Q1: What do you look for when you evaluate the best events?
It is a very responsible task to judge and decide on the best events while not actually attending them, since event success is firstly all about great vibes, evoking feelings and creating memories, which can be achieved mostly through the actual experience.
Nonetheless, the event success can also be objectively measured through various factors, including social media activity/footprint, post-event results (attendance, profitability, opinion surveys, satisfaction/testimonials of event sponsors, supporters, brands…) and by calculating event ROI long term.
While judging the best events in the region it is important to take into consideration objective criteria that can be applied to the annual event harvest throughout the region and to judge applied events in various categories by their distinctive factors and judging criteria set in advance.
When it comes to judging it is also very important to set up higher goals regarding event creativity in the region – events should have the X-factor, setting them apart from similar events in their category, based on target groups, goals and objectives. Looking for a particular aesthetic, out-of-the-box twist, special signature – something that sets the best-ranked events higher from all the others – a memorable and recognizable signature.
Q2: What advice would you give to agencies and brands thinking about what event to put forward for Conventa Best Event Award?
They should think about the creative process, the execution, and the post-event buzz. What sets the events they are proud of apart from the average ones that were also well planned and executed, but without a special twist and impact?
Maya Angelou once said: ‘I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.‘ Think about how the executed events made you and the target groups feel – you can always judge the impact, recognize the factor and so can the judges.
Q3: What tips would you give to agencies and brands putting together case studies for their events?
Imagine your readers, judges most likely did not attend the applied event and they have to be able to feel the vibes through your writing and presentation. Focus on goals, objectives, metrics, and event achievements, but use fruitful narration, visualization and language describing the event characteristics, venue design, creative elements, and storyline. Events are not merely an objective communication tool, their impact and footprint is based on evoking emotions which can be done through properly and engagingly written case study – just like a good book that attracts the reader.
Q4: What kind of results and ROI metrics impress you in a case study, and which ones disappoint?
The most impressive metrics are the ones the event creator did not dare to dream of before an actual event execution – high level of engagement, also within non-primary recognized target groups (especially non-paid social media footprint, created though spontaneously sharable event content), high level of brand interaction with target groups, long term impact of the event in the broader environment – the event becomes the talk of the town or in case of Conventa – talk of the region. Do not forget about the creative metrics – the number of sleepless nights while creating specially designed flower arrangements, custom-made music arrangements, and long hours of creative writing of the event storyline….ROI metrics and results can have various angles and interpretations when it comes to events.
Q5: What is the added value of taking part in the Conventa Best Event Award for event agencies?
Conventa Best Event Awards honors the most memorable and efficient events in the region of New Europe. They are a unique celebration of regional talent, success and achievements that boosts the regional reputation, the expertise of the event creators and the profession itself. Awards are one way for event agencies to help uplift the recognition of events as a relevant, expressive, and most important – efficient communication tool.
By taking part in the initiative, event agencies explore and exceed the limits of creative horizons, push the limits of creativity further and are developing knowledge and quality of event formats in the region.
The awards can help events to be finally recognized not only as a specific communication form but also as a relevant business concept with its own metrics of efficiency.
Learn more about entering your projects for Conventa Best Event Award 2023 at: https://www.crossover.si/best-event-award/.
