Entertain wisely: How to get the most out of your events for clients

It has to be argued that the extent to which a firm has this visibility, and the extent to which these activities are co-ordinated, would be a key driver of actually maximising the possible return of every dollar invested.

For instance, coffee meetings or most lunches are unlikely (within most firms) to be included within the strategic scope (of engagement activity) in most cases. Yet, it is this level of co-ordination that would yield most results.

The business case for investment in a client event commonly stops at the cost of the event, but smarter strategy would include (and specify) the follow-up sales activity – the who, the what for and the who by. This means that fee generators or sales teams would be heavily involved in the pre-event planning (to both identify which clients should be invited, with specific business objectives, and tracked, allocated ownership of follow-up activity – the ripple of meetings, coffees, drinks, lunches to capitalise on the event investment).

Client relationship development is an additive effect activity, and therefore, maintaining visibility of the multitude of touch points is a critical success factor – taking a Goldilocks approach to getting it right. Firms are probably more likely to under- or over-entertain specific (favourite?) clients than they are to get the mix right, across the board.

When it comes to running winning events, whether large scale or even just a business lunch, and apart from managing the sales follow-up, there are a few other points to remember well:

Location, Location, Location

The location must always fit the occasion. For brands, it's even more important to ensure the venue enhances or reinforces the brand values. More so, the venue should also be chosen to align with the client brand values (you wont get far inviting your LVMH client to a quick lunch at Subway). Every host city will have hidden gems, unique and unusual locations – both in terms of event spaces as well as restaurants.

Never make lazy choices about the venue because it sets the tone for the entire event. It makes sense to get some third party assistance – whether you know an area well or not, only a fool would believe they know it all, and in London probably no single person knows every amazing or possible venue.

Amazing does not only mean expensive. There are always genius venues that enable creativity to circumvent budget. Ditto restaurants – some of London's greatest foodie haunts are far from the most expensive. And vice versa, expensive does not always equal great.

Flex the format

Content is king. Introducing business content not only adds further justification to attend, it also hits the Bribery Act right between the eyes. Of course, adding content simply to sidestep the act is not what we are saying – looking at six slides before you step onto a private jet for a four-day World Cup extravaganza the week before deciding upon a tender from the very same company is hardly playing the game.

No, adding content, is being transparent about the business objectives behind the gathering. It is being clear about the business value (to guests) of attending, in justifying the time away from their desk. Smarter firms move the focus away from what they are selling to the business issues of their clients. They move towards thought leadership by calling upon noted experts to speak and debate on the issues critical to the client businesses, and by doing so, attract priceless third-party validation.

If you don't have the budget to invite 250 clients to a summer party, why not invite your top 10 targets (current and potential) to a breakfast round-table? Invite some industry speakers, get the clients involved in setting the agenda to focus on critical current and near future challenges. If breakfast's no good, then how about a 60-minute lunchtime briefing? Or 4.30 til 6pm business update?

Content can drive invite acceptances as well as engagement, and it moves your event on from being just a jolly.

Who's who: Mix it up

Ask clients why they attend events, why they give us their personal time or their allocated entertainment days to attend your event and they will answer more than just 'to be sold to'. Of course, permission to be sold to is implicit in any acceptance, but for many, it is the opportunity to meet their industry peers and contemporaries, to be part of the dialogue and probably even to meet the seniors of your firm, that gets them beyond accepting an inviting to actually turning up for the event.

The more you mix it up by having a great selection of interesting people, with a wider spectrum of interests, the more your clients will enjoy being there. The day job means most of us are stuck in our sectors, which means when we get out to well organised events, meet new people and hear fresh ideas, well, it's like breathing fresh air and for most, reminds us of why we do it in the first place.

So, next time you are putting the guest list together, pass over your 'Go Tos' and think about who you can invite to add interest to your event. Think in terms of the spheres of influence around your business, or your client's industry, and make a point of having a few wild cards at every single event you organise.

Choose the right date

Simple stupid suggestion: make sure you check for obvious (industry) and not so obvious (major roadworks) date clashes before you confirm your event. More than a few events have been derailed by clashing with other major but unrelated events.

Also, think about going to where your clients will already be. Running fringe events at well established industry events is a very smart way to punch above your weight in terms of attendees and also to help create a buzz and a relevance around your event.

Socialise as much as possible

One of the greatest advantages of including content to events is that assets can be created for immediate or future use. Some events may be very much closed door affairs, but most these days offer incredible social business opportunities before, during and especially after. If your event budget only runs to tens, then creating sharable assets means afterwards you can get the message out to the many.

It used to be if a client could not attend an event they missed it. Now, anyone can be sent venue production Vines, slides, or video links to heighten engagement, awareness and transparency. Of course, socialising means more than just sharing online: we all feel varying degrees of discomfort when it comes to 'working the room' and that means the very best hosts are keeping their eyes peeled for disengaged guests on the periphery of the room. It's important that everyone gets value from their time attending, for the event to be a success.

From conversation to conversion

And finally (apart from the mannerly thank yous and promised follow-ups)... it is for the fee generators and sales team to get to work on the post-event business development activity. Every event plan should include the person responsible for coordinating the post-event sales activity.

For many companies, this is the forgotten part of modern client entertainment and event management. It may well be difficult to get a board to sign off £25,000 for this year's event, but if you can show them – absolutely – that last year's event resulted in £750,000 new business, then, perhaps you should ask for £50,000 this year.

For new events, nothing will strengthen the initial business case more, than a fully developed, detailed and coordinated sales follow-up plan to capture every possible pound of return.

So, it seems there is more to good client entertainment than just jollies – turns out that there are important business objectives involved after all. See you next Thursday.

Wondering where to take your clients? Check out Twenty Rather Good Shouts for client dining courtesy of Mr. Sykes Modern Concierge.