Event Management Masterclass
Events are a cornerstone of marketing and business development in professional services. Firms invest significant resources in their events programmes from intimate roundtables to technical webinars and multi-day conferences. Yet most still manage events tactically, one at a time, without connecting them to the firm’s wider strategy or measuring their real impact.
This masterclass helps intermediate practitioners move beyond day-to-day event execution and develop the strategic thinking that turns a solid event manager into a trusted adviser. It follows the full event lifecycle — planning, delivery, and follow-up — but focuses on the decisions and frameworks that create the most value, not the processes delegates already have in place.
Delegate outcomes
- – Transition from tactical event execution to a strategic, proactive adviser role
- – Manage the firm’s portfolio of events and connect it to business objectives
- – Use data to identify event aims, propositions, and target audiences
- – Plan strategically aligned events with internal and external stakeholders
- – Develop and implement an effective promotional and communications campaign plan
- – Design the event experience around strategic objectives
- – Measure results and impact and demonstrate ROI
Contents
A strategic approach to events
- – Strategic importance of events in professional services marketing
- – Managing a firm’s portfolio of events
- – Aligning with firm and team goals and marketing objectives
- – Stakeholder engagement: getting heard by partners and fee-earners
- – Embedding events within marketing and business development campaigns
- – Setting up measurement: from vanity metrics to impact and ROI
Key types of events (and creative approaches)
- – Main formats: seminars, roundtables, conferences, client hospitality, webinars, hybrid
- – Standard approaches vs. creative alternatives for each format
- – Adapting to in-person, online, and hybrid delivery
- – Latest trends in events
Strategic event planning — before the event
- – Agreeing event aims and creating the event value proposition
- – Using data and research to define target audiences and objectives
- – Shaping the brief: theme, topics, and speakers
- – Budget, risk, and contingency planning
- – Resourcing: internal teams, specialist advisers, and external agencies
- – Creating campaigns and content to promote events
- – Sales and service readiness: ensuring follow-up teams are set up for success before the event
Event design and execution — during the event
- – Designing the agenda around strategic objectives: audience mindset, energy, and content flow
- – Optimising the overall event experience
- – Promoting and managing guest interaction and satisfaction
- – Anticipating and managing unexpected situations
Event development — after the event
- – Delegate communication and community creation
- – The 48-hour window: follow-up execution, lead handoff, and conversion
- – Repurposing event materials
- – Event debrief, evaluation, and reporting
- – Portfolio-level reporting: what the programme tells the firm that single-event data cannot
Summary and action planning
Why PM Forum training?
PM Forum workshops are designed and delivered by qualified and experienced
MBD professionals who:
- – are subject matter experts in strategy, marketing, business development, selling, client relationship management, digital technologies and interpersonal skills who – through ongoing practice – are familiar with the latest developments
- – understand the nature of professional services marketing at large corporate firms and smaller partnerships across law, accountancy, property and consultancy in a variety of client markets
- – have substantial experience working with both senior and junior fee-earners and MBD professionals
- – possess psychology credentials and/or years of experience in learning and development to ensure an optimum learning experience
- – regularly talk to CMOs and management leaders to keep abreast of the emerging needs of their teams
Delegates receive a productive learning experience because:
- – There is a balance between knowledge transfer and active learning through interactive discussion and group exercises (sessions are not recorded to promote openness)
- – Training is experiential – idea sharing, networking and collaboration are encouraged
- – Progressive – sessions are graded for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels
- – Whilst platform-independent, sessions signpost systems and technologies used most often by professional services firms
- – As well as copies of course materials, delegates receive work sheets and supplementary resources with guidance for further learning (including other PM Forum events) and application
- – Course leaders are experienced coaches who understand and promote career development
- – Certificates of completion are issued for use in Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
- – Dialogue can continue after training through members-only LinkedIn communities
- – Participation is restricted to PM Forum members
Book now
Cancellations/Substitutions
Due to the restricted number of places, refundable cancellations are only accepted up to one month prior to the event (a cancellation fee of £25 + VAT will be incurred per person). Substitutions can be made at any time. PMI reserves the right to cancel with no liability beyond refund of fees paid.
Eligibility
This training course is open solely to member firms of the PM Forum, a worldwide group of over 3,000 marketers in professional services firms.
