Having held our first roundtable meeting last week at the premises of KI Europe, everyone at FM Business Daily is now focusing on presenting more of these and other live events throughout the rest of this year.
It was reassuring to see our first event follow the same highly productive pattern as other roundtables I’ve chaired over the last 20 years or so, confirming the extensive list of benefits they deliver for attendees and sponsors alike.
I can clearly remember an experienced marketing professional speaking about just one element shortly before my first event, which was held in a private dining room of a restaurant on the south bank of the Thames in central London. My contact said that it was generally accepted that each new contact would cost businesses around £2,000 at that time, regardless of whether these were gained through advertising, exhibition attendance or sponsoring events, etc.
After taking the various ups and downs of the UK economy into account over the last 20 years, particularly the high levels of inflation seen in the last year or so, I believe that figure must have at least doubled. When you then consider that each roundtable will cost between £5,000 and £7,000 to sponsor and typically include between 10 and 12 delegates, the value of that aspect alone makes it a highly attractive proposition.
It should also be appreciated that each roundtable will be featured throughout the extensive FM Business Daily brand, providing multiple opportunities for our readership to see and follow up areas of interest. Given that our database is more than 10 times the size of any other FM media business, it’s not difficult to see how the value of our live events and the subsequent publicity given to sponsors quickly justifies any financial commitment.
Our first roundtable included a variety of client-side FMs, hard service providers and consultants discussing the FM net zero carbon emissions journey of our industry. Future events can be adjusted to suit the needs of the sponsor and include the delegates they prefer to ensure their event delivers the necessary return on investment.
The timing and structure of each event can also be easily adjusted to match the needs of the sponsor, with examples including breakfast briefings or evening assemblies, in addition to lunchtime roundtables. Those wishing to hold less formal meetings can choose from a range of networking and social gatherings, possibly focused on attending sporting events or venues of particular interest.
Our first roundtable included a buffet-style meal of top quality provided by Fooditude, which resulted in high levels of appreciation from all attendees. Those wishing to stage events that include more or less formal dining arrangements can be easily accommodated.
Yet more options include the organising of conference-style events, which can again include a number of different formats and timings. The overall aim is to ensure that the sponsor – or sponsors – achieve their desired outcome, while also providing value to the attendees.
One final consideration should also be appreciated and this includes the point that industry partners can join together to co-sponsor events of their choosing. This would typically include two or more companies providing complementary, non-competing services and sharing the cost, while still enjoying all the advantages outlined above.
Those wishing for more information on the various options for live events within FM Business Daily are invited to contact managing director Cheryl Ellerington (cheryl@fmbusinessdaily.com) or myself at any time.
