There are myths surrounding the integrity of free events. There are genuine ones, and we’d be looking at those in this article. There are misconceptions that any event that is free is done because of mediocrity disguised as value.
This in itself defines the approach of people to such an event. There are many other misconceptions concerning free events that will be discussed in this article.
What are free events? These are events that are made available to the target audience for free.
These events give the audience the impression that they are free and nothing has gone into the preparation for it. Well, this isn’t true at all. There’s so much more that goes on behind the scenes that people are not aware of.
One disadvantage of these kinds of events is that the people who get to attend are not streamlined. It is usually open to those who are serious-minded and those who are not. There are people who are of the opinion that if people ever had to pay for a life-changing event, they would take things seriously, and actively participate.
The following are the myths about free events.
1. It is organised at no cost
If you are of the opinion that the free events that have happened and are set to happen are put together at no cost, then you are wrong. It’s common for people to think that someone who decides to bring people together, either physically or virtually, to impart knowledge or engage them in any random activity, only entails the attitude of choosing and reaching out to the target audience, and the event takes place.
A wise man once said that any event that is free has been paid for by somebody. Someone has put a lot of resources into that free offer that you hopped on happily, hoping to get value for your time and above all anticipating that your decision is worth it.
2. It takes no effort to pull off
“It is free, so there’s not much planning to be done.” That is a wrong thing to say. It is wrong if you have that mentality. It takes loads of effort to put things in place. It takes people to rub minds together to pull off the right strategy for the event to be in place.
There’s a lot of thinking, strategy, probably arguments, and decision-making that goes into making the free event a reality. So, every event you attend that is free takes a lot of brain work, decision making, and resources.
3. It is free means it is not valuable
You might shoot yourself in the leg if you keep approaching free events with this mindset. Why then do you bother to attend? Is it that you have no regard for your time and yourself? Because why exactly would you go for an event that you think less of?
People have proven time and time again that while it is true that money is a good motivation, they will never compromise value because they are granting you access to an event organised by them without demanding money. There are still free events that have stayed true to value and will settle for nothing less.
This mindset must be demystified. Something can be learned. It affects your attitude. You should still approach it with the right mentality as if you paid for it.
4. The convener is half-baked and doesn’t deserve to be paid
This right here is a common assumption. The host is usually perceived as a half-baked person who does not deserve to be paid. That’s why it is free. That cannot be held on to as “true.” Not all organisers of free events don’t know their onions.
5. It does not require anything from you
That’s a lie. When we think about the word “free,” we think only of money. Your time, attention, resources, data and other things are what it requires from you. You spend money on transportation fees if it’s a physical event or on fuel; you also spend money on data if it’s a virtual event; it takes effort, it takes you sacrificing something or forgoing something in order to show up for the event, so don’t think that way anymore. Look through this perspective, and get your mind renewed.
However, be circumspect about any free event you’ll be attending. If it’s not someone who has records that you are familiar with; good records, you could do your research before attending. Remember, someone is paying for that free event.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then