Thursday

5 tips for organising blogger events

Back in August, I tweeted my plan to have a bloggers' Halloween party. I meant a small get-together in my house for some of my blogging friends, but things spiralled out of control and I was soon organising a full-scale party. Let me tell you, it was the most stressful thing I have ever done and I honestly don't think I'd do it again. However, this is just my opinion and I know there will still be people out there desperate to organise an event. So, from my own experience, here's some advice that I wish I had first.

Gather interest
First of all, how many people are actually going to be interested? Be very careful here: Interest does not mean they will actually turn up! I had so many people saying they'd come, even after I released the date, venue and cost, but then, when tickets actually went on sale, hardly any of those people actually bought one. What happened was I ended up booking a venue that was far too big for the number of people at the event. If I'd prepared, I could have booked a smaller, cheaper venue that would have been better for everyone. As a rule of thumb, plan for half the people who say they will attend.


Mind your finances
If you're planning a structured event with a venue, food and whatnot, be prepared to foot almost everything yourself. Again, I let the proposed interest fool me and ended up buying far too much stuff which was not subsidised by the number of tickets I sold. I don't even want to tell you how much of my own money I spent. It was a lot! Be prepared for this- Have you got enough money to foot the entire bill if needed? If not, it's probably best to look at other, cheaper options.

Goodie bags
Oh, the goodie bags. They're pretty much expected at events these days and there is a lot of pressure to provide them. Let me tell you right now: It is difficult to get brands on board. I contacted so many brands but only heard back from maybe two or three.In the end, I couldn't find any suitable brands to work with for goodie bags and had to make up my own little ones. If you can't afford to do that, perhaps make it clear that goodie bags will not be provided. Of course, this isn't something you have to do, as it shouldn't be assumed that there will be free stuff, but it might alleviate some stress if you do. 

Working with brands
As I mentioned above, it's really difficult to find brands to work with. I found that emailing PRs I've previously worked with was the best approach: I was offered a great prize and another PR enquired with the marketing team on my behalf. You can also try small, local or up-and-coming brands but they can sometimes be unreliable, so be wary of that. 

Formal or informal?
If this is your first time organising an event, go informal! Seriously, I mean it. It's easier, cheaper and a hell of a lot less stressful! Just plan a gathering of bloggers at the beach, shopping centre, theme park or whatever. That way, you don't need to worry about venue or food costs and it doesn't matter if only three people turn up!

If you are planning a formal event, consider ticketing arrangements. The easiest way to do this is online ticketing with a site such as Event Gate. Event Gate allows people to pay for their tickets, meaning you don't need to worry about people giving you money directly, and then provides them with a ticket. It's one less thing to worry about. 


My ultimate advice would be to start small. Arrange an informal shopping trip, then perhaps some sort of sleepover, leading up to a full-scale do if that's what you eventually want to organise. Don't let it take over your life, be prepared for all eventualities and, crucially, have fun! Good luck! 

7 comments :

  1. Hi Becky, this is a great post, thanks for writing it. I'm actually based in Hampshire myself and a meet-up would be something I'd like to attend. After reading this I'm not sure I'd want to organise one by myself! But if you ever plan on doing another one, let me know and I'll happily help. I work in marketing by day so have done a lot of events before, so I know how stressful they can be.

    Hope you have a great 2014, loving the blog!

    Victoria, x shabby-chic-home.com

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  2. I have loved both meet ups that I have been too and would love to organise one myself one day :)

    XXX

    LORALOVES..

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  3. This is great :) i've never been to a meet up so would love to find one or organise one to go to! x

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  4. This is great. Last year I wanted to organise a bloggers picnic but freaked out and never. Definitely going to happen this year!
    Hayley
    Water Painted Dreams xxx

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  5. Lovely. Surprising photos. Helena Polansky

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  6. hey there! new reader and follower here! excellent post, i would love to one day get to meet some fellow uk bloggers....thought i dont think there's many in the south west of england here!
    great to finally come across another british lass flying the uk flag in the blogasphere!
    xx

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  7. This is a great post Becky - I completely agree with starting small. I was talking to Lily (from Lily Doughball) and SJ (from ShipShape and Bristol Fashion) and we're hoping to try and organise some kind of small meet up at Glastonbury Festival. I think it'll be very informal though! :-) x

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