With consumers and employees facing frustrating inflation and challenging price scenarios, corporations are being more cost and perception-aware than ever. Event sponsorship will be looked at with sharp lenses, evaluating just how much positive brand profile and community building each opportunity offers. Executive buy-in is important for success.
Venue demand remains high, indicating that events are still taking place regardless of budget tightening and optics management. With this comes increasing pressure for events to lock in their venues perhaps without confidence their ticketed events will sell or their sponsorships will fulfill – the “leap of faith” in a uniquely challenging economy.
Event professionals across North America remain optimistic that clients will continue to invest in experiences and to value human connection as a critical part of brand strategy. The antidote to the impacts of a tough consumer economy is connection. It is proven that events drive connections more than any other medium, bringing people together to build community, create new ways of thinking and share important conversations.
Designing seamless and ROI-driven event strategy takes corporate intel, a type of event intelligence required during challenging economic periods. Sharpening this skillset takes time and exposure to the inner workings of the enterprise landscape.
Here’s a short list of lessons to gain executive buy-in for events:
Lesson #1:
Know your company’s 3-5 year roadmap, and speak its strategic language when outlining event formats and proposals. See events as a powerful tool to fulfilling the corporate roadmap.
Lesson #2:
Good event strategy takes creativity, yes, but leading with creative flash won’t get you to the C-suite board room. Outline the strategy first and how it ties to the company roadmap.
Lesson #3:
Strength of conviction, confidence, and knowing your stuff will open internal doors for you. How you show up every day is being watched and noticed.
Lesson #4:
Act like you have the job you want, not the job you have. Senior leaders will recognize leadership and going “above and beyond” and this will put events in a positive light.
Lesson #5:
Seamless, well-done events will be seen as a “given” in terms of your role – it’s what else you bring to the company and “sphere of influence” that will help you get executive buy-in.
Adopting these skills and mindset shifts will inevitably lead to greater corporate buy-in for events and experiences in any economic climate.
Lisa Marks is owner of Brand Alive Inc, a Western Canadian corporate event strategy and management company that aims to build culture in everything they do. brandalive.ca and @brandaliveinc
