Plan Events & Pocket Profits By Tonia Cook Kimbrough

Would you like a piece of the North American $102 billion events/meeting planning industry? Heres how to tap this growing market from concept to curtain call.

When Community Home Services called Terry Derstine, owner of Executive Promotions & Marketing LLC (asi/190833), to help with a marketing plan for its 10th anniversary, the organizations rather conservative Board of Directors had no idea theyd receive a sweeping, events-driven proposal. Neither did Derstine, initially. Though he was certainly experienced in designing programs and providing marketing consultation, he wouldnt have described himself as an events planner. Yet thats essentially what he became as the CHS project evolved into a yearlong celebration culminating in a community event.

After first meeting with CHS executives, Derstine returned to his offices with his sales/marketing manager, both brimming with ideas. The excitement surrounding the nonprofits milestone and its mission to aid the elderly via at-home services sparked a proposal that significantly exceeded the Boards $20,000 budget. The plan revolved around a brand-awareness campaign and celebration that required Derstine to become a one-stop shop for everything from promotional products to brochures to radio/print advertising to event management. Not your typical industry sale.

Luckily, Derstine had almost a year to execute the program, if the Board approved. It did, increasing the original budget to allow for the comprehensive institutional campaign. Working backwards from the April 21, 2005 event date to September 2004, Derstine devised a timeline that walked him and his staff through every detail of event planning: location, ticketing, food, entertainment, photographers, publicity. Each month, Derstine reviewed the to-do list and checked off actions.

The occasion came off without a hitch, achieving its main goal: driving awareness of CHS within the community. Over 500 people attended the celebration and enough funds were raised to cover the cost of the event/campaign and even allow a portion of the proceeds to be soaked back into elderly services.

Derstine won too, profiting not only from the imprinted products tied to the event, but also in consulting fees for his expert guidance. \"It was our first time to get paid for our ideas,\" he says. After experiencing such success, he has already begun working on events for other organizations.

Apparently, events are a draw for many promotional products salespeople. In 2003, 40% of distributors responding to Counselors State of the Industry survey said events were the most popular reason for product purchases. The statistic isnt surprising if you consider the range of events in the marketplace grand openings, sales conferences, fundraisers, golf tournaments and trade shows, to name just a few examples. Then theres the volume associated with providing product to the usually sizeable audience leading up to an event, during and sometimes after the event is over. There are invitations, welcome gifts, paper goods, awards, apparel, banners the list goes on and on.

Suzette Bergeron, owner of Fun Management Group Inc. (asi/199758), is a former event planner turned promotional products distributor. \"There are just so many different add-ons that you can sell,\" she says. \"The overall sale is much higher than the average. Where a typical order might be $600-$700, my events orders are, on average, worth $1,000-$5,000.\"

The advantage you have as a promotional products salesperson is the scope of materials and overall vision that you can provide. \"Event planners know that ordering supplies from one vendor not only saves time, but it also ensures that the event has a cohesive look and feel,\" Bergeron continues. \"The difference between a mediocre event and a great event is in the hundreds of details. Event planning is often one of many hats that an individual may wear. The distributor becomes an important part of the event team, and where there is a need, there is an opportunity.\"

Big-Budget Business

Even better, there are increasing dollar signs. \"Corporate budgets for events are pretty healthy now,\" says Kelly Schulz, director of communications for Meeting Professionals International (MPI). She cites the FutureWatch 2005 study from MPI and American Express as evidence. For the second consecutive year, the $102 billion global meetings industry is increasing in key economic indicators including spending, international travel, employment and training budgets, all of which underscore overall fiscal health. Schulz breaks down specifics: \"Corporate meeting planners report average budgets of $7.1 million [for 2005] vs. last years $5.3 million; independent planner budgets climbed to $11.8 million over $6.1 million; and association planner budgets rose to $4.8 million from $1.4 million.\"

The optimistic funding stems partly from marketing executives growing confidence in events as a brand-building tool that delivers results. In fact, according to the MPI/George P. Johnson Survey of Global Event Trends, 91% of marketers perceive the importance of events to be increasing, and 37% believe events yield the greatest return on investment (ROI), as compared to other promotional disciplines.

Prove Value

If youre quick on the uptake, you realize that positioning the imprinted products you sell as a key way to bolster brand awareness, while providing measurable evidence of an events ROI, would be well advised. \"Planners today need to work at a more strategic level because meetings really can have an impact on an organizations business objectives,\" Schulz says. \"When distributors work with clients, they need to partner and focus on ways to reinforce the brand or achieve the objectives. How does everything that happens at the meeting tie into the number-one goal? Can they prove ROI?\"

The type of goals can vary by organization or type of meeting. A common objective in todays marketplace is increased sales. This often drives the event-oriented programs that clients seek from Carlson Marketing Group (asi/157786). For example, an incentive sales campaign culminating in a trip-oriented event is a common request. Other event goals might be to educate an audience, increase brand recognition, boost employee morale or draw media attention. Whichever objective a client desires, Carlson has the structure to measure and prove its delivery. \"Were very strong on the whole measurement component,\" says Kari Vrba, director of business development and planning. The process begins by focusing the client on specific measures: What behaviors do they want to change? What percentage of sales increases is desired? How much savings need to be realized? Through interactive Web sites, database programs and follow-up surveys, each program is monitored and progress is reported.

Zero In

OK. Now all this sounds intriguing, but who exactly do you target? Good question and theres no single, pat answer. \"It varies by organization. Some people may work in the marketing department with event-planning responsibilities; other companies may have dedicated meetings and events divisions,\" Schulz says. Among MPIs 19,000 members, approximately half are professional event planners, working for companies, universities, associations and government organizations. A growing contingent is independent planners.

Marsha Londe, vice president at Summit Marketing/Atlanta (asi/339129), typically finds her point of contact within the marketing department, though not always. \"At the former Dun & Bradstreet, we worked with meeting planners. They specifically planned all the companys meetings and sales events and rallies and training sessions. Wed sit together and plan the gifts to coordinate with the theme, location, etc., specific to the type of recipient,\" she says.

A simple approach to locating meeting planners within your accounts is to simply ask your promotional product-buying contact who is responsible within his or her firm. You can also purchase mailing labels of event planners from MPI to promote your services via direct mail.

Oftentimes, its easiest to zero in on key promotional product markets you already know. If, for example, you have many healthcare accounts, you might research medical conferences. Conveniently, some of the top markets for distributors are actually hotbeds of meeting and events planning activities. The financial, automotive, pharmaceutical and technology sectors, for instance, each depend on conferences and events to rally their sales forces.

Jump on Opportunities

Bergeron recognized opportunity among her hotel clientele. The general managers with whom she worked were often sourcing promotions to bring meeting planners to their facilities. \"Hotels are a really good way to get leads, because they work so intimately with meeting planners for both large and small events. Im implementing a referral incentive that gives hotels extra gift baskets with their order of a certain size. They can use the extras to treat the planners of their choice.\" This, in turn, serves as an implicit recommendation and referral to Bergeron.

Aside from working the hotel angle, she has created a \"total gift service program\" called the Corporate Fun Package to appeal to meeting planners. She describes her concept as an alternative to typical merchandising for events, patterning it after the celebrity gifts that are so popular at televised awards ceremonies. \"Our gift packages come in the form of baskets and goodie bags and often include promotional products (event T-shirts, water bottles, event supplies, etc.), paired with the latest and greatest in un-imprinted office gadgets, trendy gifts, stress relievers, business books, etc. By collaborating with the event organizers, we identify the theme, attendee demographics, sponsors, goals and objectives of the event. We then make recommendations that fit with their budgets,\" Bergeron explains. The result is an event treat with high-perceived value: \"Theyre like the $2,000 goodie bags that the celebrities receive at the Oscars, only priced to fit a reasonable budget.\"

A recent example draws inspiration from a meetings location. \"We are currently working on a project with a group of 350 attorneys who are coming to Maine for a conference. The event planner was going with a Maine theme for the event,\" Bergeron explains. Her team designed a gift collection of Made-In-Maine products, including imprinted fishing lures; Poland Springs water bottles; native dried berries and nuts; and Moose Smooch Lip Balm, as well as area maps and visitors guides. All are being assembled into a folding fabric cube, decorated with the association and sponsor logos.

The Corporate Fun Package then opens the door for Bergeron to sell other services and products for events. \"Supplies are a large part of the event organization and execution, not to mention the budget,\" she notes. \"As a former event planner, I understand that you need to be detail-oriented and as efficient as possible.\" Armed with that knowledge, she appeals to event planners desire for one-stop shopping. \"Being able to purchase all of these supplies from one vendor means less hassle, less time and less money for the event planner,\" she says.

Be the Early Bird

The trick, however, is timing. \"We try to get involved as early as possible. Typically, event planners begin making decisions six to eight months before the event,\" Bergeron says. She gets on the inside track through her membership in the Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau, which sends out an automated listing of conferences and events as theyre scheduled. With that information in hand, she approaches the associations and companies with docketed meetings.

She uses an organized approach, structuring her presentation and ideas in a timetable that works from the date of the event backwards. \"This is how the typical event planner approaches a meeting,\" she notes, warning that you must convey confidence and a demeanor that leaves nothing to chance. \"Dont ever send event planners into a panic with loose ends or last-minute problems. Always try to troubleshoot without involving them, unless the problem is major,\" Bergeron says.

Another way to gain recognition as an events expert is to volunteer planning services or products for special fundraisers. When Marc Resnik, owner of ThrowThings.com LLC (asi/344502), learned of the Hillbilly Days Festival, with its Cow Chip and Skillet Throwing contests, he knew hed found the perfect thing to \"pitch\" his firms support behind. That included donations of promotional T-shirts, sports bottles and mugs, as well as his companys savvy marketing expertise. The outcome: In addition to raising funds for a good cause (proceeds from the Lebanon, Missouri festival benefit the American Cancer Society) the event generated a significant amount of exposure for Resnik.

\"This was a four-day festival. On the day of our events alone, over 8,000 people attended,\" he says. \"Our company name was right out there on signage, in brochures, in announcements and on products that we provided. Of broader impact has been the interest in our company generated by the number of articles mentioning our sponsorship and the press release, which was distributed nationally. Although the festival has ended, interest in our involvement (and company) continues.\" Will Resnik sign on again? Absolutely, only next year he intends to get involved with the festivals planners even earlier. \"Were hoping to talk them into replacing the kids Lollipop Lick Off contest next year with an event where kids can toss their cookies,\" he jokes.

Michael Emoff, president of Shumsky Incorporated (asi/326300), knows the influential power of early involvement. When NCR, a major player in CRM (customer-retention management) and transaction technologies, began preparing for an event to train sales consultants, it invited Shumsky to brainstorm with its planning team. \"We actually provided the concept that was accepted by the client and formulated the entire theme of the conference,\" Emoff recalls. \"It included a safari theme and was based around a passport that users would get stamped by various business units each time they educated a recipient. The San Diego Zoo was contracted to bring some animals to the event, which supported the passport theme,\" he says.

\"Each product line was related to a specific animal trading card to help train the sales consultant. For example a high-speed piece of equipment may be designated by a cheetah on a trading card with specifications of the product. We created the entire theme and all of the products used.\" (See sidebar, p. 47, for more specifics.)

How to Plan

In some ways, events-experienced distributors say that planning such occasions isnt any different than other types of promotional campaigns. \"Ask the same questions we should always ask when working with a client,\" Londe advises. \"What do you want to accomplish? Who is the ultimate recipient? How do you want to influence them? What is your goal for this event or product? What is your budget? When do you need the product? How do you want it distributed?\" She then urges additional probing based more specifically on the occasion to gain an understanding of the events theme, its location or the times and places that the host could \"touch\" the target audience with promotional products.

Similarly, Londes early involvement with Kroger Atlanta led to an extensive program surrounding its guerrilla-marketing campaign for the 1996 Olympics. \"I was brought in to create a ground campaign of product to support a blimp that would be flying around Atlanta and over the Olympics. I designed custom uniform shirts for all employees, both management and in the stores, shirts for those who received a ride in the blimp, and custom product for the president to distribute to employees and to the public, among other things. I created a fulfillment locale to bring in the uniform shirts and to distribute to all stores,\" she recalls. The Pyramid award-winning campaign was multifaceted, because Londe was able to not only deliver product, but a comprehensive idea of generating brand awareness. Such involvement wouldnt have been possible if, late in the planning stages, the client simply called requesting a few dozen shirts.

At Carlson, account managers are the main point persons to orchestrate events. They begin by working through a standard questionnaire with the client that collects information about the goals, budget and previous event themes and destinations used. \"We then launch the program internally,\" says Vrba. The completed information form is distributed to Carlsons communication department, merchandising team, Web developers, travel planners anyone that would have a role in executing the campaign leading up to the event or the occasion itself.

\"We take the program from the beginning of conception to completion,\" says Jackie McCusy, strategic marketing planner in Carlsons travel group. That includes \"developing a brand for the event itself.\" Once the concept is chosen, approximately nine months in advance of the event, a communications campaign is launched using the Internet, direct mail and promotional gifts to engage and motivate participants. A month prior to the event, invitations and/or information packets that include airline tickets for travel incentive trips are delivered. In between, Carlsons team handles logistics, from product fulfillment for incentive rewards, to hotel accommodations, site inspections and providing budget updates. \"Everything is very fluid, because we have the advantage of having all the resources under one roof,\" says McCusy.

When the final event is held, the account executive and a representative from Carlsons travel division are typically onsite to ensure smooth execution. Post-event, surveys are sent home to provide yet another measure of the events success.

But you neednt think so big to get involved with events. In fact, Resnik sees potential for even the smallest of gatherings. \"Anytime there is a group of people getting together for a meeting or event, and there are funds available for branded or commemorative items, we certainly look for ways to help our clients. This has resulted in many very nice orders,\" he says.

And, he adds, you never know what might be a stepping stone to larger occasions: \"Its really amazing how many times a small order for a family reunion will later result in a large order for a corporate event.\"

Tonia Cook Kimbrough is a Florida-based freelance writer/editor.

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