Instead of diving into logistics like catering, the team built the event's landing page first. This counterintuitive approach acts as a forcing function, compelling them to define the event's story, value proposition, and target audience before committing resources to execution and getting lost in the weeds.
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To minimize attendee confusion and anxiety, plan your communication flow by starting with the last email needed and working backwards. This ensures you cover all critical information from an attendee's perspective—like travel, dress code, and schedules—anticipating their needs at each stage of their journey.
Instead of shouldering the full financial and promotional burden of a first-time event, partner with other companies. By splitting costs and co-promoting to a shared target audience, you significantly lower risk and can test the marketing channel more affordably.
The "build it and they will come" mindset is a trap. Founders should treat marketing and brand-building not as a later-stage activity to be "turned on," but as a core muscle to be developed in parallel with the product from day one.
Don't start designing landing pages in Figma. Begin with an unstructured "brain dump" of all copy, ideas, and data in a text document. First, organize this content into sections (Hero, Problem, etc.), then build the visual wireframe. This prevents design constraints from prematurely limiting your content strategy.
Before seeking budget for an event, you must define its strategic purpose. Frame it not as an expense, but as a direct path to achieving core stakeholder objectives like business growth and stronger client relationships. If you can't define the 'why,' don't proceed.
Committing to a major trade show a year in advance created a high-stakes deadline. This financial and reputational risk forced the team to professionalize, develop new products, and create a marketing plan around the event. The event wasn't just a sales channel; it was a catalyst for focused growth.
Launch a premium event with minimal financial risk, even without a large audience. First, set a date and find a location. Then, use DMs to get soft commitments from a few ideal attendees. This validation covers initial costs before you officially book the venue or launch publicly.
Companies over-invest in booth aesthetics and under-invest in preparing their go-to-market teams. True event ROI is driven by setting clear pre-event outreach goals, on-site engagement metrics, and rapid, personalized post-event follow-up, not by the physical booth itself.
The first session of a launch event must provide a tangible "quick win" that unblocks the customer's primary obstacle. For a subscription box course, this means helping them plan their first few boxes. This immediately proves your method's value and makes them eager to learn the subsequent steps available in your paid offer.
