by Lina Martinez
Organizing, promoting and hosting a startup event is no small accomplishment. It takes an awful lot of organization and a whole heap of budget and crisis management. However, get the launch party right, and you have got a fantastic way to get your brand name out there, meet new clients, and celebrate the metamorphosis of an idea into an actual product or service. Here, we will look at a few tips to help you throw the perfect launch party for your startup business.
Image credit: Pixabay CC0 License
Know your objectives
Why are you doing this? Why are you holding an event that cost you in valuable time and money? What is the best result you are hoping to get out of this event?
Is it recognition and awareness of your brand or product? D you want to raise funds? Perhaps you are looking to educate others about what you are doing, generate leads or to look for business partners.
The most common reason for startups to host an event or launch party is to raise the profile of their brand. ⠀To achieve this, you need to have the following components to your event: the correct people in the room, the right press and the objective of making every single person in the room an advocate or ambassador for your product, service or brand.
Allocate your budget
Obviously, the sort of event that you host is largely dependent on the budget that you have available. It is a great way of advertising, so make sure you allow for this in your marketing budget. You need to have an idea of how you are going to measure your return on investment. Another superb way of raising a budget for a launch party is to get sponsors on board. Having a high profile partner sponsoring you does not just add a much-needed injection of cash into your event, but also gives your startup a bit of power and authority. After all, if THAT brand are prepared to sponsor you, you must be good, right?
If you do decide to work with a sponsor, you will find that they will want their brand featured in some way, whether it is a mention on the invites or in speeches, on promotional material or even part of the decor, such as red carpets with logos. These will leave a lasting impression.
Invite your crowd
Getting your guest list right is essential. If you are launching a new line in baby bottles, then inviting a football team is probably not going to be the best idea. Look at who your target audience is and think along those lines. You can then build the event around them. If you have a group of city business types, you might want to leave out the club DJ and ice sculptures and maybe swap it out for a casino theme. Know your target audience, know your guest list and build your event around that.
By following some of these tips, you will have the beginnings of a launch party for your startup to remember.