5 TIPS FOR HOSTING SUCCESSFUL SEMINARS

While holding a seminar is an accessible way to reap the benefits of in-person marketing and authority building, not all seminars are created equal.

Use the following tips to ensure your event runs smoothly and delivers the best experience for your attendees as possible — after all, a dissatisfied customer is worse than no customer at all.

1. Target the Right People 

No matter how amazing an event is when you plan it, it won’t matter unless the right people attend. 

To attract the right people, build an audience persona (a hypothetical person who would be interested in your event) and make a list of their demographic traits, such as:

• Age
• Interests
• Occupation
• Education level
• Geographic location

Is your target attendee a young millennial who is interested in managing their money better? A marketing professional looking to learn the latest industry trends? Or perhaps they’re a retiree who wants to learn about gardening techniques?

When deciding on a target audience for your event, keep your goals in mind and be sure your chosen audience persona reflects decision-makers who are most likely to become customers down the line.

Once you have the target audience figured out, you’ll be able to design your seminar accordingly. 

Make sure your marketing, content, and setting are aligned with what your target audience will expect and value.

2. Focus on One Topic

Though it can be tempting to cover everything you’re an expert on in one sitting, resist that urge. Successful seminars are focused, concise, and easy to follow. Hosting a Seminar is good for business as it let know about your products and services.

After all, a seminar is not a conference. 

While conferences are large gatherings with an extended agenda for meetings, workshops, and presentations, a seminar is usually a presentation on one topic by an expert (or series of experts). Since seminars are more limited in time, they should be limited in scope, as well.

Choose one topic to explore, do it well, and your audience will be satisfied.

Also, it’s a good idea to settle on a topic that may be less well-known by the general public. 

If you cover a subject in your field that isn’t already overdone, it’s easier to position your business as a credible authority that has something unique and of value to offer its audience.

3. Choose the Right Location and Venue

Hosting a Seminar is good for business because seminars range in size from a few people to a few hundred, take the number of attendees into account when choosing a venue, as well as the type of seminar you’re hosting.

Do you need a conference room at a local convention center, or would a reception hall at a country club provide a better atmosphere?

You’d probably choose a different location for an educational presentation than a motivational event. 

For instance, you may want to add team-building or other fun activities, like a group cooking class following a presentation on nutrition. In the latter case, you’d need to find a location with the proper kitchen equipment.

If you’re intending to hold an academic or educational event, perhaps a lecture hall or conference room would be better-suited to your needs.

In any case, you want to make sure the venue has all the necessary equipment, from an Internet connection to projectors, a whiteboard, or whatever else your presenter requires for a successful experience.

4. Identify Speakers Early 

Don’t wait to lock down your most important draw: your featured speaker(s). Whether they are celebrities or experts on the topic at hand, be sure to do your research and find the right presenters for your event.

The earlier you book your speakers, the earlier you can begin getting the word out — which gives potential audience members the time to make plans to attend. 

Check these resources to find the perfect speaker for your seminar:

• LinkedIn — The professional networking site has plenty of individuals who may be willing to speak at your seminar. Look through contacts in your network to review profiles and read through their posted content to find speakers for your next event.
• National Speakers Association — Check the National Speakers Association’s public directory for registered public speakers specializing in the topic of your seminar. This group even has local chapters, so it may even be easy to find a speaker in your area.
• Professional organizations — Regardless of the topic your event is covering, there is likely an organization of niche professionals in your area that contains experts in that field who would be willing to take on a speaking engagement.
• Your local university — Professors can be excellent resources when you’re looking for an expert on your subject matter. Moreover, giving a lecture in an engaging, educational way is part of their job, which is a definite plus.

Don’t forget to put speaker bios on your website and all promotional materials so that people unfamiliar with the speaker will know what makes that person a must-see.

5. Help With Accommodations

Is your seminar going to attract out-of-town guests? If so, be sure to make a plan to assist them with a place to stay that’s accessible to your venue.

Consider coming to an agreement with a local hotel, so they offer special event rates for attendees. 

Then, publish a map on your website of the accommodations in relation to the event center and any local points of interest (such as restaurants, museums, public transit, and nightlife).

Make sure to consider the traffic to and from the hotel, how long it will take to get to your event venue, and the amenities offered by the hotel. 

If your seminar is geared towards business people, your guests will have particularly high expectations from their accommodations.

A business event will have specific requirements, from conference rooms to other amenities, like free Wi-Fi or even charging ports for mobile devices.