The Mornington Peninsula Shire runs workshops and business training opportunities throughout the year. Facilitators for these activities are sought through an EOI process. Subscribe to our business e-newsletter for notification.
To ensure that the industry development program offers quality relevant educational opportunities delivered by locals to locals, proposed events/activities need to:
Why are you running your event? What do you want attendees to get out of it? Why would they come?
It sounds like a simple question, but it can take some serious thought. When you’re identifying your purpose your focus should be on your attendees – what will they get out of it? The effort you put in during the planning stage will pay off at the other end when you hold a successful event.
It is important to be specific, as the purpose of your event should be factored into all elements of your event planning and delivery. It might be helpful to consider:
Who is your target audience? This will influence your topic and the ‘voice’ you use to address that audience.
Identifying your target audience
Your event will be more effective if it is targeted to a specific group, as you will be delivering the right information to the right people in the right way.
Ideally, industry development events should aim to provide business information directly to the groups that need it most.
Who do you want to talk to? Who needs to know the information you are sharing? Who will be interested in attending your event? Be specific. It might be helpful to consider:
Common traps
Your first thought might be that your target audience is everyone who has a business.
This may not be specific enough, as different businesses will have different needs. For example, you might want to run an event about Facebook marketing for business. But the information needs, mode of delivery, and even the most convenient location and time for your event will differ greatly between different business types such as startups and established businesses.
In order to communicate effectively with your audience, you need to speak to them in a manner that is appropriate, relevant and useful – and you cannot speak to everyone effectively in the same manner. It is critical that your presenter has the skills to engage with your target audience.
Considerations
When planning your event, you should think about your hook.
Your target audience should dictate:
When identifying your target audience, it is also important to consider if you have a way to reach an audience to let them know about your event. You should plan to promote the event yourself as much as possible.
When deciding on your event format, it’s always essential to consider your target audience’s needs and capabilities.
Your target audience is the most important factor to consider when choosing an event format.
What type of event is the most suitable for them? It might be helpful to consider:
There are many ways to deliver information and creativity in event design is welcome. An activity or event could be delivered as:
Below is some information about different specific event formats to help you make your decision.
In-person events
In-person events will be more likely to attract your target audience if held at locations that the target audience frequents or are easy for them to get to – go to where your audience is, rather than expecting them to come to you.
If you would like to run an in-person event, it might be helpful to consider:
Make sure you have a back-up plan in place, in case your event has to change or cannot proceed in-person.
Live online events
Live online events such as webinars, can be a cost-effective way to reach a wide audience. You may want to consider running an event online to take advantage of the benefits.
It’s important to consider the limitations of online events and whether a live online event meets the needs of your target audience
The Shire’s Business and Industry Support team is here to provide you with support to help ensure your activity is as effective as possible. Successful event submissions receive:
Last updated March 2026
