No Such Thing as an "Off Season" in the Event Business

Growing up as a sports kid I lived for the off season. It was my favorite time of year to get better and improve to come back in the next season at my absolute strongest and most talented. That doesn't change when it comes to the offseason for your business - especially those of you who are event based!

Here are some tips for how to make the most of your off season:

Take meticulous notes during your event.
Although this may seem challenging, get in the habit of taking as many notes as possible. These notes can look like a series of screenshots and photos, a running Google document that you keep open on your phone, and even voice notes that you upload daily or weekly not a folder on your Google Drive.
Decompress.
This may sound contradictory, but taking time to decompress after your event is very important to stop burnout. Burnout is a very real thing and you need to make sure your creative reserves are able to recharge.
Organize your notes.
Start breaking your notes into different categories. Things that work, things that didn’t work, important people to follow up with, contracts that need tweaking, and story lines that resonated.
Organize 30 minute recap follow-ups.
While big meetings are great, they have a tendency to get off track and take hours. Make sure to meet with first everyone who worked for you whether employee or contractor, for a 30 minute recap of their department. Then set up a 30 minute meeting with your superior to cover the information in an organized manner.
Schedule out time sensitive options for the off season.
Whether this is volunteering at an event for someone that supported your event or even if it’s just knowing to support them on social media, make sure to mark out those time sensitive items. It could be that one of your contractors will be back in the region and offered you passes to that event - take them up on it to support them but to also learn how other events operate.
Did specific stories happen at your event that you want to circle back too? For example, one client of mine had a national network commercial filmed at their event but it won’t be out until two months after the festival. What do you need asset and asset approval wise to promote this and tap into the online energy?
Follow up on event story lines.
People love to see the story side and humanity of large events - let’s find those! Follow up with the couple that got engaged - get their story! How about the friends who meet every year? The family reunion? The camp tournament games? Connect with them, interview them and tell their story in a highlight throughout the year. Aim for one of these per month during the off season!

Off-season doesn’t mean that you aren’t marketing and growing your audience. You can use it to strengthen your weaknesses and to create a stronger strategy for a more efficient and less stressful event! Check out the photos below of one of our clients “off season” social media - pretty amazing for an small-medium sized client! `