Event Planning 101: Starting Small

Most advisors understand that hosting client, community and corporate events can be a great way to deepen relationships, connect with new prospects and build a robust brand.

Interacting with clients outside of a formal business setting can give you an opportunity to nurture relationships and engage with them, while also gaining organic access to their friends, family and business associates. From the client’s perspective, being invited to your event shows that you appreciate their business and gives them a chance to learn and connect with your team on a deeper level.

For advisory teams without a lot of experience in event planning, getting started on the path to hosting events can be a daunting task. So, why not start small? Organizing intimate gatherings that encourage interaction and offer tangible takeaways can be done without taking too much of your time or annual budget.

Here are some examples of smaller events advisors can consider hosting:

Learning Sessions

Set up intimate learning sessions for clients and prospective clients to engage and interact with subject matter experts on topics related to wealth management. Encourage clients to bring a friend, family member or associate, and create an environment that fosters open dialogue and questions.

Entrepreneurial Events

Entrepreneurs and business owners often face an uncommon set of financial hurdles and complexities. Identify speakers – either from your team or your network of professionals – to address top-of-mind topics, and create a comfortable environment for networking.

Events for Women

Hosting events that foster empowerment and collaboration among your female clients, coworkers and wider network is a great way to show the female half of the population how deeply you value them. Consider the occupations and special interests of affluent women in your practice and wider network, and invite executives, business owners, divorcees, widows or those with inherited wealth. Bring in presenters to provide ideas that will foster discussion, questions and interactions among participants.

Before you know it, you’ll have the men asking to join in!

Millennial-Focused Events

As advisory practices look to expand to a younger clientele, planning multi-generation events can help to engage your current clients’ younger family members. Create educational events to discuss financial tips for various stages of life, or events simply geared towards fun and building relationships. Provide interactive activities and conversation-starters to engage attendees.

Family & Personal Wellness

As a resource to your clients, their friends and associates, you can host events with speakers who specialize in overcoming and managing the financial fallout from challenging or stressful life events.

Casual Social Events

Casual events are another positive way of bringing clients together to get to know your team, meet new people and network with like-minded individuals. Social gatherings help widen your circle and can be an effective way for prospects to chat with you and your staff in a relaxed atmosphere, potentially sparking conversations about working together. Smaller-scale social events are an ideal opportunity for clients to invite along friends, family or associates – after all, who doesn’t want free drinks and/or appetizers?

Culture Evenings

Cultural events create an opportunity for you and your staff to interact with a range of potential new clients, while demonstrating your support for the arts. Invite clients and prospective clients for a culture-filled night that aligns with their interests or passions.

To learn more about how HighTower can help advisors with event planning, email us at advisorsuccess@hightoweradvisors.com and click here to download our comprehensive event planning playbook!