When I am planning an event, one of the most useful tools I use is a SWOT analysis. It’s a simple way of holistically reviewing your event from planning to execution. By taking time before, during, and after to analyze what you did well and what could be done better, you create opportunities for future growth. This tool can also be used to analyze and review other events you attend in order to help you learn.
SWOT
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats
Analyzing Your Own Event
An effective analysis starts by looking at the things you did well (Strengths) and things you didn’t (Weaknesses).
Strengths – What are you doing well? What is going right? What are the good qualities?
- Did you choose a great location?
- Are you on/ under budget?
- If you’ve partnered with outside vendors or organizations, are they effective?
- Was your event well attended?
- What good feedback did you receive from attendees?
Weaknesses – What can you do better? What challenges are you facing? Do you have accurate resources?
- Why is your location not the best?
- Are you over budget?
- Are you having difficulty communicating with vendors?
- How big is your carbon footprint?
- What poor feedback did you receive from attendees?
After thinking about these, what opportunities can you take to improve your event next time? How can you apply this knowledge to other events you plan? What shouldn’t you do in the future?
Opportunities – How can you improve?
- How can you expand in the future?
- Is there another venue that would fit the event better?
- Was there a food or beverage that your guests wanted more of?
- Is there a better way to use your budget?
- Can you find a better way to market/ advertise for your event?
- Is there a different vendor you could partner with?
Threats – What shouldn’t you do next time? What factors are outside of your control?
- Weather (in the Midwest, snowstorms are almost always a deterrent)
- Should you not use that location in the future?
- Are there other events happening in your community that would deter people from coming?
- Current events (national news, politics, etc…)
I hope you can take this and apply it to your own events! Below is an example of an analysis I did to review Fargo-Moorhead’s Red River Market.
#swot #blog
Madeliner Stiner 