Organising a BIG event

The events team at CJAM have organisational and planning skills by the bucket load.
Most recently, the marketing agency’s busy events team has been organising a major exhibition and conference for the bulk and materials handling industry

– BULKEX 2015 – which is due to debut at the Harrogate International Conference Centre in October.

CJAM has lined up more than 50 exhibitors to showcase their products and services to the 1000 visitors expected to attend.
It has also worked with its client – the Materials Handling Engineers Association (MHEA) – to line up a series of high profile speakers, who include some of the industry’s most recognisable and leading figures.
Julie Claus, Teresa Dyson and Courtney Hicks have been working hard to organise the exhibition and seminar programme under the direction of CJAM’s Managing Director Christine Joyce.  They have secured three sponsors for the event, Siemens Automation and Drives Group, ATEX Explosion Hazards Ltd and Flexco.
Account Manager Julie Claus explained:  “We have sold exhibition stands to more than 50 companies and are liaising with them all to ensure their needs are met. From organising name boards, TV screens, car parking and forklift trucks to move equipment, through to liaising with caterers, speakers and block booking hotel rooms to secure accommodation, we are working closely to ensure everything runs smoothly and efficiently.”
Meanwhile, Courtney Hicks has developed a new ‘Guidebook’ app which can be used in advance or at the event itself to navigate exhibition stands and make sure attendees don’t miss any activities or seminar sessions.
Courtney created the app as a ‘companion’ for visitors to the conference to plan their time at BULKEX in advance and to get the most out of seminar sessions.  There is a twitter feed – tracking the hashtag #BULKEX15 – and a networking forum for visitors to communicate with each other.
The app also includes vital information to help attendees to book accommodation and find their way to the venue.
Teresa Dyson added:  “We also offered companies wishing to make extra impact at the event the opportunity to take advantage of a series of BULKEX 2015 sponsorship packages.”
To support the event, the marketing, PR and communications team at CJAM has implemented a comprehensive PR and marketing strategy which has ensured regular press releases to local and trade press, a full programme for the event and a social media campaign with tweets and email communication to attendees and exhibitors on a regular basis.
The countdown is now on to the event itself.  The CJAM team will be on hand to make sure everything goes according to plan.

EVENT UPDATE. CJAM IS ORGANISING AN EVENT AT THE HOUSE OF LORDS FOR THE BIO-BASED AND BIODEGRADABLE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION (BBIA) – October 21, 2015

CJAMS TOP TEN TIPS FOR ORGANISING A SUCCESSFUL EVENT
Managing a successful event necessitates an event programme that is completely on target f-or your audience. The schedule should run like clockwork and the whole experience should leave attendees  eager  to  learn  more  and  impressed  by  your  level  of  professionalism. However, behind the scenes at every event there are always unforeseen challenges to keep even the calmest event manager on their toes!  We have condensed our top tips from years of running international, national and regional events and created a quick guide to event management.  We hope you find it useful.
1.  Know your audience
Understanding  what  makes  your  audience  tick  is  vital  to  delivering  a  successful  event. Through  regular  dialogue  and  market  research,  you’ll  soon  get  to  grips  with  the  kinds  of issues and advice that are  most likely to interest your audience, and most importantly, the kind of content that will prompt them to leave their busy working day to attend an event.
2.  Define the benefits of attending
Your  audience  should  be  left  in  no  doubt  as  to  why  you’re  running  the  event,  what  key challenges it will address and how they will benefit from attending. Ensure that this is clear right  from  the  first  invitation – spend  time  researching  similar  events  and identifying what makes your event unique.
3.  Set a budget
Keeping to the budget is all important when it comes to managing a successful event. Agree in  advance  how  much  budget  will  be  invested  and  how  return-on-investment  will  be measured.  Ensure  that  any  attendance  fees  effectively  cover  costs,  while  any  contracted services fit neatly within the budget available.
4.  Set objectives and measure your success
Know  in  advance  how  you’ll  measure  the  success  of  the  event  in  both  financial  and marketing terms. What are the key objectives of the event? Select the indicators that matter most to your organisation, whether this is membership enquiries or increasing social media engagement.
5.  Use trusted suppliers
We recommend building a database of trusted suppliers whom you can rely on to deliver excellent  service, whether  it’s  providing  a  top  notch  venue,  ensuring  audio  and  visual equipment works perfectly or preparing a great lunch time spread. Everyone looks forward to the refreshments at an event, so getting this right is paramount.  Build a good relationship with your suppliers and ensure that you communicate clearly exactly what’s required.
6.  Go through the detail with a fine toothcomb
No stone should be left unturned when it comes to planning an event. Make sure that every eventuality is catered for. Inevitably, last minute issues will crop up – agree who will deal with these and put contingency plans in place. We suggest planning in minute detail how the event  will  unfold,  even  down  to  where  members  of  your  team  will  stand  to  welcome  the guests.  Try  a  mental  or  even  a  physical  walk  through  of  the  event  to  help  spot  potential issues and find solutions ahead of time.
7.  Use confident, respected speakers
The  presenters  you  invite  can  make  or  break  an event,  so  make  sure  they  are  confident speakers and  give  them  a  clear  brief  as  to  the  kind  of  content  you  need.  Is the speaker someone whom the audience respects? Speakers who will educate and inspire the audience stand the best chance of boosting attendance levels.
8.  Ensure content is on message
All content should be streamlined to fit with your overall communications plan.  Develop all event materials to reflect  your  organisation’s  key  messages.  We recommend using professional PR, communications and marketing services.
9.  Drive engagement
Drive engagement and audience participation at the event by encouraging attendees to ask questions and to tweet about the day.  Create a Twitter hashtag for the event and ask attendees to use it within all tweets.
10. Seek feedback
It’s  important  to  seek  feedback from your attendees and gauge their perceptions  of  the event. Make sure that any questionnaires are quick and easy to complete. Attendees should ideally complete them before leaving.  Ask questions that will help you to optimise future events.
Good luck!