How to plan your next event

In this episode of Marketing Espresso, I sit down with event strategist Jodie McLean from JEM Events to unpack something that looks simple on the surface but quickly becomes overwhelming once you start: planning an event that people genuinely want to attend.

Jodie takes us right back to the beginning — before venues, speakers or save-the-dates — and walks me through the four pillars she calls the brief: your outcomes, your audience, your budget and your non-negotiables. Without these, you’re essentially planning blind.

We talk openly about the current trend towards smaller, more targeted events, and why they often outperform big, generic conferences. Jodie explains how specificity leads to connection, and why ego-driven decisions (like wanting a room full of hundreds) often work against the true purpose of an event.

Once you understand who the event is for and why it matters, you can build out the event concept: the theme, the name, the timing and the location. Jodie shares why it’s important not to rush this stage, why a vague concept leads to low conversions, and why giving people too little information too early kills momentum.

We also explore what it takes to market an event well. Jodie highlights the problem with announcing too soon, why drip-feeding information rarely works and how to time a campaign so you avoid the dreaded lag in sales.

And yes — we also touch on hybrid events. Jodie shares her unfiltered view on why hybrid formats almost always compromise both the in-person and online experience, unless you have a serious budget and a specialised team.

We finish with a discussion about preparing for event day, delegating properly and making sure your suppliers are fully briefed — especially when you’re the one your audience is there to see.

Key takeaways
 Understanding your outcomes and audience is the foundation of every successful event. If you skip this step, everything downstream becomes harder. Specificity is your greatest advantage; niche events outperform broad ones because people crave relevance. Don’t announce an event too early without key details — people make up their mind quickly and won’t revisit it later. Hybrid events sound appealing but often dilute the overall experience. On event day, delegate more than you think you need to. You can’t be the host, organiser and talent all at once.

Actions to take
 Document your outcomes, audience, budget and non-negotiables before doing anything else. Develop a clear event concept with a strong theme and compelling name. Launch with full information rather than a vague teaser. Automate your post-event feedback survey to go out immediately. Build support around you so you’re not juggling operational tasks on the day.

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