7 Big Top Secrets for Event Planners
The circus comes to town and everyone knows about it, people are suddenly excited, they are keen to go and they tell their friends and family. They go to see the circus and they return happy. The circus was a great success and they cannot wait for the next one to come to town.
Here we look at the secrets from the circus and illustrate how they can be applied for event planners everywhere.
1) Circuses Create Excitement and Awareness
Everyone knows when the circus is coming to town. There are posters in many shop windows and in most cases you cannot walk down the high street without seeing the publicity machine which is in evidence. There will be people handing out flyers and adverts in local papers.
Will your target audience know when your event is taking place? Is your audience excited, have your been spreading the word, have you created the wow factor?
(2) Ring Master Roars
At the circus the Ring Master has a huge loud hailer whipping up support for the acts and creating the atmosphere from the audience. He/she is raising audience expectations as the show progresses. You know what’s coming next and when to expect it. You are left in no doubt that to leave your seat for even a minute would be a bad idea as you are going to miss a treat.
Who is your Ring Master and will they roar? Is your Ring Master the meeting planner? Have they created a passion for the event, or have they arranged for someone else to create the onsite excitement. Is the order of the event known to your audience? You wouldn’t want them to miss the treats that you have to offer.
(3) Crowd pullers
The crowd pullers are special ‘must see’ acts; – Incredible juggling, knife throwing, high wire artists, trapeze acts, lion tamer, elephant tricks, the list can go on but everyone knows there will always be a main attraction.
What is your special attraction? Is your main act a keynote speaker, a key business figure, a celebrity even? Do take care with celebrities – they really need to understand all there is to know about your audience otherwise there can be a disconnection that could be to your detriment. The special attraction could be a product launch, a new company merger or any number of things but make sure you know what it is that you are using to pull in your audience.
(4) Clowns
Clowns are great for the kids and some adults too. They bring the fun element of the circus.
Do you need entertainment to keep your audience entertained? Could a magician, a musician or something similar improve your event or could it detract from what you are seeking to achieve? This will come down to you knowing your audience.
(5) Behind the Scenes Precision
At any circus there will be a whole army of people involved in makeup, costumes, animal welfare, food preparation, car parking, and access to the area. You can see the make up units sitting close to the Big Top where you can imagine all the activity taking place inside.
At your event do you have enough staff/volunteers to take care of all the behind the scenes tasks? Is the area that you are using suitable, is it big enough, and free of clutter? What goes on behind the scenes has a direct impact on the performance on the front line. Make sure it will work for you.
(6) Putting up the Big Top
The Big Top cannot be missed. It can be seen from miles away in some cases but the show is most definitely in town and everyone is aware of it. It has a substantial presence.
Do people know your event is in town? Did you access the local papers/local radio; have you been working with the local businesses to create the most from your time in the community? Or will you just arrive quietly at the venue and leave without any fuss? Without any fuss can work for a number of events where privacy is required or where it is just not appropriate. You will know how far to push this point.
(7) Pulling together
Management of the crew pulling the Big Top up and then taking it down is a task which requires a lot of effort and direction. Each team member has to know how his/her task impacts on the getting the task finished. Even sub contracted crews know exactly what they need to do.
What about your crew? Your crew will be your staff/volunteers and sub contractors and it is essential that they are all know what is required of them and when at any given time. Checking the competency of all the people involved is also an important task especially as you really only have one chance to put your best event on.
Good Luck
There you have it seven simple secrets from the Big Top to help with your event planning. We know the circus will be back in town again next year enjoying more success. With these secrets we hope your event will be as successful as the circus.
