The following tips will help you plan a successful, cost-effective event for your pet care facility:

Develop clear goals for the event. Are you looking to generate goodwill or will your event be driven by a strategic objective? Before planning the details of the event, establish specific, quantifiable goals that can later be reviewed and analysed after the event. These goals will also be useful as benchmarks for future special event marketing efforts. You must know what you want to accomplish. However, the desired outcome of event marketing should be no different from that of any other marketing effort. You most likely will want to draw attention to your product or service, create greater awareness, and increase sales.

Specifically and accurately define your target market. Will the event be intended for your entire customer base or just a specific segment of your customers? How will your business partners, investors, and employees participate? Make sure you have clear answers to these questions as doing so, will enable you to better prepare for the special event.

Delegate an individual on your team to serve as the in-house event coordinator for the event. Assign a team member to serve as the primary contact for the event. This person will ultimately be responsible for overseeing all details and ensuring the success of the event. Although you could select an outside event management company, by utilizing existing staff to plan the event you will most likely generate more interest and excitement internally and offer some diversity to your staff's normal role within the facility.

Determine the type of special event that you will host. The type of event that you will host will depend on your overall objectives of the event. The following are types of special events:

Grand Openings - A Grand Opening Celebration is a great way to create excitement and interest in your new business. Every aspect of a grand opening event must communicate, "We're open! We're ready to take care of your pets! We're better than, we're different from, and more eager to serve you than our competition. We want to get to know you and do business with you." A grand opening is one of the best reasons to plan and host a special event. In order for your grand opening event to be a success, you will have to create an attention-grabbing invitation, do a lot of publicizing, provide quality refreshments and entertainment, and select giveaways that best promote your business (and will draw people to the facility).

Holidays and Seasons - Another way to create a special event in your facility could be to focus on a holiday or particular season. For example, some facilities offer pet photos with the Easter Bunny or Santa. In the summer months, you could host a client appreciation event with a Luau theme. In addition, in your retail area, you could make up baskets with pet-related gifts that represent a particular holiday or time of year.

Co-Sponsored Events - Your pet care facility could co-host an event with a complementary business or you could take part in an established charity or public cause. In addition, local festivals and fairs have proven to be popular event choices that, by their very nature, draw consumer traffic. However, not every existing event is right for every business. You have to ensure that the event you select is aligned with your business goals, objectives, image, and target market. When participating in co-sponsored events, make sure to promote your involvement with press releases, a sign in your facility's window, and an ad and/or mention in the event's program or promotional materials.

Anniversary Celebrations - Staying in business for a number of years, especially in this challenging business environment, is noteworthy. Plan an Anniversary Celebration to recognize your commitment to your business and the community. This party can be held in your facility. Plan to invite current, past, and prospective customers to celebrate and enjoy your anniversary. Have promotional items created to give to attendees with your logo and possibly the anniversary year printed on them.

Request involvement or sponsorships from your business partners. Reach out to the businesses and suppliers that you do business with to encourage their support of your special event. They could donate gifts and/or door prizes. Some may even be willing to serve as a Special Event Sponsor. In turn, you can let them know that their business will be recognized in all promotional efforts. Even if they decide not to support this particular event, they are sure to recognize your commitment to your pet care facility's success and aggressive marketing efforts.

Use media relations to promote your event. Determine what makes your event newsworthy. To communicate with the press, it is best to use a media alert or press release. A media alert is used to announce the event and provide specifics, including when and where it will be held, what will happen and who is involved. A press release carries news and it should include facts and quotes from key individuals. The purpose of your PR efforts should be to acquire pre-event publicity, coverage of the event, and post-event stories. The key to winning coverage is to send your information numerous times to the same media outlets over a period of a month or more. Then, follow up with each contact by phone to "pitch" your event. After the event, follow up with reporters who attended and send thank-you notes to those who ran stories on your event. Although certain media outlets may have been unable to attend the facility's event, they may be interested in running a post-event story. Be prepared with great photos and a summary wrap-up to distribute to select press. Your persistent attention to detail and follow-up will help ensure comprehensive coverage of your event and facility.

Keep detailed event records. Make sure to track all activity related to the event planning, all direct and indirect costs, and each form of exposure. In addition, you will want to know who attended the event. Incorporate some way of tracking who attended your event. This can be done with contest entry forms, coupons, free newsletter subscriptions, pet birthday club sign-ups, etc. Furthermore, you will want to maintain records of any local publicity that your facility receives as a result of the event.

Develop a follow-up plan before the event. You are sure to develop leads from your event. However, you do not want to wait until after the event to determine what to do with the leads. Determine your follow-up steps during the initial event planning stages. This will immediately enable you to contact the leads and convert them into new customers. Make sure to track your leads and how effective you were in converting those leads into sales. This will be the true test of how successful your event was.

For a small business with limited staff and budgets, the idea of hosting special events may seem overwhelming and expensive. In reality, they are one of the most cost-effective ways to give your overall sales and marketing efforts a major boost. Start planning your next special event today!

Source: The Marketing Brief Pet Services Journal July / August 2008