Your event is a hit but you think you’ve reached its maximum potential in its current city? You feel that it’s the right time to extend it to another city but you don’t know where to start? Indeed, launching your event in a new city is a real challenge because you will have to find a new audience and seduce it. You will also have to forge new partnerships in a city where your event does not have the same reputation as it does in your own.
The good news is that you have already faced this challenge by launching your event “at home”. So all you need are the right tools and a good strategy to succeed. Here are 5 tips to help you launch your event in a new city.
Contents
- Search and get in touch with event venues
- Look for local sponsors
- Get information on local red tape
- Hire locally
- Adjust your prices
1. Search and get in touch with event venues
The location of your event has a significant impact on the experience you offer to your attendees. Choose a location that will meet your needs – capacity, availability, brightness, sound system – while delighting your audience.
If this is the very first time you are organising an event in a new city, event venues will tend to offer you high prices. Partner with a local who knows the best venues and can therefore negotiate the price for you.
Before entering into an agreement with a venue, make sure that you agree on cancellation terms and conditions, Wi-Fi quality, authorised providers, and availability for set-up. Being specific about the contract will help you avoid surprises later on.
2. Look for local sponsors
When entering a new market, partner with locally or nationally known players to increase your credibility with potential attendees. Local sponsors are particularly suitable for this, especially if they have been recognised for several years in your industry. They will attract potential participants who would probably not have noticed your event if it was not sponsored by this or that local player.
If you already have sponsors in your current city, consider their presence in the target city and/or their ability to expand there.
3. Get information on local red tape
Cities, depending on their geographical, political, historical or cultural context, do not all have the same regulations. Find out about the feasibility of your event and the authorisations required before entering into an agreement with a venue.
Depending on the specificities of the city, you may have to adapt your event: opening and closing times, security of the venue, maximum number of participants, etc.
4. Hire locally
Chances are you don’t have the budget – or the staff – to put together a team dedicated to your event in a new city. So how do you make sure you have a reliable and trained team to manage production and logistics on site? One of the best solutions is to turn to independent service providers.
Whether they have already worked on your own events, or on similar events in the target city, they are already trained to provide a service that meets your expectations. You’ll spend less time talking to them and worrying about logistics. You will be able to concentrate on communicating about your event.
5. Adjust your prices
Setting the price of your event in a new city can be tricky. Over time, you may have been able to find the right price for your event “at home”, but finding the balance between an affordable and profitable price for a new city is not so easy. However, a few questions can guide you in finding the right price for your event, even if there is no quick fix.
Ask yourself the following questions about the target city and start with a good basis for setting the price of your event:
- What is the average income in the city?
- How much is the target audience willing to pay?
- What prices do your competitors set?
- What does the ticket price include?
With these 5 tips, set out to conquer a new city for your event! In order to set up everything that will make your event a success – online ticketing, access control, and cashless payments – find out more about our solutions and their various features by clicking on the button below :
