Business events are a complex but powerful element of your business plan which, if not completed correctly, can cost your business both labour and event expenditure. This leads many small-medium sized businesses to ask – “Do I need to outsource to an events management company or can we handle it ourselves?” Below are 6 reasons why you do (or don’t) need an outsourced events company.
1. You run 1 to 2 complex events during the year but no other events
Many companies only run 1 to 2 events a year and whilst these events are time consuming in the lead up to and during the event, there is not enough work to sustain hiring an events manager full time. If the events are complex in nature it can be more beneficial for you to outsource them to an experienced events company who will take less time to complete the task and will be able to identify the areas of potential risk and mitigate these risks for you.
2. There are no employees in your business with events experience
Event Managers are a rare breed. Often with a wide skill set, an acute attention to detail and the ability to manage a crisis without so much as a hair out of place. Often described as swans – on the surface they are cool, calm and collected, but underneath those legs are paddling wildly – mentally identifying potential issues and managing them before anyone else is aware it even happened. When you place an employee who has no events experience in charge of your events it will be a steep learning curve – which can often mean your events are taking longer than they should to organise, and you may not be getting the desired results. If the employee in charge of your events has no events experience it could be worthwhile to utilise the services of an events company for at least one of your events to help you ascertain whether the event could be improved or you may want to look into getting some event management training for the employee who will be working the most on your events.
3. Your current events are running well but possibly could be improved
So you are happy with the way your events are running at the moment, there aren’t any major issues. Congratulations that’s a good place to be. In the ever-changing world of events however, there are always ways to improve on your current processes to make the next event even better and further engage your clients. This is a fantastic reason to employ the services of an outsourced events company – they can provide you with a fresh set of eyes and help you to identify the elements which could be fine-tuned to make your next event even better.
4. You are looking for new ways to incentivise your staff
“We don’t run events” – does this sound familiar to you? Events don’t have to be just for entertaining your clients/customers. Incentive events are a great way to encourage a little friendly competition amongst your employees and reward them for their hard work. After all their hard work is building the company! Incentive events can be anything from an awards dinner to a lavish 7-day retreat to a beach location with your top employees. Depending on the level of event you have in mind, an events company may be the right option to ensure the incentive runs smoothly and your employees feel valued.
5. You spend your time at events following suppliers around instead of interacting with your clients
We have all been there – you and your team pour hours into planning every aspect of your company’s event to ensure everything is seamless. Only to arrive at the event and nothing is running as planned. You spend the rest of the night on damage control, trying to ensure the incompetence of the suppliers or venue does not reflect badly on your business. Having an events business running your event means that you don’t have the stress and worry on the day, you can spend the time interacting with your clients knowing that someone else is looking after it.
6. You feel you could streamline your events to save money and time
We see this all the time when visiting new clients – the task of arranging the company events has been assigned to the office admin/PA/EA and they are doing a great job. There is however that niggling feeling that if the event processes were given a little tweaking, it would cut down the time they spend on the event, and save $$ on your event expenditure. If this is you, perhaps you don’t need an events company to look after your events – after all they are running smoothly now. The best way to fix this issue is with a fresh set of (event trained) eyes. Events Outsourced can review your current event processes and identify the areas for improvement to streamline your event planning.
If your events are running effortlessly, your employees know exactly what they are doing and your events are providing the return on investment you are looking for – Congratulations, it looks like you have everything in hand. If not, get in contact with Events Outsourced – we can review your events, ascertain which level of assistance you require and work together to ensure your future events are meeting all of your expectations.
Events Outsourced are the trusted event management company in Sydney for growing Australian businesses looking to achieve strategic event outcomes. Based in Sydney, NSW, we provide a national service to our clients.
