Best Practices
Why Successful Event Directors Use Internal Segmentation
8 May 2019 | RainFocus | 3 minutes
Steven Covey once claimed, “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.” Is your event team falling into this trap?
Event management is urgent by nature; this is why event teams plan months, even years ahead. As you ebb closer to your event start date ensure that your team is focused on goals that will help you pull off a dynamic event.
The most powerful way to ensure the progress of your event team is to internally segment the tasks to be done and the people to market to.
Internal segmentation during the event planning process includes more than dividing tasks, it requires profound understanding of the people involved with the event. Event directors who successfully practice internal segmentation see the value in relationships formed rather than numbers earned. This type of segmentation is to key to successful event management.
When performing internal segmentation, follow these six steps:
1. Consider what should be accomplished for each of the four key publics of events: attendees, exhibitors, speakers, and sponsors.
2. Determine what each of those publics seek to gain from your event.
What can you do this year to motivate them to come back the next year? How can you add to the relationships you are building?
3. Look back on last year’s event (if you hosted one) and determine what your attendees were most interested in.
Which sessions had the most attendees and how can you segment your attendees, exhibitors, speakers or sponsors in a way that will meet their individual desires?
4. With your team, plan smaller goals that are in line with your overall goal.
Set goals for each of the four key publics and any other segmented publics you have identified.
5. Assess the different skill sets of those on your team.
Assign tasks and goals to your team members according to their strengths. Who from your team would be compatible with certain sponsors, exhibitors or attendees of the event?
6. Trust in your team members’ abilities and enable them to succeed.
Acknowledge small successes as you see them as a form of encouraging your team and give your team members access to the software solutions they will need to reach their assigned public(s).
Interested in internal segmentation but just don’t know where to start? Already have segmentation in place but just need more organization?