Transform Your Live Event with the Power of a Name

Hi there. I'm Bari Baumgardner, founder of SAGE Event Management. What I want to talk to you about today is why people show up to a live event. It's really important, but a lot of people overlook it. Why do people show up?

What’s in a Name? Everything.

It's actually a pretty simple thing when you're first starting out with a live event: a lot of it is in the name. It's really important to pick a great name for your event. Don't just throw something out there and expect results. Put some thought into the exact thing that you are doing at the live event:

• What is the hot content?
• What is the promise?
• What is the thing that you're going to be delivering?
• What's the change?

I really want you to think about that, but not in a "woo woo" way. Think about it in specifics: What exactly are people going to leave with? What effect are you going to have on them? What are you going to change in their lives? Make sure it's something that you know that you can deliver, something that will become the hallmark and foundation of your live event.

Skip Cutesy Names and Obtuse Titles: Simpler Is Better

Let me give you quick example from one of our clients, Lisa Sasevich: Speak To Sell. You don't have to think too hard about what that means. It's pretty obvious. Lisa's going to be teaching you how to speak to sell. It's a brilliant marketing name and it's helped her for years to fill large-scale, live events. She teaches people in her own unique, brilliant, transformational way how they can speak to sell - and it literally changes their lives.

Speak to Sell. You don't have to think too hard about it, which is really the key. Simpler is better. The simpler you can keep your name, the better off you'll be. Don’t make people work too hard to understand what your value proposition is. Too often, we see people come up with cutesy names or obtuse names that might sound great, but they don't really mean anything.

Ultimately, your job is to get your audience to “yes.” When somebody back at home clicks on a Facebook ad, watches a video, or hears about your webinar and it doesn't immediately resonate with them - it’s not a driver for them to say yes.

What Is Your Event’s Unique Value Proposition?

Let me give you another quick example from another one of our clients, Jeff Walker. Jeff is launch master. He is amazing at teaching people how to transform their lives and their businesses through the power of a launch.

Jeff has a product called Product Launch Formula. His big question is, "Are you going to launch?" If the answer is yes, what do you need? You need Product Launch Formula. If you've already bought Product Launch Formula, what would help you leverage it and immediately use it as a multiplier in your life and your business? Product Launch Formula Live.

I don't have to think really hard about that. If I'm in Jeff's tribe, I want to launch, and I've bought Product Launch Formula - why wouldn't I go to Product Launch Formula Live? It's the live version of Product Launch Formula. I'm going to meet other people who launch. I'm going to meet people just like me. I'm going to have an opportunity for three days to be really focused on how to get my launch to work with the master of launches - the teacher himself, Jeff Walker.

That’s exactly the kind of compelling UVP, unique value proposition, that you want to have. Keep it really simple and easy so that people don't have to think too hard to say yes to you.

Learn from Tony Robbins, a True Tour de Force

Another example is Tony Robbins. In my mind, Tony is the Oprah of information marketing. Nobody has done what Tony has done in the way that he's done it. He's an incredible tour de force. He attracts thousands of people to his events every single year. What does he use to get people into his event? UPW: Unleash the Power Within.

Again, I don't have to think too hard about that. What am I going to get from Tony if I go and spend several days with him? Unleash the Power Within. Unleashing my personal power, unleashing my power in business.

That's the transformation I'm looking for. If I've been following Tony and looking for a transformation, what do I need to make that happen? I need the master of transformation, Tony Robbins. I need to go to a live event so that I can Unleash the Power Within. It sounds good, it's marketable, and it's easy to understand.

What Is the Perfect Name for Your Live Event?

If you're getting ready to host your next live event but you haven't come up with a name yet, your homework is to really give it some thought. What is the perfect name for your event? Not just for you to host it once, but for you to host it multiple times. You want to develop an event brand that you can continue, year after year after year.

When you invest time, money, and marketing into an event brand, you don't want to change it on your audience every other year. Your name should be something that you can live with for a long time. What's the name that really delivers on the promise of your event - and that is super easy to understand?

Ask for Feedback from Friends, Family, and Neighbors

So you’ve decided on a name for your live event and you’re ready to debut it. But before you put it out there to your audience, ask a few people what they think about it. Ask people who know you well and people who don’t. Ask your mom, ask your neighbor, ask someone at your kids’ school, ask somebody who doesn't know exactly what you do. Ask them:

• Do you know what I'm talking about?

• Would you like to attend something called this?

• What does this name say to you?

If it doesn't immediately deliver the impact that you're looking for, if they can't immediately grasp the effect that you're going to deliver - then you don't have the right name. You need to go back to the drawing board.

It seems super simple: a name. But it's often overlooked, and it's critically important to your brand’s success and your ability to fill your live event. It's the hardest thing we do in our world, filling a live event. Make your life easier by picking the right name that works like a stepping stone and a gateway to people saying yes to you.

Think It Through & Choose Your Name Wisely

To name your live event wisely, think it through. Think about the transformation that you will be delivering, and pick a name that honestly expresses this transformation. Make it simple to understand, and test it out on people to see if it works. Once you have your name locked in, your live event is ready to go. As we say here at SAGE, "Go, team, go.”

Are you ready to start making money off live events? Get access now to three more free video tips from SAGE Event Management, and discover how to monetize your live event before it starts.