We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: events should be an important part of your marketing strategy.
Events allow you to get to know your audience and to meet and greet them, whilst also giving you the opportunity to showcase your brand and products.
Creating an event which evokes positive emotions for attendees increases your brand loyalty.
However, despite all the pros that come from having events as part of your strategy, there is a pretty large con – they can be stressful to organize.
So, we’ve pulled together a handy guide to help you out.
What Event?
So first of all, you need to be thinking about what kind of event it is you want to do, which all comes down to what your objective is.
For example, if you want to increase marketing and sales, you should be looking at events such as trade shows and activations.
Then to really start to increase that brand awareness, you can look at events such as grand openings, fundraisers, product launches and press conferences.
The Questions
This is where you really need to get into the depths of the what’s and why’s of doing the event.
Apart from the purpose of the event, there are also a number of other factors you need to consider. Here are some questions you need to ask yourself:
When is the event?
What is our turnaround time?
What suppliers will we need?
What will our unique features be that will make us stand out?
What story do we want to tell?
Which team members are available and who is going to do what role?
What budget do we have? (and remember to factor in unexpected costs!)
During the event
Everything has been planned, it’s ready – but how do you guarantee it will go smoothly on the day?
Make sure you de-stress by organizing yourself. Prepare yourself for the day ahead by printing the contact list and event schedule. Remember to eat well and stay hydrated and most importantly, wear comfortable shoes. You’ll be on your feet all day so you’ll regret it if you don’t.
Prepare an emergency kit which might include things like ibuprofen, gaffer tape, a multi tool and safety pins. Cover all bases – you don’t want to be caught short.
