Events are not just for marketing departments

Do you think of events as something fancy that your colleagues in the marketing department organise? Perhaps you’ve caught a glimpse of tablecloths and nibbles as you were working late one night and have been a bit intimidated by the idea of doing something similar. 

There are actually so many benefits of hosting an event, even if you are not in sales or marketing. Events can be a valuable way to unlock new opportunities for your team and diversify your working life as a result. Whether you think it would be useful to network, showcase a new idea, or generate new business, there is bound to be a good reason to organise an event.

Reasons to host an event

Networking opportunities 

There is no better way to make new connections than by filling a room with industry professionals. By hosting a breakfast event for 100 people, you can personally connect with a large number of contacts in a short timeframe – having that many individual coffee meetings would take you months! You could also ask colleagues from other organisations to speak at the event, or host a panel discussion to share ideas with each other. 

Networking events are also the perfect chance to ‘bump into’ someone you admire or would love to work with in the future. You can consider the cost of putting on the event an investment into the new opportunities it could unlock. 

Fundraising

You might think that putting on an event costs money – and you’re not wrong. However, events can also be an amazing way to make money. If you work for a charity, fundraising events are an invaluable tool. By hosting a special event, you can attract potential donors to your campaign and also secure their long term support. 

Fundraising events can range from something as big as a charity auction, to a simple bake sale. Bringing people together is a great way to put your cause in the spotlight. You can spend hours making phone calls, sending emails and writing letters – but having potential donors in the room often gets the greatest results. 

Engage with your local community

Events can be used as a powerful tool to interact with the community around you. You could host an open day for local residents to explain what you do, or a workshop for young people who might be interested in your industry. Community outreach programmes allow you to connect with other local businesses too and could lead to exciting opportunities in the future. You could also land positive exposure for your company by giving your time to people who may not have heard of you before.

Hold a press conference

Making an event out of your press release is a guaranteed way to catch the attention of journalists. A conference, talk or reception can generate media coverage for you next time you have an announcement to make. We’re not just talking about product launches either – perhaps your company has a new director, or is embarking on a major rebrand. You can put together a press pack and invite magazines and newspapers to your launch to get the word out. 

Recruit new team members

Why not hold a recruitment day to meet potential new staff members face to face? It beats sifting through job applications, plus it will help you find people who are a good fit for your company. You could hold a small drinks reception that would allow you to chat to people, with a short presentation on the company too. 

Boost staff morale

One of the best things about events is that they can be fun! Sometimes the main purpose of an event could be to treat your staff and reward them for all their hard work. Perhaps you want to offer an opportunity for workers to learn something new, or maybe meet others from across the organisation. You could invite an inspirational speaker to give a talk and follow it with an informal drinks reception for colleagues to get to know each other better. 

Events are not just for marketing departments – and hopefully you have been inspired to host your own event even if you don’t work in sales. Gathering people together and focusing their attention on an event can have so many benefits. You can use events to gain exposure for your company or simply to meet new people. Hosting an event could be the most innovative thing you’ve ever done for your business.