Before You Book the Venue: 3 Questions to Ask Before Planning a Business Event

Build your event strategy with inspiration from a road rally client event.

Before You Book the Venue: 3 Questions to Ask Before Planning a Business Event

There’s something seductive about jumping into event planning. You picture the lights, the energy, the name tags, the drinks clinking. You want that celebratory moment where clients leave happy and your team already feels the impact.

But before you pick a theme or build your guest list, pause. A smart event doesn’t start with logistics—it starts with intention.

Here are three questions to ask before you plan your next business event—whether it’s a client dinner, a product launch, or a full-blown conference.

1. What’s your desired outcome?

It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many events start with “we should probably do something” before stepping back to ask “why?”

Before anything else, define success:

• Are you trying to deepen existing relationships?

• Generate qualified leads?

• Launch a product with real buzz?

• Align and energize your internal team?

Whatever the goal, write it down and decide how you’ll measure it. Your event strategy should work backwards from that point.

One of the most exciting events I’ve ever had the pleasure of planning was a road rally race for a group of oil and gas execs.
We didn’t want another wine-and-dine rerun. We wanted to blow up the format and give them something unforgettable. So we sent them on an Amazing Race-style course—solving challenges, tracking their vehicles, and uncovering clues using our actual technology.

It was wild. It was fun.
And it was built entirely around our goal:
Get them hands-on with our product in a way that felt exciting, not salesy.

Spoiler: it worked.

2. Who is this event really for?

Not just in a demographic sense, but what do they care about? What kind of experience would they actually enjoy? What would be useful, energizing, or fun for them?

Don’t just ask: “How do we get them there?”
Ask:
“What would make them glad they came?”

It’s easy to default to your own preferences (especially when there are execs or sales teams involved). But the best events are audience-first. That’s how you create resonance. That’s how you earn word-of-mouth and repeat engagement.

3. How does this tie back to your brand?

Every great event tells a story and ideally, it’s your story.

That road rally? It wasn’t just a cool day in the sun. It was a physical manifestation of what our tech could do. Real-time tracking. Collaboration under pressure. Problem-solving in motion. We didn’t need a pitch deck. The experience was the pitch.

That’s what you want: a throughline between your event and your brand promise. A theme that means something. A vibe that reinforces what you stand for.

Because if there’s no connection to your product, service, or values, you might be entertaining—but you’re not building brand equity.

Bottom line:

Events are powerful tools. Done right, they drive connection, loyalty, and action in a way few tactics can. But only if they’re built with clarity and intention.

So before you dive into planning, ask yourself:

• Why are we doing this?

• Who is it for?

• What story are we telling?

That’s how you stop throwing parties and start creating momentum.

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