special guests in a way that makes them feel truly
appreciated. You'll want someone creating a log of each activity, and perhaps
recording and transcribing the event so you can offer copies to
participants.
In short, you need a partner who shares your vision for your event. Someone to
handle all the details while you're raring off, full steam ahead, on the big
picture elements.
You can easily hand off these details to a virtual assistant who'll work in the
background to ensure your entire event goes off without a hitch.
Close the feedback loop and do it again
You're going to love holding your event. You'll shine in the spotlight, your
participants will have a delightful time, and you'll all have an extraordinary
experience.
Once the event's over, make sure to ask participants for feedback. Ask them for
what they loved, and what they didn't. Find out how you can improve next year's
event.
And get ready for an even better event next year!
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