Many big brands with big budgets produce important events. These are great ways for small businesses to further build their brands and attract new customers.

There are many big events, such as Grant Cardone's 10X Growth Con, Dave Ramsey's Leadership Summit, Gary Vaynerchuk's VeeCon and more. These are large events with thousands of participants. In addition, you have events such as VidCon or SXSW, FinCon and others.

We small business owners can produce and host large events too – on a budget.

In 2005, I had the vision to produce a big event. A big one event for me it means a few hundred or more attendees, not necessarily 3000. I got tired of applying to speak and getting rejected and not being able to create my own event.

In 2005, I started organizing my big event, which I did in New York City with about 300 people. Since that day, I have produced and hosted dozens of events in New York City and several national tours across the US.

Recently, after the pandemic, I hosted another big event and I will share how I did it on a budget and why I did it.

First, let's unpack why a small business might want to do a big event.

1. Events are a great way to do that build your personal brand.
2. Events can be direct money makers. You can earn money from sponsors, from ticket sales and by selling your products and services at the event.
3. Events can help you bring together your current clients, prospective clients, and others in the professional community with whom you may want to work.
4. Finally, an in-person event is a great way to connect with high-level professionals who may be difficult to connect with otherwise. Perhaps there is a journalist or a high-level executive who will attend the event.

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Here's how to do it on a budget. First, let's look at some elements of a successful event include:

1. Marketing. You have to get attendees to come; an empty room is depressing enough
2. The speakers. While many speakers will speak for free, others will want to be paid for the opportunity to be on your stage.
3. Creative and design. Websites, badges and signage should be created to make the event look good.
4. Event manager. It is so important to hire an event manager to help with staffing, production and all aspects of the event.
5. Place of development. The event must be held in one place.
6. Food. Feeding the participants is not necessary, but it is a good idea.
7. Technical details. Stages, lights, cameras, video and more will help you set up your event on the day and capture the moments of the event itself.

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1. Marketing your event

Spending thousands of dollars on Facebook ads or other paid marketing is a popular way to attract attendees to your conference. It's what very large events use to attract attendees.

However, you can also drive participation with low-cost marketing. Here's what I did to get 400 people to sign up for my event.

• Email marketing is still one of the best ways to market your event.
• Remember the 10% rule (something I made up). If you have 1,000 people on your list, 100 might open it, 10 might click on it, and one might take action. So the more right people on your list, the more engagement you will get.
• Partner with other communities to share the event with others.
• Use social media to frequently share the event with others and create professional graphics.

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2. Speakers

If you are hiring Gary Vaynerchuck, Seth Godin, Oprah Winfrey or Simon Sinek for your event, you will most likely have to pay them. Most professional speakers, especially at the top level, will not speak for free at your event. Many great speakers won't pay you. Remember, many speakers want opportunities to speak at a great event, be on stage and get new clients or build relationships.

Regardless of the speaker, find out what's important to them. Maybe they have a new book coming out. They can waive their fee in exchange for purchasing their books.

3. Creative and design

The default design tool for many of us is Canva, and it works really well for so many things. Whether you use Canva or not, make sure the images you use to market the event look as good as other events you admire. I make a few of my own designs and they are often “good enough” to get me started.

For large event display designs and attractive banners, I rely on a professional designer.

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4. Event Manager

A good one event manager is a powerful asset to your event. An event manager wants the best for your event and will help you make it a great experience and meet your goals. I pay my event manager, Liz, for her time and experience. I then worked with him to help me organize an event within budget and within the scope of my needs. Often, I use their suggested vendors, or I may use my own.

5. Place of development

Where you hold your event is so important. A hotel is great, but it can be expensive. An open event space can also work well, but you have to create the space and bring all equipment. A conference space, such as a conference or a university, is also a great option.

All these options should be considered and viewed through a thin lens.

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6. Food

Food is expensive and is probably one of the first two EXPENCES for your event, in addition to the cost of the venue. For my last event, we provided coffee and tea and a light “continental breakfast” for attendees. For lunch, we had attendees eat on their own, as there were plenty of options in New York City. We then ended the event so that attendees could dine on their own, which saved quite a bit of money. For our speakers and other “VIP attendees”, we had lunch for them backstage. Some places allow you to bring your own food and make your own food, but many require you to use their in-house catering.

7. Audio, video, stage and lighting

Another area where you can collect a lot of money is in the technical details of the event.

For a big event, you need to have microphones and speakers. Otherwise, the audience will hear nothing.

Good lighting is so important and can be the difference between an event looking professional enough for your brand and one that isn't. It doesn't need to look like Disney, but it doesn't have to look unprofessional. If you have brown-skinned speakers, like I do, be sure to adjust the lighting to make them look better on stage. These are expenses where you can compare options and prioritize what's important.

Event hosting is a valuable strategy for small businesses to increase their brand visibility, gain new customers and build lasting relationships, making it a worthwhile investment in growing their brand. But they need a lot of preparation – remember this as you plan your next event.