Three Powerful Ways to Leveraging a Last Minute Event Crisis

9:30 last night I got a phone call from a past client. The person booked to host their session had come down ill and could I help them out at all?

The answer was, of course, YES!

To be honest, there was part of me that didn’t want to do the last minute prep and then have to get up at 6am but I also know what it is like searching for that last minute person. I couldn’t have my client “swinging in the breeze” as it were.

So this photo (with two GLARING bald patches) is from early this morning as we were about to kick it off.

I LOVE the last minute gigs. There was no pressure build up, there is no expectation (they are simply glad they have a host) and there is scope for more fun.

So how can you leverage these last minute gigs to take advantage of them? Here are three things I have done:

1 – Take Risks

Because there is no expectation, you have the freedom to take extra risks. The client is grateful you are able to step in, anything you do is better than the alternative of “No Host/Speaker.” So push yourself. Naturally you will still remain on brand and professional but now is the time to try something new. This morning I used more sounds than usual, the new feature in OBS I had been playing with, and a couple of different approaches in the chat box.

What could you do? What content, style or approach could you try that still delivers to the goals of the event but stretches you in a practical environment?

2 – Make the Organiser the Star

It was lovely to receive the gratitude for stepping in, but I deflected most of it to the organiser. I wanted to make them the star so that they were seen to solve the problem. I did this because if I can make them look good and their boss knows that the organiser was the one to solve the problem, who do you think they will call next time?

It is a not-very-subtle way to get in good with the organiser for the next event. If you can recover in a way that is fantastic and makes the client and the delegates happy, maybe they will call you first next time? Deflecting or at least sharing the credit with the organiser will do wonders for your business in the long term.

How can you make the organiser look good? What sort of comments can you make during your presentation or time on camera that reinforce how they have solved a major issue?

3 – Marketing Opportunity

Let your target market know that you can help in times of crisis. Get some footage, share the story, or maybe even write a LinkedIn Article (that’s very meta!!) Often your target market will not think to call you or think of you as a resource to call on in a time of crisis. If you are comfortable performing or even enjoy performing a last minute presentation or hosting opportunity, then make sure your regular clients know about it.

Once they have experienced how you can “save the day” for them, no doubt they will have you in their “people to call” list. It becomes another element of your marketing. Not a huge focus but definitely an opportunity you can share with your list.

How can you share the story of your last minute crisis aversion in a manner that your target market will be interested?

Today’s event went really well.

After the event, the client said that I had raised the bar on the kind of virtual events they have been holding and that she and the organising committee were super grateful. Now I know the original host would have done a great job. No doubt they have a different style to mine and I know that doesn’t make mine better, just different. It is the feeling the organiser had that their problem was solved that made mine feel better. (Maybe I have a few extra tricks?)

So now it is time to follow my own advice. Create the marketing piece and let people know that I am happy to receive phone calls asking for last minute speaking/hosting. By the time you get to the end of this article, I will have done that!

So sing out if your host, producer or speaker has had to cancel last minute and I will see what I and my network can do to help.