10 Best Tips For Hosting Post-Covid Events in 2022

After almost two years of virtual events, we’re ready to see people in-person again – how about you? Enterprises and global brands are gearing up to hold events and conferences, and since it’s definitely been a while since you’ve researched, planned and executed a physical event, we’ve put together a refresher crash course.

Read on for our 10 steps for successfully conducting a post-Covid event, regardless of size and type. And then, keep reading to explore a few fantastic event swag options we’ve curated to help you make the best of your event!

10 Simple Steps to an Unforgettable Event

The Planning Stage

The planning stage includes defining your purpose, doing the required research and deciding variables such as budgets and deadlines (including the date of your event). It’s imperative that your planning is top-notch; any product is only as good as its foundation.

1. Define Purpose

The first and foremost definition to make is the intention of your event. What message are you trying to convey? Is it a marketing event or a product announcement? After you’ve answered basic questions like these, you can figure out how to structure the event so that it resonates with your intended audience.

2. Think Experiential

It’s easy to think of your event as ‘just another corporate event.’ Instead, consider it as an interactive brand experience for your intended audience. This shift in mindset will help you come up with innovative strategies and ideas making the planning stage fun for you and the event itself fun for your attendees. Plus, everyone who attends your brand is a potential brand-ambassador. You can’t ever go wrong with giving a great impression. 

3. Do Your Research

It’s time to figure out who your audience is going to be. Is it going to be journalists? Or is it going to be your stakeholders and employees? Maybe it’s a mix of both. Getting an idea of your desired attendees is crucial to gaining insight on how to move forward with your event planning. 

TLDR; Answer questions like,

- Who is my audience? 

- What am I trying to convey?

4. Determine Your Budget

Once you’ve got the message and audience narrowed down, it’s time to give thought to finances. What kind of location do you envision? How many people are you looking to invite? What food and refreshments will you serve? And most importantly, what kind of event swag are you imagining? 😉 Answering all these questions should give you a good idea of what budget to set. Once you’ve arrived at a figure, start breaking it down and assigning it to the different elements of your event. 

5. Finalize Timelines

Once you’ve defined your purpose, done your research and decided your budgets, it’s time to fix timelines. Establishing timelines allows you to break down the event execution into simple chunks and makes it easier to distribute responsibilities to your planning and execution teams. It further makes progress tracking super easy, helping you avoid unnecessary delay and making sure that everything that needs to be done gets done on time. 

The Execution Stage

All right, so you’ve plotted out your event and it’s time to execute. This stage will test how strong your planning skills are. But remember, there’s always room for improvisations and on the go improvements are often great! Because you never know what works and what doesn’t until you actually see it in action. 

6. Select the Perfect Location

The first step to excellently executing your event is to choose the perfect venue. Take into account your message, the nature of your audience and your budget to choose the perfect venue to host your event. You’ll be answering questions like:

Indoors or al fresco?

How much seating?

Can I set it up according to my theme?

Is it available on my desired dates?

Does it fit my budget?

7. Market Your Event

Once you’ve selected a venue, it’s time to pull up your socks and send out invitations. If it’s a huge event (conferences or online webinars), go ahead and run a full-fledged marketing campaign across all verticals. If it’s a private or invite-only event, there isn’t much marketing to do other than sending out invites and collecting RSVPs. The point is to get the people you want, to show up.

8. Day-of Logistics

This should be done in tandem with marketing your event. As soon as you’ve blocked dates for your desired venue, start sorting out day-of logistics. Set up VIP seating and other designated areas, order your event swag, make arrangements for refreshments and set everything up so that the event goes through without a hitch. We also recommend planning for any unforeseen problems, which often tend to crop during large-scale events. 

9. THE BIG DAY!

Once you’ve chosen your venue, figured out logistics and invited your attendees, the next logical step is to conduct the event! It’s time to see all your hardwork and meticulous planning pay off. If you’ve set it up right, you should be able to easily join your audience, sit back and enjoy the fantastic event you put together. But remember, things may go awry so always stay on your toes, ready to spring into action at a moment’s notice. 😉

10. Celebrate and Evaluate

Once your event is over, it’s time to evaluate. Did the event go off without a hitch? Were there any mishaps? If so, how can you prevent them next time? Did enough people show up? Did your message get conveyed? What improvements can you make next time? Answer these questions and you’ll get an idea of how well you did and how you can do better next time.

Still with us? Nice! Now that you've reviewed our top tips for hosting a post-Covid event in 2002, why not start planning your custom swag? Read on for some of our favorite swag picks for in-person events.

Featured Swag Picks

1. Reusable Water Bottle

Simple and sustainable, The Tread Bottle is a single-walled, stainless steel bottle with a threaded lid. It’ll keep drinks cold and is the perfect beverage bottle to add to your event swag pack.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Drinkware Swag, Swag Essentials, Sustainable Swag, Day One Swag, Custom Branded, Inventory Swag, Bulk Swag, Retreat Swag, Offsite Swag

2. Premium Custom Tee Shirt

T-shirts are a swag staple, and Threadfast's high-quality, unisex take on the classic can be ordered in 14 different colors, making it easy to choose the perfect background for your branding. With sizes ranging from Xs to 4XL, there’s one of these for every member of your audience.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Swag Apparel, Swag Essentials, Easy Swag, Custom Branded, Inventory Swag, Dropshipping, Bulk Swag, Retreat Swag, Offsite Swag

3. Tech Accessories

The Popsocket is one of our favorite in-person event swag picks because it's immediately useful and amplifies your brand every time it's employed. Customizable, with single or 4-color imprint for a design that really pops, this versatile branding powerhouse can be used as a stand or a grip, making it easy to keep your phone close for all of those social posts you'll be making to shout out your big event!

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Tech Swag, Swag Essentials, Functional Swag, Custom Branded, Inventory Swag, Dropshipping, Bulk Swag, Retreat Swag, Offsite Swag

4. Custom Pen

Pens are synonymous with event and advertising swag, and with good reason - they're always useful, and what better way to get your brand into someone's hands than with an item that's always in need. The Lauderdale Softy is soft to the touch, smooth-writing, and absolute delight to use. Plus, it’s got a push mechanism, which is perfect for distracting yourself when that one interminable speaker takes the stage.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Stationery Swag, Swag Essentials, Day One Swag, Custom Branded Swag, Inventory Swag, Dropshipping, Offsite Swag, Giveaway Swag, Retreat Swag

5. Custom Tote Bag

RuMe bags are well regarded for their quality and sturdiness. This tote from them is no different. It’s the perfect packaging for all your event swag and the bag can be branded to your liking. With this high-quality reusable tote from RuMe, you’ll be setting the right impressions, an effort worth its weight in gold during a huge event.  More totes, this way.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Luggage Swag, Swag Essentials, Sustainable Swag, Packable Swag, Packaging Swag, Custom Branded, Inventory Swag, Unique Swag, Travel Swag, Bulk Swag, Retreat Swag, Offsite Swag, Giveaway Swag

6. Custom Pins

It’s common practice to include stickers in your event swag. The idea is that your attendees will stick them on their daily objects and your brand will be noticed on, well, the daily. Win, win, right? While we are HUGE proponents of stickers, we also love a durable and unexpected option, like these fully customizable acrylic pins from Stickermule! Design them right, and you’ll have all the great marketing you dream of. Check out more pins here.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Marketing Swag, Swag Essentials, Unique Swag, Custom Branded, Inventory Swag, Fun Swag, Giveaway Swag, Offsite Swag, Bulk Swag, Fast Swag

Our Swag Experts Recommend

The Classics Pack nails the basics with ease by combining a Triblend Unisex tee, a Soft Touch journal, the Best Seller Bottle, the Minimalist Soft Touch pen, die-cut stickers and insert cards by Moo, to create a swag pack full of event necessities. Make it extra special by customizing the mailer box, adding your insert message, and choosing your favorite crinkle fill color for an exciting unboxing experience with maximum impact. Crunched for time? Selections in this pack ship fast --- ask a Swag Expert for details, and browse other Preset Pack ideas here🧑🏼‍🚀

RECOMMENDED FOR: Event Swag, Company Culture, Team Culture, Marketing Swag, Swag Essentials, Classic Swag, Custom Branded, Inventory Swag, Fun Swag, Giveaway Swag, Offsite Swag, Bulk Swag

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Summary

And, there you go! You’ve got a refresher on planning and executing your event, some killer swag picks, and a never-fail preset swag pack. Follow the tips and tricks mentioned above and you’ll be hosting unforgettable corporate events in no time.

Looking to order some swag for your upcoming event? Get in touch with a Swag Expert! 🧑🏼‍🚀

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