The beauty of events is that there are endless options for creating inspirational, authentic and meaningful connections, writes broker Pam Blair.
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Events have been the backbone of my business for over 10 years. After hosting over 100 successful events, you might think it’s easy to confidently move on to the next event. That doesn’t seem to work.
There are endless opposing opinions in my mind.
- there is no time.
- it takes a lot of energy
- I don’t have money
- What if no one comes?
All of these “what ifs” contain potential truth, but in my experience, events are a powerful way to connect with clients and communities regardless of budget or time, and certainly people get together.
My three pillars for a successful event are simple
- credibility: Every event I create must align with my brand and values. It should be an honest and sincere reflection of me. This allows me to feel comfortable both creating and being in the work. It will attract like-minded people with whom I would like to spend valuable time.
- it’s about them: My events are always aimed at participants. I have to know my audience and who I want to attract. My message is one of gratitude to my clients and community. This event is a symbol of giving back.
- trust: Despite the doubts in my head, I remind myself that it’s not the quantity that matters, but the quality of the participants. We practice knowing that everyone who is supposed to be there will come and everyone who is supposed to be there will not. I want the experience to be perfect.
Events can be time-consuming and expensive, but they don’t have to be. Below are his three examples of events with very different budgets, time, and energy consumption.
zero budget event
The Wellness Series was born in 2011.I just branded myself as yoga bug real estate And I was thinking of ways to tell my yoga students that I’m a real estate agent without ending the class with, “By the way, give me a call when you’re ready to buy or sell.” Namaste. “
I knew a lot of wellness practitioners, so I decided to invite them to my real estate office to give a presentation. My job was to handle all advertising, and I ended up announcing the series in yoga classes, on social media, in my newsletter, and posting a few flyers in yoga studios.
In the end, it was a win-win all around. Participants received valuable information free of charge. Presenters inevitably get business from the event. It gave me a platform to invite yoga peeps to my real estate office, show my appreciation, and ask them for business. More than 10 years later, we still get calls from attendees and presenters about their real estate needs.
“Energy increases, but money doesn’t increase that much” event
My other passion is dogs. portland dog boneanza It started with the idea of taking a dog photographer around the neighborhood for an afternoon. For me, things are rarely this simple.
I was intrigued by the event and started it with Doggy Yoga, followed by “The Party” at a local pet store. We have a pet photographer, a grand raffle showcasing products from local businesses, a dog owner look-alike contest, dog games, and pupuccinos. All proceeds will be donated to local dog shelters that bring in adorable dogs for adoption.
This event requires significantly more energy than the Wellness Series, but is surprisingly inexpensive. I pay a pet photographer and hire a photographer/videographer to capture the magic of the day to use in future advertisements for her Boneanza.
Most promotions are grassroots or online. Almost all items were donated. This annual event has allowed me to meet so many people I wouldn’t have met otherwise. The smiles and cheers that day were irreplaceable.
Go big or go home
In January, I decided to take the plunge and host a watch party to commemorate the broadcast of. my first episode of “American dream.“ This was actually a customer appreciation event, but used a TV show as the focal point.
We held it in a fancy theater. It felt like a huge, luxurious living room where servers were taking drink orders while healthy, delicious food was being served. I was very nervous about filling up the space, but decided to take the plunge and rent the biggest room.
As people filled the room and got comfortable, footage of my clients, friends, their homes, and my film crew was projected onto the big screen along with messages of gratitude. At showtime, I stood in front of a large room and expressed my gratitude to everyone I’ve touched in my life. I helped them understand that it was because of them that I had the opportunity to live the “American Dream.”
We also asked for help with show ideas and real estate business in 2024. It was so moving to witness my clients and dear friends showing up to support me, relaxing, smiling and having fun. I hope everyone who came will also share their stories from that day. If you want to get your dopamine pumping, host a watch party.
The beauty of events is that you can have endless ideas, but be careful not to get paralyzed in your analysis. Keep it simple and doable.As my dear friend and queen of social media katie lance, we often say, “Done is better than perfect.” The truth is, it too will be perfect in the end.
