A well-hosted seminar can give your clients and prospects a positive impression of your business.

“It’s like a good party,” says Gerri Leder, president of LederMark Communications LLC in Baltimore. “The small details suggest a method of organization, attention to detail and follow-through, the sum total of which clients will evaluate your practice on.”

Many of those details begin before anyone even takes a seat. Here are a few tips to ensure you play perfect host at your next seminar:

> Call ahead
Phone your expected guests to confirm they are coming to the seminar. Leder suggests calling 24 hours before the event.

Ask your expected guests to let you know if they have a change of plans, and inform them that you will find others to fill their seats if they can’t attend. That way, you imply there is limited space and high demand for your event.

> Take a walk
Assess the venue for the seminar by looking at it through a visitor’s eyes.

On the day of the event, do a “visitor’s tour” of the site, says Sara Gilbert, founder of Strategist in Montreal. Walk from the parking lot to the venue. Make sure there are clear markers and signs to properly direct your guests.

> Offer a warm welcome
Get the seminar off to the right start by greeting your guests at the door. Making guests feel welcome lowers the barriers to doing business with you.

“The advisor’s role should be one of hospitality,” Leder says.

To make sure everyone at the seminar is greeted properly, have other team members at the door in case several guests arrive at once.

> Get names right
Prepare name tags for your team and your guests to avoid the awkward situations that arise when you or others forget a name.

“Some advisors are not keen about name tags,” Gilbert says. “But they are a good idea.”

You or a team member may have a forgetful moment and fail to recall the name of a client’s spouse right away.

Name tags are especially helpful if the clients at the event have not yet met your entire team, Gilbert says. They are a way for your staff to be recognized.

> Take note
Create a list of who attends the seminar to simplify your follow-up process.

Use a sign-in sheet as people come in, says Leder. That way, you can take note of guests who RSVP’d and arrived, and those who did not attend.

When you follow up to thank people for coming, you avoid the embarrassing mistake of calling someone who RSVP’d but was a no-show.

IE