Data sourced from Dakota Marketplace, the global LP and GP intelligence platform trusted by thousands of investment professionals. Learn More | Book a Demo
Dakota has run more than 30 events a year for the past five years, everything from Dakota Cocktails to its Annual Conference to Data Summits.
Here's what the team who built that program from a single event in 2021 says actually matters when you're starting from zero.
Top 10 Things For Hosting an Event
1. Start With Who, What, When, Where, and Why
Before booking a venue, answer the basics: who the event is for, what the audience looks like, what the firm is trying to accomplish, where it makes sense to hold it, and why it's worth hosting at all. The why gets skipped most often, and it's the one that matters most. A clearly documented why becomes the tiebreaker when the team disagrees on a decision later.
2. Get Alignment Before Planning, Not During
Too many opinions in the planning process make it hard to define and target the event. Multiple layers of internal approval compress an already short timeline, and planning an event two months out while collecting sign-off from several parties leaves little room to execute well. Get everyone working toward the same goal before planning starts.
3. Expect Some Trial and Error
Fixating on the return of a single event is a common way to talk yourself out of hosting one. Dakota tested events in Detroit and Birmingham, saw weaker turnout in both, and pivoted. That's a normal part of building a program. The first event only has to answer one question: whether there's a second one.
4. Start With One Event, Not Five
A vision of 50 events a year will overwhelm the team and create internal conflict before anything's been proven. Start with one well-run event. That's what proves the team can execute and earns the room to plan the next one.
5. Set a Per-Head Budget Parameter
Dakota sets a per-person cost parameter, currently $150 a head, multiplied by expected attendance to produce the budget for each event. The number itself isn't the point, having a defined parameter is. It's what lets the team source a venue, request a contract, and sign without seeking approval on every line item.
Book a demo to see how Dakota Marketplace helps firms find the right people to invite.
6. Use an Annual View to Balance Markets
That per-head figure rolls up into an annual view: cost per head multiplied by number of events gives the yearly budget. A more expensive city like New York can run closer to $175 a head and get offset by a less expensive market like Minneapolis, which creates flexibility on where and how to host while still landing on budget at year end.
7. Staff the Room by Role, Not Interest
Travel costs add up quickly, so who from the internal team attends should be defined by role. Dakota's core team for each event is the account executive covering the territory plus their BDRs, the CSM with the most clients in that market (or a substitute if they can't attend), and one person handling event logistics on site. Understaffing is the bigger risk: attendees came to build relationships too, and a room without enough team members present is a missed opportunity.
8. Build Venue Relationships, but Don't Rely on Them Exclusively
Repeat venues that understand the budget will proactively bring options that fit, which makes booking faster, and established relationships can reduce cost. Treating venue event coordinators well is a genuine differentiator; not every organization does it. Still, mix go-to venues with new ones so the program doesn't become repetitive.
9. Document Everything From Day One
Dakota still refers back to the notes taken on its first five events in 2021. That record is what eventually lets a team run events without needing sign-off for every detail. It usually takes just one or two well-run, well-documented events to bring internal stakeholders on board.
10. Plan for Imperfection, Not Perfection
No event goes exactly to plan. A recent London event had the fire alarm going off for the first hour, and most attendees never knew. The fix: a clear division of labor on site, where the events team solves the problem while sales and customer success work the floor and keep attendees engaged. That division only works if it's established before the event, not improvised during it.
Just Start.
Neither of Dakota's event leads started as full-time event planners. The program was built by starting, documenting, and iterating, one event at a time. Or, as the Dakota-ism goes: throw your hat over the wall. Whether it becomes a program is a decision that can wait.
Want to see how Dakota built an events program that runs 30+ events a year from a single event in 2021? Book a demo to see how Dakota Marketplace helps firms find the right people to invite.
