Exploring Agency Growth - How Running a Successful Breakfast Event Can Attract New Customers and Drive Quick Sales

Interested in finding out more about how to run a successful breakfast event, to both reach new prospective customers and ultimately drive new sales? Let's get into it!

Why might prospects want to attend a breakfast event?

Marketing managers, e-commerce managers, brand managers, technical managers, whatever their level and job title, will want to know what they don't already know, if it can help them progress their business remit or personal agenda. So, if you can add value that helps them progress, the chances are they will attend, especially if it’s exclusive, small, and involves an alluring guest list. And if they can't attend now, they may attend another one in the future.

How do you get prospects to attend a breakfast event?

Create a specific email sequence and/or Dripify LinkedIn campaign where you can tell your target audience about the event. Keep it short, snappy and relevant. This is not a one-off event, it’s one of a series that you may run every quarter or even monthly if you can prove the demand. Email and LinkedIn messaging are the perfect medium to peak interest and create intrigue.

What should the invite say?

Pick a topic that will resonate with your target market. It could be growth-related, pain-related, or the next big thing. Let them know it's an exclusive event, invitation only, for 12 leading marketers from XYZ brands, where the topic for discussion is highly attractive and relevant to growth. Make the messaging personal, intriguing, and premium, proving a sense of luxury and fear of missing out.

When do you start marketing the breakfast event?

Start promoting the breakfast event four weeks out, sending a follow-up and reminder each week until the event itself is fully subscribed. And of course, send a reminder the night before to those who have confirmed their attendance, and again in the morning of the event. You will get a couple of last-minute dropouts, so maybe factor this into your final list of numbers, know you could accommodate everyone if all 12 attend.

How many people should you invite?

The most successful breakfast events are when you nail the chemistry and peer support in the room. So be selective about who your email sequences and Dripify LinkedIn campaigns are going to. Think in batches of 20-30 carefully selected people. Some you may have met before and one or two may already be a customer/advocate. You want to get a good blend of people, some ideal prospects, some larger ones, some smaller ones, and some who have already been there and done it.

What time should you run the event?

Everyone is different and works differently, but feedback suggests 9.30am - 11am is the best window, to ensure you get fewer last-minute drops outs. People have the school run, commute times, travel delays and so on, so you want to run the event at a time when people are available, and before they get distracted from the usual working day activity.

What should the venue look like?

The venue needs to have kerb appeal. It needs to be intriguing, inspiring and potentially edgy relative to your target market. Maybe somewhere they don’t usually go. Somewhere effortlessly cool, relative to the audience you are looking to attract. A private dining room at Soho House, The Ivy, or another slightly notable establishment will provide another reason to attend. 

What should the tone of your emails look like?

The emails and LinkedIn messages need to be a personal invite, from you to them, making them feel wanted and special. You are not selling to them, you are asking them if they will get value from a privileged discussion with other big hitters at either their or, slightly above their level. It’s exclusive and premium, not a mass event.

What should you budget?

Breakfast is a relatively low-cost and effective way of keeping the budget to a minimum. Experience suggests you can run an exclusive 12-person event, with breakfast included for less than £800-£1,000. Poached eggs and bacon from a five-star restaurant will leave a positive taste and impression on your prospects.

What should the agenda be?

This is where you need to bring the value, and that of your other guests. Potentially invite a guest speaker, but you need to run an agenda that is going to deliver value, such as how to grow from £20M to £50M, or what the next big thing might be. It has to add value. It's not a sales message. Sales will follow as a byproduct of the event.

How does the overall experience feel?

 You want your prospects to feel excited about attending the breakfast event. Give them a warm welcome when they arrive, have the room set up beautifully, with branded pads and pens, and name tags ready on everyone's table place. Brief the server before your guests arrive on how you want the schedule for the morning to run, so they know when to take the food orders etc. It needs to deliver an experience relative to the customer service they will get from your agency should they become a client in the near future.

When do you give your guests the hard sell?

You don't. Getting them to attend is the hard sell, where you are selling them on a free-to-attend exclusive event, with a free 5-star breakfast, in a premium and intimate setting, with some of the industry’s brightest minds and biggest names (relative to them). They are not there buying a 12-month contract. That will follow as the relationship develops and they can see the value you bring to their own objectives. Once they are there, it's a soft relationship-based sell.

What happens after the breakfast event?

Thank them for coming, follow up with the meeting notes, and get ready to invite them to the next one if they develop into a warmish prospect from the event. You can ask if there is anything they need any help with, but again it’s a soft memorable sell that keeps you front of mind.

Summary

Don't delay, Breakfast events are quick and easy to fill if you have the right agenda, the right guest lists, the right special guest speaker, and the right location. You will be amazed how many meaningful relationships can develop in a relatively short and inexpensive period of time, which can lead to a free paid-media or SEO audit, or an invitation to present ideas for a creative campaign. Think quick wins and a foot in the door and you can do well from breakfast events.

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