Do you ever attend or read about an event and just think, “That’s such a good idea! And so obvious! Why didn’t I think of that?”
Then you probably wonder why is it that some people have such good ideas all the time?
What do they know that the rest of us don’t?
Well there’s one key to consistently finding great new ideas, and it doesn’t involve drinking copious amounts of coffee, burning the midnight oil and desperately trying to scribble down something – anything!– on that blank page in front of you.
In fact, it involves something much simpler.
You need to learn to listen. There are great ideas being discussed all around you, every day. You might have even heard one this morning.
The difference between those who consistently have that ‘light bulb’ moment and those who don’t is the former know how to listen out for ideas, recognise them as potential ideas (not just passing conversion), and connect the dots to form an idea that is both exciting and unique.
But where should you start to listen out for great new event ideas? Here are 6 simple places to start with.
Yourself
Often the best ideas come from within (known as “scratching your own itch”).
If you’ve got a burning desire to attend an event that only ever happens in London and you’re up in Manchester, why not start one yourself?
Or what if you keep attending an event but you’re dissatisfied with the experience and think you can do better? That’s another great opportunity staring you in the face!
Perhaps people keep asking you for help or advice because of your expertise? This is a great sign you could do some informal training or workshops, after work to begin with, to help spread your knowledge (and make a little money in the process!)
The key is to be aware of all these signals around you.
Friends, family and colleagues
The same principle applies to finding great new event ideas when speaking with your friends, family and colleagues.
How often do you go to the pub after work and hear “If only there was something better to do,” or “I went to this event last night. It was pretty good but it would be so much better if only they…”
Every time you hear an expression of dissatisfaction with an event, you should consider, could I do a better job? And every time you hear something like “if only” or “I’d love it if” then it’s time to stop and ask – why couldn’t I fulfil that need?
Social Media
Social media is a brilliant place to find new event ideas. It’s like have a circle of friends and family to listen to, only a millions times bigger!
It seems that just about everyone takes to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networks to express their desire for new experiences or frustrations with existing ones.
The beauty of social media is that you can see if there’s an emerging trend based on the huge volumes of users. For example have more and more people been asking for a particular kind of event in your area over the past few months? Have you seen a rise in complaints about a particular event?
These are great opportunities to use direct market feedback to prompt your great new event idea.
Forums
If you’ve ever been on a forum like Mumsnet, Reddit or Quora (there are hundreds of forums catering to different niches) then you’ll know why they’re such a great place to find event ideas.
Almost every post is either a complaint or a question about how to do / find / achieve something.
While events can’t solve all the problems talked about on forums, you can certainly find topics that consistently come up, and look to create an event for that specific community with the aim of bringing together those who do have the answer with those asking the questions.
News & Media
Whether it’s an emerging technology, a new craze or changing tastes and demographics, what you read about in the news and online media could be a great source of inspiration for new events.
Of course, by the time it’s popular enough to be picked up by the mainstream press it’s likely there will already be events covering that particular topic or niche.
However by subscribing to niche blogs, trendspotting websites and other online cultural media you can probably steal a march on everybody else by learning what’s hot first.
Other Events
What if you crossed a food festival and an endurance event? Probably lots of sick people! But you get the idea. By attending lots of events, you’ll be able to see what works and what doesn’t, and potentially come up with great new hybrid events that take different parts and successfully repackage them as something completely new.
Where do you find ideas and inspiration for event ideas? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
Already got a great new idea for an event?
Why not enter The Spark for your chance to win over £5,000 worth of free mentorship, products, services and training from top brands including Eventbrite, Moo, Generaly Assembly, Moneypenny and Britain for Events!
Click here for more details.
