Ever been to a botched marketing event?

A tradeshow that went up in flames … a convention that ran off the rails … a presentation that was DOA.
We’ve all experienced them, right?
Well, last week I had the misfortune of organizing one such fiery disaster.
I mentioned not long ago that I joined a “professional organization.” (“The things we do for our careers…” I believe was my exasperated confession regarding this move.)
The organization hosts monthly events focused on commercial real estate (thrilling stuff, I know. What can I say, I lead a glamorous life). This month’s event was a breakfast meeting featuring a penal of five experts on Downtown LA development. It was held at the site of a new open-air shopping center under construction in the heart of Downtown LA.
The event was entitled: What does the future hold for Downtown LA Development.
Bold. Dramatic. Exciting. It had all the makings of something special. Too bad the results failed to live up to the hype.

Let me (re)count the ways this event went down in flames…

The invites went out late and omitted a few key pieces of info… (1) the venue is outside on the top floor of a nine story active parking structure (where people actually park their car and walk around looking confused by the tables and stage and catering, (2) and the “venue” is in the middle of an active construction site.
When event registration opened at 7:30AM… the tables still weren’t all setup and the 70” plasma TV screen that had been promised to the panelist for their presentations was nowhere to be found (and it never materialized)
The weather failed to cooperate… Things started out cloudy, windy and COLD (picture shivering ladies begging for suit jackets and wrapping them around their bare shoulders). Then the sun burned through the morning gloom searing us with its blinding rays (and of course there was no shelter, the “venue” being the top of nine story parking garage and all).
The caterer, a popular local café, came up short… brought a plethora of yummy breakfast treats and gourmet coffee. But no water or even decaf (so that’s high-test coffee, coffee or coffee – what’ll ya have?). Attendees balked and whined throughout.
The replacement for the 70” plasma TV that never arrived… was digital projector trained on pull up movie screen (yes, the kind of thing your junior high history teacher showed filmstrips on). Turns out that arrangement doesn’t work well outdoors in the light of day. One of the awnings covering the stage was moved over to shade the screen. But all this succeeded in doing was leaving three of the five panelists squinting into the sun as they delivered their spiels.
The nearest bathroom happened to be on the fourth floor of the adjacent build… To make matters worse, both the parking structure and the adjacent building are under construction. So the path was down to the ground floor, though a labyrinthine maze out to the street, up half a block into a lobby under construction, and the an elevator ride up to the fourth floor, which is filled with private office suites and no direction to any bathrooms…thus leaving you to wonder around until you find the facilities!? We timed the journey. 15 minutes there and back. (It was only an hour long presentation.)
#EpicFail
Now I could waste time laying blame here. And there were two people within the organization in charge of organizing this event (the rest of the group was at this disposal to provide whatever support they required). But this sort of epic failure makes the whole organization look BAD. (Some of the dirt even lands on me.)

The Devil is in the Details

Whether you’re hosting an event, launching a campaign, or creating marketing media – plan, organize and execute paying close attention to detail. Write an outline. Consider all factors involved. And game plan for the unexpected (because the unexpected will happen a lot more than you expect).
Events – Venues routinely over promise under-deliver. Be sure you’re clear on everything you need to make your event happen. And have a plan in advance for how you’re going to replace anything that’s missing
Advertising, Print & Digital Media – Whether a magazine ad, print collateral or digital media, review copy and layout a minimum of three times. For print collateral in particular, have at least one (and two if possible) other people review the materials before they go to print. The money wasted and time lost are big enough blows on their own. But the damage to your reputation can be insurmountable when thousands see a magazine with your ad, receive your glossy new brochure, or visit your newly launched website and find a big fat typo front and center.
People make mistakes. Oversights happen. We are, after all, only human. But while it’s not the end of the world, it pays to get it right. Because every misstep reflects back on your business…negatively.

What About You?

Any heinous or embarrassing examples of marketing blunders in your past? Join the conversation on my Google+ page. We’d love to hear all about it.