Three weeks from today, my client, Silverado Brewing Company, begins their biggest week-long celebration of the year: their annual Oktoberfest celebration. (That's our head brewer, Ken Mee, in the pic to the right. Funny hats are a part of our Oktoberfest tradition.) Not only do we feature daily German food specials (all of which go great with our special Oktoberfest lager), but we put on two big special events: a Community Dinner (where we turn the restaurant into a giant beer hall) and a Brewer’s Dinner (where we pair five courses with a different Silverado beer).As the Marketing Guy, I should be SLAMMED, right? I should be CRAZY.
No, I’m not. It’s all good. In fact, the focus of our marketing meeting tomorrow will be to begin discussing the components of a new customer loyalty (locals) program we want to implement soon.
So why am I NOT c-r-a-z-y? Preparation. We began planning Oktoberfest six weeks ago. During that time, we created the various flyers, email blasts, press releases, and Facebook/blog posts that we will use to publicize this event. We also work off of a checklist complete with due-by dates. As a date comes up…boom—the marketing element, already created, is simply implemented. The only outstanding Oktoberfest item at this time is a postcard, and that is due to go to the printer by Monday.
Want more bang for your events? Prepare. Use a checklist. Meet regularly to review goals, timelines, and resolve any issues. Get the word out in as many different ways and formats as possible.
If you do these things, not only will your event be more successful, it will be much less stressful.
Preparation + Fun = Success
