A RevOps/Enablement Guide To Planning Events For Sales & Revenue Teams
The Logistics of Sales Event Planning
👋 Hi, it’s Alicia, and welcome to ProspectUp my weekly newsletter highlighting frameworks to build high performing sales teams from a RevOps & Enablement Perspective.
Let's get this straight—as someone who is NOT a "rah-rah, drink the Kool-Aid" type of personality (surprising, I know, given my role in Enablement) and someone who LOVES working from home, I am shocked to say that I actually quite enjoy quarterly company meet-ups.
In-person sales events have a tangible impact on employee retention, general team satisfaction, and alignment. Remote work makes it easy for people to drift off and multitask when they need to be focused. From an enablement perspective, these events are a great way to capture your team’s undivided attention and drive home crucial knowledge transfers.
On a personal note, I find quarterly events strike the perfect balance. They offer enough interaction to satisfy my extroverted side while respecting my introverted need for space (#IntrovertedExtrovert). Plus, the mix of office settings and less formal social environments like bars or baseball games creates a relaxed atmosphere where real connections happen. It’s also a unique experience on the company’s dime!
The goal of this blog post is to give you a high-level overview of what you need to know to throw a successful sales event—from event types, agendas, decks, attendees, to project management.
There's so much detail for each event that would make this post too long, so I’ll go deeper on each event types in future posts.
Two Main Types of Sales Events
1.Quarterly Business Review (QBR)
Intent:
Review major accounts and strategies.
Set commitments and plans.
Ensure accountability.
Audience:
Sales Managers
Account Executives
Frequency:
Quarterly, 2-3 weeks after the start of the new quarter.
Sales Kick-Off (SKO):
Intent:
Celebrate the past year’s achievements and/or reflect on missed opportunities.
Review key metrics and accomplishments.
Reinforce core values and goals for the upcoming year.
Team building.
Audience:
Entire revenue team (AEs, SDRs, Solutions Engineer, Enablement, RevOps, Customer Success and Marketing)
Frequency:
Annually in January
What to Include In Your Slides and Agendas
Agenda Template (presentation View)
Agenda Template (Document View)
For both events, you should do a retrospective of the numbers and have updates from relevant functions. QBR updates might just be from sales leaders and the product team, whereas SKO updates would also include Marketing, Customer Success, etc.
Here’s what’s typically included in the agenda:
Session topics
Meeting locations
Meal times
Additional Planning Considerations:
Pre-Event:
Weekly Meetings: For SKO, start meetings with stakeholders at least 3 months in advance. For QBR, start 4 weeks prior.
Swag Bags:Consider different sizes. Send a form ahead of time to gather this information.
Dietary Restrictions: Send a form ahead of time to gather dietary preferences.
Expense Policy: Make sure the expense policy is accessible, preferably in your company wiki.
Travel Arrangements: Have team members book their flights and get reimbursed. Book hotel rooms centrally.
Communication: Send a "What to Expect" email with all logistics details.
Post-Event:
Follow-Up: Share decks, recordings, and photos. Hire a professional photographer for SKO if possible.
Survey: Conduct a post-event survey using tools like Google Forms to gather feedback and improve future events.
By carefully planning and executing sales events, you create valuable opportunities for your team to connect, learn, and grow. Stay tuned for future posts that will delve into deeper into the specific event types and expand on the planning strategies.
Resources:
Agenda Template (presentation View)
Agenda Template (Document View)