9 Ways to Make Your Event Successful in 2023

How to measure event success

Success is subjective. That’s why the key to successful event planning is defining clear goals. Good goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. Your goals should guide you through your planning, execution, and evaluation stages. 

To measure event success, take a look at your metrics. Whether running a virtual or an in-person event, some metrics will be easily accessible and others need to be sourced. Gathering data helps quantify the value of your hard work and makes the incoming congratulations on event success feel that much sweeter. 

Virtual event success metrics

Some examples of metrics that are available to you when planning a virtual event:

• Total registrations. How many people signed up?
• Total attendance. How many people attended?
• Total engagements. How many attendees commented in the virtual chat? How many attendees posted about the event via social media?
• Total revenue. How many attendees purchased goods or services after the event?

In-person event success metrics

Some examples of metrics to source when planning an in-person event:

• Attendee feedback. Get a sense of what your attendees loved and didn’t love. 
• Surveys. Conduct onsite market research. 
• Testimonials. Source anecdotes that highlight the attendee experience. 
• Referrals. Attendees tell their networks about your company as a result of the event. 

9 ways to make your event successful

1. Give yourself time. Planning an event is a creative endeavor! Give yourself an ample timeline to dream it and execute it. Start anywhere from a month to a year in advance, depending on team size and the number of attendees. You’ll need enough lead time to choose an official date with all your key players in mind. 
   
2. Identify your budget. You can’t build an event without a budget–even when you have no budget. It determines what kind of event you can host. When developing an event budget, it’s best practice to give yourself a contingency buffer of 10-20% for unexpected circumstances and expenses. 
   
3. Use a service like Jobble. If you don’t have a trusted crew of volunteers, you’ll need to build the right event crew: reliable, flexible, and willing to work a short-term assignment. It  can time and be challenging to find employees who fit those criteria. Jobble takes care of finding great staff so you can focus on other priorities. 
   
4. Build with the audience in mind. It was a successful event if your attendees enjoyed their experience! Choose your venue, catering, and any fun extras with them in mind. 
   
5. Seek sponsorship. To support your operating expenses, consider finding event sponsors. Identify your ideal sponsors, create a benefits package, and start pitching! Ideally, sponsorship is mutually beneficial–you share the same target audience or similar business goals. Receiving in-kind goods and services is a helpful form of non-fiscal sponsorship. 
   
6. Promote beyond social media. It’s not enough to announce the event on your social media channels–move beyond your immediate audience. Ask your external partners to share with their communities. Send gift baskets to influencers in your industry. Put together a press release and forward it to local news and media outlets. 
   
7. Create a day-of event handout. It’s the big day! Arm your team and vendors with essential information, all in one easy place. Include contact information for point people, a schedule, answers to FAQs, maps, parking directions, and other pertinent details. 
   
8. Send thank you notes. Your attendees should always receive a thank you email after a successful event, whether you hosted virtually or in person. This touch-point is an opportunity to share a call to action, make a sale, or ask for feedback. 
   
9. Set up post-event meetings. Meet with your vendors & team in addition to sending an appreciation message for a successful event. Taking time to celebrate and chat after all is said and done helps deepen relationships. It also provides the opportunity to document how to make an event successful in the future. 

Thanking people for a successful event

Wondering how to thank someone for a successful event? Example/sample “thank you” emails make it easy. We’ve written a sample thank you below to expedite your thanks post-event. 

General thank you for a successful event

Dear (Name),

Thank you for attending (event name)! We’re thrilled you made it and hope you enjoyed (event detail). 

Please help us improve (event types) by taking a brief (survey length) survey. Your feedback is important to us and will support our ongoing effort to offer (event goal). Complete the survey by (date/time) to be entered to win a (prize/incentive).

(Event materials, photos, notes) will be posted (location & time frame). 

(Additional resources)

Mark your calendars for (next event) on (date). Registration information is available on our website (location).

Thank you again for being part of this wonderful (event type) experience. 

(Salutation)

(Name or event team)

Thank you note to the team

On behalf of (company name), thank you team for a successful event!

Going into this event, I (share personal reflections). 

As a team we (major goals accomplishments).

I want to thank these team members for their outstanding contributions:

(team members & highlights).

(Event materials, photos, notes) will be posted (location & time frame).

(Additional resources)

Again, thank you for your support in organizing this event. 

(Salutation)

(Name or event team)

Ultimately, knowing how to make an event successful depends on the event itself. Use your expertise, and lean into support where you need it.

Ready to become a staffing expert?

About the Author: Meghna Jaradi is a freelance writer and events manager with experience working for the Seattle Times, Kitchen Arts & Letters, Book Larder, Peddler Brewing Company, and more. You can contact her on LinkedIn.