Everybody loves it when you make an extra effort.

“Will anyone show up? Will the right people show up? How do I make sure that my guests are happy and that they remember my event when the competition is so massive?” These are some of the questions that might result in sleepless nights. The thing is that events can be expensive, and if you get nothing out of them, it will be a sad waste of both time and money.

BarbaraLæssøe Stephensen has a degree in rhetoric and has for the last two years been director at the art museum Sophienholm Kunsthal outside Copenhagen. She has extensive experience hosting and planning events and is the co-writer of the book ‘Sæt Scenen’ (Set the Stage). Her co-writer Lise Bach Hansen and her, have participated in everything from TED Talks and the World Economic Forum in Davos, to receptions and events like the opening of the Chanel Flagship Store inCopenhagen to examine what works and what does not work when planning and hosting an event.

“Lise’s skill is dramaturgy, and mine is public speaking, and it’s concepts and tools from these worlds that you use when you prepare and execute events. A lot of the advice is ancient, and some that Aristoteles and Shakespeare could havegiven us, but they are nonetheless worth remembering,” she explains.
 

Here is Barbara’s list of 14 tips and tricks to ensure your event will be a success:

 1. The most important advice, which is also profoundly buried in the world of rhetoric, is that there must be a reason for the event. If the only reason is the occasion of 3daysofdesign, you are not going anywhere.

 2. No-one will feel that they got anything out of your event if your only goal was to gather people. Take a step back and remember that an occasion is not the same as a purpose.  

 3. Consider why you are part of 3daysofdesign. What do you want the guests to take home with them? It’s not enough that you want to sell something or increase the awareness of your brand. That is not a real purpose.

 4. What do you want your guests to get from the event? Do you want to make them love your company? Do you want them to get to know you for the first time? Do you want them to discover you? Do you want them to be loyal instead of just knowing you?Do you want them to have fun? Do you want them to change their opinion about you due to a change of course or a recent crisis? What do you want?

 5. Imagine yourself picking up the phone and calling your guests to invite them personally. What reason to attend would you give them?  

 6. Use the chiasmus model. Draw a huge cross on a piece of paper. On one side, you list all the conventional things you can come up with - all the stuff that usually characterises an event. On the other side of the cross, you list things that could break conventions.It does not mean that you must break all the traditions to create a successful event. But because the guests are familiar with the typical ways, it will make an impression if you challenge just a few patterns. Could you serve somethingelse than white wine? Should you have the event early in the morning? It’s striking how almost everybody unconsciously does the same things.

7. Remember that the things you do have to relate to your premise. Or the great question: what is it that I want? If you want the guests to perceive your furniture as design classics, it would make sense to hire an opera singer. Butan opera singer could also be a peculiar and meaningless feature. All the choices you make—especially when you challenge the conventions—must relate to the relationship you want to have with your guests.  

 8. Remember to have a host. The host is the one who takes the guests by their hands, puts into words what happens and argues the choices that have been made. It’s also the host that gathers people, makes the toast, and says how happy you are, and why you are so glad that so many showed up. Remember to explain what's on your mind and what you want with the guests.  

 9. Remember that everybody loves it when you make an extra effort. If you are invited to a party where the cocktails match the overall theme or attend a wedding where the speeches are relevant. Where all the flowers have been chosen because they symbolise the time of year when the couple met. When the hosts have considered all the small details. Parties like that are the ones you remember.  

 10. Remember to pay attention to small details. That is what we can learn from the theatre; none of the props on stage are random. All the props on stage have significance to the plot—the same should count for any event.

 11. Remember that your event starts before it starts. The event begins when your potential guests hear about it for the first time.  

 12. Remember the importance of the invitation phase. This is when you must communicate whatever you find necessary to the people you want to show up to at the event.Maybe you should send them an e-mail? Perhaps a handwritten letter would be better? Should you send unique invitations to the VIPs? Should you call them to make sure that they show up? At the time of the actual event, it will all be too late.

 13. Remember to do a follow up after the event. Write to all the people that showed up and tell them that you were happy to see them. Make sure to hire a photographer to take pictures that you can use after the event. By doing that, it’s possible to send a signal to those not showing up and make them want to come to your nextevent.

 14. Remember that there is a lot you can do to improve your event's chances of success. It is not enough to spend a lot of money. Creative ideas are free but they demand time and preparation.