A VIP event experience is a great way to market your event and create unique and buzzworthy opportunities for your top donors, customers, and prospects. Creating a VIP event experience is about understanding what your VIP guests are passionate about, what drives them to want to be a part of your nonprofit or organization? Most importantly–how are you going to make their experience exclusive and unique.
Here are five ways to create an unforgettable VIP experience.
Provide Awesome Perks:
From invitation-only events, VIP lounges, and skipping the line perks this creates a VIP experience. It’s like getting to personally meet your favorite celebrity backstage. Your VIP’s deserve to pampered and treated like gold.
Try these VIP ideas:
– VIP Lounges / Specialty Cocktails
– Meet and Greets with Key Notes and fellow influencers
– Exclusive Freebies (gift bags, special services, etc)
– Exclusive dinner with the host or special guest
– Front Row Seating or special seating at your event
Recognize Their Support
Everyone loves acknowledgment. Don’t just casually thank your VIP’s, be generous with your gratitude. Make sure not only they know how much you appreciate them but that others do as well. VIP’s are aspirational.
Recognize them with the following:
– Thank You in the event program
– Event Signage
– Handwritten ‘Thank You’ notes
– Shout-outs publicly from the Event Host(s)
– Thank You dinner/event just for VIPs
Quality Over Quantity
The VIP event experience isn’t just about having more stuff but better stuff.
Avoid low-quality VIP experiences! Note the backgrounds of your VIP’s. What industries do they come from? If the variation is too great to make a personalized approach go for something classic and high-quality like a champagne hour with o’dourves.
Here are some quality experiences:
– Champagne hour.
–Special meet and greet with host, special guest, or influencers
Surprise Your VIP Guest
Your VIP guest would like to be pampered and treated as special (because they are). If it fits into your strategic event budget, throw in a grand surprise as part of the VIP event experience!
This could be:
– A special gift from sponsors
– Something signed from a well-known speaker, author, or celebrity.
– Customized welcome gifts
– Plaque or Award
Make It Seamless
The biggest mistake event planners often make is not having a seamless event. From the venue to the food, everything about the event needs to be up to par before designating a VIP experience. There is no such thing as a VIP experience at a below average event.
Do this:
– Stick to the schedule
– Provide an easy check-in experience
– Be clear with signage & instructions
– Connection is key: stay in touch, support your attendees, show gratitude.
In order to have an extraordinary event experience for VIP’s, it’s all about attention, connection, and gratitude. A VIP event experience is a win-win for you and your attendees. Nothing is more “share-worthy” than being treated like royalty.
Let us know which tip is your favorite in the comment section below.