They had the contacts and the research tools, then asked
each other who to talk to once they landed. Here’s how to plan
before an event so you already know.
They Had Every Resource They Needed. They Still Didn’t Know Who to Talk To.
How Do You Build a Real Plan Before an Event?
A real event plan starts before you leave the house, not once you are standing in the room. To plan before an event, do two kinds of research in advance: secondary research (the attendee list, the agenda, who is sponsoring and speaking) and primary research (your own network, and other people who have done this event before). Know who your ideal customer actually is, so you are not guessing once you arrive. Then decide the specific outcomes you want (not vague “connections”), and set up a way to capture what you learn while you are there so none of it gets lost after you leave.
Written by Jonathan Dunnett, Speaker Growth Strategist
Last time, I walked through how to decide whether an event is actually worth your time, using Criteria to vet the room before you commit.
Let’s say you did that and the room checks out: now what? It’s time to build an actual plan.
The Trade Mission That Started Too Late
I know of a group of companies that went on a trade mission together. They had real resources at their disposal, contacts, research tools, the whole apparatus you’d want before walking into a new market. And once they were there, in the room, they were asking each other who they should be talking to.
Not “how do we get a meeting with this specific person.” Just: who’s even worth talking to here. That’s a question that needed an answer before anyone booked a flight, because honestly? It might not have been worth it to get on the plane in the first place. Ouch.
Two Kinds of Research, Done Before You Leave
A real plan starts before you leave the house, with two kinds of research.
- Secondary: the attendee list if you can get it, the agenda, hashtags, who’s sponsoring, who’s speaking, and then using tools like your favourite LLM and Google to do a deep dive on all of it. Of course, it all comes back to the business challenges and goals that you have: who is going to be there, who can help you, what do you need from them?
- Primary: your own network, other speakers or companies who’ve done this show or mission before, a direct message to someone you already know is attending. There are often “secrets” that people hold:
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- Is this show worth it?
- Who should you talk to that you wouldn’t otherwise know?
- Who are the connectors? Who knows everyone?
Underneath both of those sits something even more basic, the thing that trade mission group hadn’t nailed down: do you actually know who your ideal customer is? If you don’t, no amount of research fixes that in the room. Despite the fact that people and companies might be making millions, it might be more dumb luck than actually being targeted.
Stop Aiming for “Connections”
Once you know who matters, decide what you’re actually trying to get. Not “connections”: that doesn’t cut it. What a waste of time.
- An introduction to the CHRO of a dream client that can happen via a friend who is going to be there? Amazing.
- An email before the show introducing you to the event planner for the sales kickoff that is coming up for a large prospect? Great.
That’s the level of planning and operationalizing we want to build: not guessing, knowing.
Build the Plan, Then Adjust It
Plan before an event, then adjust once you’re there. That’s to be expected (type A personalities, I know, it’s tough). Put down in writing what you actually want to do. I’ve got a free guide here to help.
Capture What You Learn While You’re There
As you’re there? You have to capture the info. It depends on where you are. If you’re at a black tie event, you can’t have a clipboard to scrawl notes. It may not be okay to speak into your cell phone, either. Context matters.
That said, you have to have something to help you in the process. You won’t remember everything, and worse, you can start to confuse people, details, and so on. You have to get it written down in some way.
Where This Leaves You
Show up with a plan, not a hope. If you want help building out how you plan before an event, that’s exactly what an Event Strategy Sprint is built for.
I want to make more of my events
If you’ve got an event coming up and you’re not sure what a real plan for it looks like, Event Strategy for Speakers walks through the before, during, and after in more detail. And if you’d rather build that plan with someone else in the room, the Event-Prep Sprint is built for exactly this: a working session before you get on the plane, not a debrief after you’re already home wondering what you missed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should you start planning for an event?
You should plan before an event as early as you can, ideally before you book travel. The research can tell you whether the event is worth the trip at all, and that’s a much better thing to learn before you book a flight than after you land.
What’s the difference between primary and secondary research for an event?
Secondary research is what you can find yourself: the attendee list if you can get it, the agenda, hashtags, sponsors, and speakers. Primary research comes from people: your own network, others who have done the show before, or a direct message to someone you know is attending. People often hold “secrets” you won’t find online, such as whether the show is worth it and who the real connectors are.
What goals should you set for an event besides “making connections”?
Specific outcomes you can act on. For example: an introduction to the CHRO of a dream client through a friend who will be there, or an email before the show introducing you to the event planner for a prospect’s upcoming sales kickoff. The goal is to know what you want instead of guessing or just hoping good things happen.
How do you take notes at an event when you can’t use a notebook or phone?
It depends on the setting. At a black tie event, a clipboard may be out of the question, and speaking into your phone may not be okay either. Decide on some method before you go, because you won’t remember everything, and details and names can start to blur together if you don’t write them down in some way.
What if you don’t know who your ideal customer is?
That’s the thing to fix before the event, because no amount of research fixes it once you’re in the room. Without a clear picture of who you’re there to meet, you’re guessing, and it can be more dumb luck than targeting.