Organizing Events on a Zero Budget

1. Organizing Events on a ZERO BUDGET

2. You might think there’s no way to organise an event with a zero budget, but, trust me, I have done it and it is absolutely possible. You will need patience and determination to start your own event planning business, but you certainly will not need to raise capital. Coordinate strictly your project, meet the deadlines you have set for yourself and be persistent.

3. Idea and Concept Once you come up with an event idea, remember to be flexible. Leave yourself some room for modification and development of the idea. Once you finalise the idea, move on to developing the concept of the event. The concept will give you more competitive advantage; it is what will make your event stand out from similar ones. The event concept can include things like design, collaboration and partnerships with companies, technology, location, and others. Nowadays, most event planners aspire to holding eco-friendly events, which includes recycling, focusing on online advertisement and others.

4. Determine the audience SOCIAL ADVOCACY AGE Determining the audience for your event should never be underestimated. Your audience is the key to finding the right sponsors and partners. So, ask yourself these questions: Is my event niche, and will specific types of individuals/businesses show up? Previously, what audience have the event speakers I have in mind attracted? Considering the price of attendance, what groups will attend? If it’s too pricey, maybe students will not be keen to attend. Be prepared to give discounts and set up a promotion period. Also, consider the location and time of the event to estimate who can attend. INTEREST GENDER

5. AGENDA 3 Create the agenda AGENDA 2 Once you have settled your concept and estimated the expected audience, start thinking about the event’s agenda. Do you want to have an all-day event; is it going to be a workshop, stretching across a few weeks? Who are the speakers you can invite? Depending on your answers, you can start looking for the right venue, partners and sponsors. AGENDA 1

6. Find the right venue The venue is extremely important. For an all-day conference, a congress centre will be appropriate; however, you’re having workshops, a place which allows for close collaboration of attendees will be better. In any case, prepare a proposal of partnership for your chosen location. The goal is to find a venue with which you have common interests so that you can negotiate using it for free. Yes, it is possible.

7. Invite speakers for free In order to attract speakers for free to your event, you should have a well-developed event plan that shows passion and inspiration, so that you can offer them a list of irresistible benefits following their attendance. For each speaker these will be different, but a common one is popularisation of their name/brand among a targeted audience, as well as an advertising opportunity. Don’t get melancholic if you someone refuses to participate, rather be prepared to alter your proposal and always have a few other lecturers in mind.

8. Find partners Partnerships are not as hard to get as it may sound. Contact companies such as coffee and water suppliers, so that you provide some drinks at your event. You can also offer design students to expand their portfolio by creating promotional and other materials for the event.

9. Find sponsors Firstly, you need to consider carefully which companies and organisations will be interested in sponsoring  your event  and what are the benefits this sponsorship offers them. Sponsoring companies are interested in the event’s audience and topic when they determine whether or not your event is an appropriate place to promote their brand. Above all, sponsorship is a way of connecting brands.