Know, Do, Feel
Ok, so this is my absolute favorite topic… seriously. No exaggeration, this stuff gets me all amped up because it’s at the core of what we live for here at Perfection Events – results. Measurable results to be exact.
You see, meetings and events are often at the forefront of any strategy employed to communicate important messages. Think about it:
- We’re Opening our Doors! = Event
- We’re Closing our Doors! = Event
- We’re Launching New Products! = Event
- We’re Redefining our Brand! = Event
Even on a social/personal level:
- We’re Getting Married! = Event
- We’re Having a Baby! = Event
- We’re Moving! = Event
And the list goes on and on, but what is important to note is that every element of a meeting or event communicates some sort of message – from the venue, to the program content, to the menu. And so, that makes it imperative that the elements of the event are well-thought-out and designed in such a way that they align with the overall message being communicated. While nothing spells failure like conflicting messages, nothing spells success like actually attaining the specific outcomes and results identified.
So, how do we set ourselves up for success? Glad you asked! (this is the part where I get all amped up) We’ve found one simple question easily gets to the core of the messaging and desired outcomes:
What is it that you need guests/participants/attendees to KNOW, DO, and FEEL as a result of this meeting or event?
Take a moment… let that sink in.
In other words, when this is all over, if they KNOW ___________, and FEEL _____________, and DO _______________, we’ve accomplished our goal. Once those blanks are filled in, it’s just a matter of deciding how each logistical element will assist in your accomplishment of those objectives. To throw an example at this (on a very small scale, to keep it simple of course), we designed two networking events for our friends at the United Way, Women’s Initiative earlier this year. Here’s a synopsis of our strategy, and how it translated to measurable results
1. We asked: What should guests Know, Do, Feel at the end of the evening? The response: They should Know about the Women’s Initiative mission and work, Do pledge their continued support, Feel that the session was both valuable for their business in making new connections and feel good about supporting a worthy cause.
2. We designed the logistics around the response: Held a cocktail hour with passed hors d’ Oeuvres (helpful in making connections due to the flow), had each Women’s Initiative Leadership Committee member agree to attend and bring a guest (we themed this “Each One, Reach One”) so that there would be a good mix of women to connect with, opened the online registration to allow attendees to view who else would be attending (to incite interest in the “mix” of women coming to the event), at a certain time in the evening we made a short presentation about the cause and gave attendees options for becoming involved.
3. The Result: The event garnered so much interest that registrations sold out a week in advance. We had an additional waiting list, and we are still being asked when we will host the next networking event because it was so valuable! The women that attended now understand the Women’s Initiative mission, some have become ongoing financial supporters, and others have come aboard to be involved in volunteering and mentoring. How’s that for achieving goals?
So, that’s just a taste of how a simple question can help in the attainment of objectives. It’s not the be-all/end-all (if it were, we’d hardly be in business!), but it’s a mighty fine start that’s guaranteed to get you much further and deeper than the typical “So…. Where do you think we should have this little shindig?”
