83 | 5 Crucial Mistakes to Avoid When Planning and Running In-Person Events

Jo Lot: 00:00:00

Hello and welcome to Women in the Coaching arena podcast.

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I'm so glad you're here.

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I'm Jo Lot, a business mentor and ICF accredited coach, and I help coaches to build brilliant businesses.

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I know that when you prepare to enter the arena, there is fear, self doubt, comparison, anxiety, uncertainty.

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You can tend to armour up and protect yourself from vulnerability.

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In this podcast, I'll be sharing honest, not hype, practical and emotional tools to support you to make the difference that you're here for.

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Dare greatly, you belong in this arena hello.

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Welcome to the 83rd episode of Women in the Coaching arena.

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I am so glad you are here.

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I've been promoting my in person event, dare greatly in the coaching arena at the moment, which led on to today's episode because I've seen lots of people launch retreats or in person events, and it's actually quite a challenging thing to fill an in person event because it requires so much of people's time and energy and money to get there.

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In this kind of online world that we all live in right now, it's harder than you think to fill an in person event retreat or anything like that that you might be considering.

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So I really wanted to share five crucial mistakes and yes, I've made them all to avoid when planning and running in person events.

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Despite what I've just shared, running in person events is an incredible thing for your business, especially at the moment when people really do want real life connection.

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Yes, we've become a bit lazy with getting out there and getting it, but I do think we all are really starting to appreciate that connection more.

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So I do want to help you to plan your event effectively today.

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Let's talk about five crucial mistakes to avoid when planning and running in person events.

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Mistake one, which I have made often, is not allowing enough planning time.

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This is one of the biggest mistakes I see, so we can end up thinking, oh, I'd really like to host an in person event at Christmas without really realising you've got to book the venue.

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You've got to try and fill the thing like it's not something you can usually whip up in two to three weeks.

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Although I must admit I did whip up my in person events previously in three weeks, so it's not impossible, but it was very stressful and knowing how to fill it, hearing that it was in set day and that people would love to come, but they had something in and all of those things did really, really make me stressed with that last minute thing.

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I'm way better now at planning in advance the benefits of doing so are obviously you can get a great venue booked up.

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The participants don't have inset day or other annoying things that are clashing with your event.

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Your participants get time to arrange their schedules and travel to attend.

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I had someone coming all the way from Spain for my last event and I told her the date casually, but I hadn't actually advertised the event.

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But she wanted to obviously book her flights.

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So as soon as she did that I thought, my gosh, like I actually have to run this and I better hurry up and get the booking link out so she can know with security that she is coming for a purpose.

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People really do value that time to plan in advance.

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And finally, my most important topic, which is effective marketing, requires a lot longer than most people ever think.

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So to avoid this mistake, plan four to six months in advance for retreats longer than one day events.

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For international or week long events, you would want to give yourself even longer, maybe six to twelve months, because then people really do need to plan well ahead, plan their holidays and things like that.

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And for a day event I would suggest something like two months if you want to have a really good lead in and pre launch Runway for your event.

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And if you're wondering what I mean by pre launch window, I mean creating buzz around your event so people actually want to attend.

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I think the worst strategy we can use is just surprise.

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I've got this in person day coming up in however many weeks.

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Here's the booking link, which is what I always want to do, and I have to show some restraint and go through a process of helping people to consider the event, helping to show behind the scenes, helping them to see themselves at your event, painting the picture of the type of person who might like to come to the event.

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All these things need to be in place before someone hits buy now on your sales page.

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Moving on to mistake two is failing to gauge interest before committing to your venue and event.

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I know lots of coaches have booked retreats, even two night retreats, three night retreats without really knowing if anyone was going to come.

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And it's such a huge risk in terms of your finances as well as your emotional system, and it really can lead to low attendance or having to cancel the event.

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I know several people who have been through this.

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ce in Spain and lost probably: 5000

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She hadn't really got the audience at the time and the interest or people really expressing interest in actually attending prior to her paying and securing that venue.

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So really do think in advance before you pay out to ensure that you have got the audience size and some interest to come to your event.

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The best ways I have learned to fill an event is to firstly create a waitlist.

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It's a simple landing page where people can express their interest, insert their email address without committing.

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This gives you an idea if there is any interest at all in attending your event.

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So if you do that waitlist process and nobody signs up to the waitlist, I would suggest it might be too soon to really go out there and start booking venues and things.

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I would be focusing on building your online presence, building your audience, building your network, and then going again when you have greater numbers who are interested in what you have to offer.

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My second way of overcoming this mistake is to use the five person test.

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Can you think of five people who would say yes to your event right now?

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If not, you may need to think about building your audience before proceeding.

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I suggest the same if you want to run a group program.

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If you have absolutely no interest at all, then it might be tricky to launch a group program.

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It's a similar type of thing.

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Usually stick with one on one until you know you have the audience size to fill a group or an event.

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My third point here is to survey your audience.

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So really think about putting out an email to your list if you have one, or a social media post if you haven't had to gauge that interest in attending.

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Gauge ideas for topics.

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Try and engage as much as you can as to what would be most helpful in your event.

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And don't underestimate the power of a good title for your event, like exactly what you will cover and exactly what they will leave with.

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Really try and think about three your core offer promise for your event.

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an a brilliant and prosperous: 2025

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Mine is going to be a vision of knowing exactly where you're getting to, a plan of exactly how you're going to get there, and the connection with others to help you to leave, inspired and motivated to go and make it happen.

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By doing these steps, you can either proceed with your event with confidence or realize that you may need to build a bit more buzz before launching your event.

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Mistake three, which I touched on earlier, is taking on too much financial risk.

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ga instructor losing at least: 5000

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I know many other people who have also lost a lot of money because they took on too much financial risk without really gauging that interest and having anyone indicate that they are interested in your event.

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How to avoid this mistake is firstly, don't pay out of your own pocket.

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See if you can find a venue that will hold your spot while you pre sell your tickets.

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Many venues will do that and they'll come back to you if someone else starts to inquire for that date, for example.

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So do ask.

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If you don't ask, you don't get use pre sales so you can start selling your tickets early and using these funds to cover initial costs.

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There are lots of different ways you can do this.

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I've just done the waitlist way where people aren't paying me in advance, but you could go out there and go, you're going to get a 20% off my event if you buy.

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Now.

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That's a way of really pre selling using a 24 hours window.

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I've seen someone be super successful with, obviously as long as you've done enough buzz to lead up to that 24 hours so people are looking and waiting for that date.

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Otherwise you can do a week window buy by this date and you'll get a certain amount off.

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Those pre sales can really allow you to fund that venue in advance.

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If you need to be smart about deposits, think about payment terms that align with your sales timeline.

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Venues will have negotiating room.

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You don't always need to pay so much upfront.

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Next up, set realistic pricing.

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Factor in all of your costs, including a buffer for unexpected expenses.

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I run mine at a very low profit margin, essentially because I just really want to see people in person and it's something I really want to do.

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It's also a great way of people getting to know me and experience me and then signing up to my mentorship program.

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I often think about the profit coming after the event rather than the event being your profit generator, but it can be.

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Don't get me wrong, there are different strategies, but just really think about your costs if you intend to buy them.

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Gifts, do teas and coffees, lunches, it all really does creep up for me.

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For example, I now have to pay 20% VAT on all of my tickets.

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So that's really boosted the price this year.

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And then obviously I need to pay tax on all of the earnings as well as well as all of the gifts and different things I buy.

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So yeah, really do think about that to ensure that you are not out of pocket.

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And finally, on this one, consider a payment plan.

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It can really help for people to spread that payment over a longer period.

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So again, back to the benefit of arranging your events so far in advance that people can pay even a twelve month payment plan.

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I went to an event recently called Summer Camp with the Happy Startup membership that I was part of and they literally are already pre selling their event for twelve months time.

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If you buy now, you get a certain amount off and you get to recoup the payment plan for no extra cost.

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The earlier you plan, the more secure you will be in going into your event.

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Mistake four is poor itinerary planning.

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Whether you are running a work focused retreat or a more relaxed gathering, really thinking about what people are going to leave with and your offer promise for your event is really important.

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Here are two common mistakes to avoid on this one.

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The first one, which I know all too well, is over scheduling.

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We really can want to give so much value that we pack the day with so much content that there is actually limited time to discuss, to connect, to chat and that's what people are coming for.

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Information is everywhere.

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What's really tricky is implementation time thinking time one thing I did at my last event, which worked really well, is to allow five to ten minutes for people to actually contact somebody that they used to know, just to check in and see how they were by actually creating that space there and then for them to do the task.

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They don't leave with a long to do list, they actually implement and have that time to plan and do things there and then at your event.

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That was probably one of the most talked about things afterwards because then people were getting connections with someone from my event.

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Every time they see that person's name from now on they'll think about that event and the second one is the complete opposite.

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Under scheduling, not providing enough structured content can leave participants feeling like they didn't get value for for their investment.

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I have also attended in person things before where there hasn't been any structure and my time is so precious now.

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I did leave thinking, God, like that's a whole day gone and I didn't leave with anything valuable.

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So I do think some structure is really, really important.

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Whilst obviously allowing people to connect as well.

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It's a delicate balance.

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I will maybe record another episode on actually arranging brilliant in person events because I know this one's a bit more marketing rather than the nitty gritty of how to ensure that people leave your event having an amazing time.

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To strike the right balance with this one, think about the primary purpose of your event.

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There is a brilliant book called the Art of Gathering which really talks about the fact that most people have gatherings or meetings without a really clear purpose in mind, that book would be well worth a read.

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It's called the Art of gathering by Priya Parker.

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Always leave more time than you think for discussions and Q and A.

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You will always overrun.

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In my experience, build in that buffer time for unexpected developments or long lunches or things that will just happen at the time.

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And for longer events, you might want to include more free time for people to really reflect and connect informally.

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The event I went to was really packed out agenda wise, but they did make it really clear that they didn't expect people to be at all the sessions and that sitting, connecting and chatting with others is as valuable as coming to the sessions.

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Okay, we are getting there.

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Mistake number five is inadequate marketing and pre event engagement.

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The final mistake we'll talk about is not putting enough effort into your marketing and pre launched most people I know really underestimate this part, like and they want to think about the day and how exciting it's going to be.

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But to be honest, I would be spending 80% of your time marketing the event and then 20% of your time actually planning for an amazing day.

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Because the marketing and filling your event takes a lot more time than you think.

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So to avoid this mistake, start marketing early.

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As soon as you have your key date confirmed, start gaining interest, gaining discussions, gaining interaction in any way.

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Micro commitments can really, really help.

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If people have, for example, voted on a poll on your event name, they will be far more likely to come to your events.

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Try and take people along with you on your journey to arranging your event.

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Use multiple channels, so don't rely solely on social media.

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Think about other ways of connecting with your ideal clients.

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Create a content strategy.

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Share behind the scenes planning testimonials from previous events if you've run any, and make sure you have all of those things scheduled, because it takes a lot more than you think and planning in advance and scheduling your entire launch in advance will just free up so much headspace.

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I, for example, have all of my social media and all of my emails planned and all scheduled, so I literally can completely forget about my day, other than obviously planning the day and showing up and ensuring everyone has an amazing time.

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Leverage your network again, don't rely on social media.

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Really think about the people you know and ask them to spread the word.

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Engage your participants before the event.

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For example, in my waitlist, I ask three questions, where are they now?

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Where do they want to get to and how do they want to leave the day feeling?

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So you gain that interaction with people before they come to your event.

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And also, again, it's another micro commitment.

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When you've had some conversation with someone, they're more likely to now purchase a ticket for my event.

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It also clearly helps you to arrange the most amazing day and ensure that your language you're using on your sign up page.

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And while you plan your day is exactly what people are wanting when they are coming to your event.

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You can also host a virtual meetup beforehand.

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I went to one for the happy startup festival that I just talked about.

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They did an online thing a week or so before you knew you were going to show up and at least know one person there because they did breakout rooms to ensure that you connected.

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So it's a great idea.

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Early bird pricing to create urgency can really help.

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Mine is a special price for those in the waitlist only and do send regular updates even when people are on your waitlist.

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Especially if there's a long lead in the because people will want to be reminded and keep thinking about your event in order to want to come to it.

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Please don't underestimate the marketing required to fill an event.

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It's not just social media.

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And the longer your event, the longer you will need to market it.

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For example, if it's a three day event, you will probably need to market it for a lot longer than a one day in person event.

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Also, think about whether your audience size is really big enough to manage to fill an event.

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Like, I've finally got the confidence for the one day ones, but if I was arranging a three day one, I would be super nervous because it's a big commitment for people and I do have now a big email list and a big LinkedIn following and I've obviously got a podcast as well.

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Thank you for listening, but I would still be really nervous about a sort of three day or week long in person event because that does take a lot of commitment for people to really, really know you, like you, and trust you enough to give out their precious holiday time to spend it with you.

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I know that last time people were like, we need a retreat.

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But also I also think, really think about the time this takes in your business.

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It's not really something I'm particularly keen on running because I know that I will book a three day event, for example, and then feel overwhelmed about the time that it's going to take me away from my day to day business stuff.

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Think about your priorities.

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You can't do everything.

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I know it's exciting, but really, really think about these things in advance.

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So there you have it.

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The five crucial mistakes to avoid when planning and running in person events.

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First we talked about not allowing enough planning time, then failing to gauge interest before committing.

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Next up was taking on too much financial risk.

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Then we talked about poor itinerary planning and finally inadequate marketing and pre event engagement.

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I hope it was super helpful, especially if you are thinking about this right now and every element is a learning experience.

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Just know that you will do it and you will learn.

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That's how I've learned these lessons from throwing my first event with two and a half weeks notice and then scrambling around frantically panicking that no one was coming.

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I have learned all of these mistakes from genuine real life practice.

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So go easy on yourself if you've made any of these mistakes, or if you're in the process of making these mistakes and you've booked an event and now you're thinking, oh, what if nobody comes?

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So I see you.

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I feel you.

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You will either win or you will learn.

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Until next time, trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seeds.

Jo Lot: 00:21:22

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Women in the coaching arena.

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I have a mass of free resources on my website, joannalottcoaching.com.

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that's Joanna with an a and lot with two t's, joannalotcoaching.com and I'll also put links in the show notes below.

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Let me know if you found this episode useful, share it with a friend and leave me a review and I will personally thank you for that.

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Remember to trust yourself, believe in yourself and be the wise gardener who keeps on watering the seed.

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Get into the arena, dare greatly, and try.