"Build It and They Will Come"?

By Brenda Mahoney
National Director of Education
  

"Build it and they will come."  How many times has this been the philosophy for Progress events?  The key to hosting a successful event is not just in the planning but in the promoting of it as well.  Too many clubs spend the majority of their time planning the details of an event and not enough time promoting it.  As a result, they miss out on the full potential of the event’s fundraising ability.

It is important to remember that as Progressians we are not event planners; we are fundraisers.  Our key role is to raise money for charity. With this in mind, most of our efforts should be focused on promoting the event.  Why?  Because planning can be likened to expenses whereas promoting would be likened to revenue.  Revenue needs to far out weigh expenses to raise money.

How does one make the shift from planning to promoting?  Start early!  It takes six to twelve months to plan and promote a successful event.  Book the venue and entertainment and choose the theme or concept right away.  You can then focus your efforts on raising funds.  Set specific goals around sponsorship, donations, ticket sales, auction revenues and media partners.  Once the goals are set, create an action plan to support those goals.

Does this really work?  You be the judge.  Calgary City Centre has hosted an event called Girls Night Out for the past six years using the philosophy “Build it and they will come.”  Was it successful?  Yes.  Could it be more successful?  Definitely!  Last year they did what they had always done and started planning the event about ten to twelve weeks out.  The results: 225 attendees and $14,000 net profit.  This year they decided to do things differently.  They started planning and promoting the event six months out.  They set specific goals around sponsorship, donations, ticket sales, auction revenues and media partners and created an action plan to support those goals.  The results: It sold out at 400 as of February 29!  Title Sponsorship was sold for $3500.  Global TV is the media partner.  Eight live auction items were secured by February 20.  Silent auction items are rolling in.  Projected net profit $25,000.  Girls Night Out is April 30.