FPRA - Florida Public Relations Association Blog

I am frequently asked how to take a beer budget and produce a champagne event. Sometimes it’s not that easy, but with a little creativity and resourcefulness, you can add pizzazz to your next event with even with the tightest budget. Following are just a few easy ways to enhance your event without spending a dime.

1. Proclamations
Have the day of your event proclaimed something special. Talk with your local elected officials. Ask your Mayor to proclaim a day honoring your initiative and invite her/him to present it at your event. As Vice Chair of FPRA’s 2002 annual conference, I had Governor Bush proclaim the week of the conference “Florida Public Relations Professionals Week.” The Governor was not able to join us at the event, so we put a welcome letter from him with a copy of the proclamation in the conference notebooks distributed to all attendees.

Be sure to provide talking points for the proclamation. Focus on your key message and highlight any significant accomplishments you want noted. Keep the information clear and concise. Don’t expect the elected official or her staff to wade through pages and pages of information about your organization, even if it is online. Remember, they are doing you a favor so make it easy for them.

Once you receive the proclamation, don’t forget to post it on your web site and include it with your marketing materials. Depending on its newsworthiness, you may want to send a media release to your media contacts. And don’t forget to send a thank you note to the official who signed the proclamation!

2. Photos
People love to see pictures of themselves. Even with a bad hair day, they want to see what they looked like at that black tie gala or during that seminar on effective PR. It’s just human nature. Have a volunteer take digital pictures throughout your event, then post them on your website the next day.

During your event, give attendees the web address and tell them when the photos will be available online. You don’t have to be a technical genius to do this. There are plenty of free online photo management and sharing sites that allows you to upload, categorize and caption your photos with just a few basic keystrokes (you can usually upgrade to a paid version if you want more functionality and storage capacity). I have the upgraded version of flickr and love it (thanks to FPRA member Josh Hallett for introducing me).

Take advantage of this extra web traffic your online photos will generate. Include a special message to visitors on the landing page or in the album description. Thank visitors for attending the event and include a brief call to action, such as “Don’t forget to subscribe to our weekly ezine” and include a signup box so they can subscribe right then and there before the click onto the photos.

3. Greeters and Escorts
Ask a couple of your staff, board members or volunteers to serve as greeters at your event. They can help minimize the air of chaos that often surrounds event entrances, particularly at very large events. They can welcome guests as they arrive then steer them toward the registration table, reception hall or other direction in which they need to go. If your event is in an area separate from the entry point, escorts can guide your guests to the specific location. For reserved seating events, escorts can assist guests in finding their seats, thereby ensuring an efficient flow of foot traffic so you don’t have a backup at the door. The Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce does a marvelous job with this. Staff members are strategically stationed throughout the event venue, pointing guests in the right direction and constantly on the lookout for attendees that may need assistance.

4. Black Napkins
Why is it that so many event planners put “black tie” on the invitation but white napkins on the table? White napkins leave obnoxious lint that is hard to get off during an event. Before you seat your next guests, ask the facility if they have black napkins. If not, you may want to consider renting them. The cost is nominal, but your guests will notice (and appreciate) your attention to details.

There are hundreds of ways to add oomph without breaking the bank. The key is to know your audience, focus on their tastes, and then tailor your event to meet their needs. Like you should with any business relationship, focus on what the audience wants, not what the event team wants, and you will exceed their expectations every time.

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Wendy Kurtz, APR, CPRC, is a business development strategist who helps executives, authors and professional speakers grow their business through custom-designed marketing and public relations efforts in conjunction with the creation of information products, signature speeches and event production. She is President of Elizabeth Charles & Associates. For more info, visit www.ElizabethCharles.com.