Here in the events industry we constantly talk about the importance of live events and how they can make a difference: a difference to the way a company is perceived by its stakeholders; a difference to the way employees engage with the values and culture of the company; and a difference in the number of sales a company can make if they bring their customers to a live event.
The words of the song by Dinah Washington, “♫ What a Diff’Rence a Day Makes”♫ were brought home to me recently when we held a one day meeting in Milan for one of our clients. It was a financial client wanting to advise, educate and network with their customers on investing in emerging markets around the globe.
The day consisted of presentations, small round table discussions with economic experts, a voting quiz and a Q & A lunch, and concluded with a networking cocktail party.
The format was not unusual, but the subject material was well researched and put together. And with a great venue and smooth-running event logistics provided by ourselves, the day was deemed a great success.
Dinah’s song goes on: ♫Twenty-four Little Hours, Brought the Sun and the Flowers, Where there used to be Rain♫. Although the lyrics were almost certainly not written with financial clients in mind, the words resonated with every member of the Image team at the end of that day. The event had been transformative for the company and for their clients, and truly brought the Sun and the Flowers into their emerging markets business.
But to be honest, the live event could have been for any industry and any subject matter. Because what was lovely to witness was the interaction that took place between hosts and clients. Many of the hosts had not met their customers face to face before and the look of delight when the face was connected with the email address, or the name on a list, was wonderful to see. Faces lit up as the chat increased, body language became more open and instantly a connection was made that will build stronger and more profitable relationships well into the future. A day’s live event certainly does make a Diff’Rence.
We know it takes time, effort and resource to pull an event together. Our clients are often faced with many challenges when trying to get an event off the ground, from keeping the business running, to cost, to people’s family commitments.
So, whether it’s colleagues, customers, consumers, or clients please don’t ever undervalue the importance of that human interaction that takes place, almost by magic, at every live event.
Let us help you to experience ‘What a Diff’Rence a Day Makes’. Our FREE venue finding service will match your event with the ideal venue, while our full event management service will help you to Bring the Sun and the Flowers to your guests.
I bet I’ve got you humming along to Dinah’s song already, but if not, pop over to YouTube now, listen to her incomparable voice and be inspired!
