When I started my business, I joined networking groups to find clients. In 1990, I met Terry Malcolm from Rivtow who became my biggest supporter. His referrals helped me grow my business quickly.
I would also credit this connection to helping me land my first big client, Microsoft from Redmond, Washington. Attending Microsoft’s event led me to gain many clients and succeed.
Why am I sharing this with you? My business has been built on strong relationships that have lasted for over 35 years. As someone who has benefited from networking in the event industry, I would like to share the types of relationships that are essential for creating an extraordinary event experience. Whether you are planning an event yourself or working with an event consultant, these relationships are crucial for success.
Types of relationships
I think that there are 3 main types of relationships you can have in the event industry. Each of them have a different purpose and effect your business in various ways.
1.Client Connections
It is, first and foremost, extremely important for event consultants to have a good working relationship with our current clients.
Only if there is a high-level understanding of the brand, the team and what they stand for can it be possible for us to come up with an innovative event idea that matches the client’s budget and brand goals.
Knowing the team and their strengths and weaknesses are also very important for us to design the critical path that the planning team can follow effectively.
2. Event Network
Seasoned Event Consultants have usually organized thousands of events. This experience comes in handy when trying to decide which suppliers and vendors would be perfect for your event. Most of my supplier and vendor relationships have been built through the networking I did to hire caterers, rental companies or entertainers for specific events, and the connections have lasted ever since.
These relationships have been very useful in helping me get my clients discounted rates or bundle offers on the services they are being provided with. It has also helped provide me with a few options per service, so that there is always a backup in case of an unforeseen problem.
3. Networking events
Attending corporate networking events helped me land clients.
By interacting with attendees, I understood their needs and pitched my services accordingly.
It is also essential to follow up on your conversations with stellar results to maintain the relationships you have built for a long time.
Conclusion
Business relationships can be a very handy tool for Event Consultants when spreading the word about their high-quality services. Here at SBC, we have decades long relationships with industry veterans, many who we now call our friends.
If you would like to have access to top-notch Event Consultant services and our large event network, please click here to get in touch with us.
