Congratulations on wrapping up your company event. You’ve earned a break, but what you do next is just as important for getting the most out of your efforts. Here are some steps to help you build on your success.
Cultivate Relationships: Immediate Outreach and Gratitude
Your event succeeded thanks to the support of many important people. Reaching out quickly to thank them is key to building strong relationships.
- Acknowledge Attendee Participation: Your attendees are the core of your event’s purpose. Send each one a brief, personalized, and sincere thank-you message within 24-48 hours to recognize their attendance and strengthen the relationship. This immediate follow-up reinforces the positive experience and your brand’s commitment to service.
- Recognize Contributors: Extend your gratitude to everyone who played a pivotal role in execution, including sponsors, internal staff, and vendors. A personalized message that explicitly acknowledges their contribution validates their effort and fosters strong partnerships for future collaborations.
Strategic Review: Gather Comprehensive Feedback
Your team may have its own view of how the event went, but getting honest feedback from others is important for improvement.
- Distribute a Focused Survey: Gather crucial insights by distributing a concise, targeted follow-up survey to attendees, staff, and vendors. Ask them to rate the overall experience, identify the most valuable components, and provide specific recommendations for improvement. This structured, quantifiable feedback will serve as an indispensable guide for shaping your next event strategy.
- Encourage Direct Communication: If a formal survey is not logistically necessary for certain groups, a professional, informal note requesting general or specific feedback ensures you capture diverse perspectives and open a channel for further dialogue.
Internal Audit: Conduct a Timely Debrief
Hold a team debrief soon after the event while details are still fresh. This helps you have open, useful discussions about what worked and what could be better. Focus on these key points:
- Documented Organizational Wins: Identify and analyze the successful elements that can be replicated in future planning.
- Assessment of Challenges: Review the obstacles encountered and evaluate the effectiveness of the team’s response, treating them as valuable learning opportunities.
- Defining Actionable Improvements: Determine concrete, measurable ways to enhance the event’s planning and execution for the next iteration.
Metrics and ROI: Evaluate Success Against Objectives
After you’ve gathered all the feedback and data, take a close look to see how the event measured up to your original goals.
- Calculate Return on Investment (ROI): Quantifying outcomes—such as lead generation, revenue impact, or media mentions—is essential for calculating ROI. This data is crucial for reporting value to senior management and justifying future expenditures.
- Establish a Baseline: This comprehensive evaluation provides a solid metric baseline for benchmarking and planning your subsequent corporate events.
Sustained Engagement: Maintain Post-Event Momentum
Your event was a great chance to connect with people. Now, focus on making the most of those new relationships for lasting value.
- Sustain Communication: Maintain momentum by continuing to engage attendees through curated content, virtual follow-up events, targeted email campaigns, or other marketing efforts. Consistently reinforce your brand’s unique value proposition to ensure your services remain top of mind.
Ready to Plan Your Next High-Impact Corporate Event?
Let Miller Tanner Associates help make every part of your next big company event easier and more effective.
Contact us today to discuss how we can help you achieve your event and business objectives.
