What is an event communication plan, and why do you need one?

Start with the question: why are you organising this event? The communication objective always follows from the event objective. Do you want to win new clients or motivate staff? That determines the tone, the channel and the timing of your communication.

Then map out your audience. Distinguish between three groups. Primary attendees are the people you want to turn up. Secondary audiences are the press, social media followers and stakeholders who experience it indirectly. Internal stakeholders are leadership, staff and suppliers. Each segment deserves its own message and approach.

For each audience, establish what they already know and what they need to do, whether that's signing up or sharing. This is the basis of your key messages.

Key messages are the three to five sentences that capture the essence of your event. They answer the question: why should I be there? Good key messages are concrete and consistent. And always relevant to the recipient. They echo through every piece of communication, from the invitation email to the speaker presentation.

Avoid generic language like 'an inspiring day full of insights and networking opportunities'. Be specific: 'You'll learn how three leading CEOs profitably transformed their organisation, and what you can do differently tomorrow.' That specificity decides whether an invitation gets opened or ends up in the bin.

Turn your key messages into a tagline or event title that sticks. That makes all your communication recognisable and coherent.

Which channels you use depends on your audience and the type of event. For internal events, intranet, email and Teams messages are the standard. External events with clients or customers call for LinkedIn, an event page and targeted email campaigns. For large public events or launches, the press, paid advertising and influencers also play a part.

Think about the formats per phase too. A teaser works in the announcement phase: short and curiosity-sparking. In the activation phase you want more detail: programme, speakers and practical info. In the reminder phase you keep it short and urgent. After the event you shift to content marketing with a recap film, speaker quotes and a photo report.

Make a channel choice you can sustain. Better to play three channels well than six half-heartedly.

A communication timeline is the operational heart of your communication plan. It's an overview of every communication moment. What do you communicate, through which channel and on which date, by whom and with what aim?

Work back from the event date. Plan at least five touchpoints. Start with an announcement 6 to 8 weeks ahead. Two weeks ahead, send a reminder email with practical info. Three days ahead, send a final reminder. On the morning of the event day, a short update follows. Round off 1 to 3 days later with a follow-up email containing a summary or recap film.

Add interim content moments. Think of a speaker introduction, a behind-the-scenes look or a teaser about the programme. That holds attention and builds the buzz in the run-up to the event.

Without measurement you don't know what worked and what didn't. Set KPIs in advance that align with your communication objective. Think of email open rates, sign-ups per channel or the Net Promoter Score among attendees.

Use UTM tags in links to see which channel generated the most sign-ups. Analyse your data after the event: open rates per email, reach on social and attendees' feedback on the communication.

Capture these insights in an evaluation document and use it as input for your next event communication plan. That way, as a communication professional, you build every event on knowledge, not assumptions.

At Live Impact we see the communication plan as part of the overall event concept. A good event doesn't begin on the day itself, but the moment the first invitation is opened. The expectation you create beforehand largely determines the experience on the day.

We help clients organise the event. And with the communication around it, from the announcement strategy through to the follow-up content. That way we make sure the event's message sticks, even when the last guest has gone home.

Want to brainstorm about the communication strategy around your next corporate event? Call 085 401 40 14 or email hello@live-impact.nl.

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