A few months ago I shared my six tips for hosting a strong event for influencers. Over the years I have been on the PR/organizing side for more events than I can count.
However, this week I was invited to be a guest at a sneak peek blogger event prior to the grand opening of the first Sierra Trading Post (STP) store in Colorado. I was thrilled to sit on the other side of the fence to learn, experience and observe as a guest.
The event was casual, fun and well-planned. I learned quite a bit and look forward to applying best practices to future client events for media, bloggers and influencers.
Takeaways from participating in the STP sneak peek include:
- Send a confirmation email the day prior to the event. But instead of simply checking in to ask if the person can still attend, resend key details such as address, day-of cell phone number for someone onsite, food details and a quick overview of what to expect upon arrival.
- Create a reason for attendees to mingle and make new connections while waiting for the official programming to begin. STP placed photos of different Colorado landscapes in the back of our nametag holders and encouraged us to walk around and find others with the same picture. I tend to be a bit shy at events so it was a fun, simple exercise that pushed me to talk with several bloggers I’d never met right away.
- Don’t take your event too seriously. Hearing from topical experts at events is always a strong option. But last night we got hands-on with outdoor topics through the form of friendly, competitive games. We had to tie different climbing knots, run around the store to collect the “10 Essentials” for outdoor survival and pitch then breakdown a tent. It was a ton of fun.
- Help attendees connect after the event because it’s hard to remember everyone’s name and social media profiles.
One additional takeaway is the fact that the Colorado blogging community is tight knit, growing and incredibly gracious. I am eager to strengthen these connections on behalf of GroundFloor Media and our clients and envision many opportunities for creative collaboration moving forward.
Congratulations and welcome to Colorado, Sierra Trading Post!
When she’s not running media and social media programs for GFM clients, Alexis blogs personally at Lex & Learn about motherhood and is active on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
