Keeping Up With Current Trends in Event Marketing

The benefits of throwing a great corporate event or fundraiser are countless. Not only can a business showcase their care about the community or knowledge on a topic, but they can do this with current as well as potential customers in attendance. Companies are always looking for ways to improve their ROI, so the right event could be the perfect fit. Marketing the event will allow the event to fulfill its true potential, as an event with low attendance is not attractive to anyone. The following are trends that can be leveraged in event marketing that you can use for your next event. 

The Venue Matters

The venue that an event is being held at really matters as this can attract attendees that otherwise would have missed the event. A charity event being held at a historic venue not only can help drum up larger donations but gives the event a special characteristic. In the past, the venue that events were held at usually were not marketed as it was at a convention center or conference hall. Renting out a historical building, museum, or a renovated factory, for example, can give a nice boost in the attendance of an event as well as donations if this is a charity event. When considering a venue, make sure you consider how it will be marketed as every detail counts in event marketing. 

A Social Cause Getting a Small Percentage of Earnings Can Drive Attendance

Donating a portion of each ticket sale to a social cause can be a great way to drum up sales of tickets. This is also a great PR move as all companies want to be seen as socially conscious. More and more consumers are working with companies with which they agree in terms of where they source ingredients or what they support socially. The introduction of these informed consumers has made it more necessary than ever to support a social cause of the company’s choice going forward. 

Gathering Data From Past Events to Make the Next Even Better

Event planning industry trends have continued to shift in the digital age to focus the event more on the attendee’s experience. In the past, many events just took the next year’s event attendance as a sign they did a good job the year before. Now, with all of the data analytics and tools available, gathering this data is more important than ever before. A survey of how the event went or how it is going is important data to get. You might find people enjoyed the event the first day much more than the last day. This data should keep in mind that certain industries use events like conferences to entertain clients with long nights of partying. This could account for some skew in data for a conference or tradeshow held in Las Vegas, for example.  

Apps to Keep Attendees on Track 

Marketing to attendees can be tough, so developing an app can be a huge help. If attendees see an app associated with an event, they are going to think it is a top-of-the-line event. Not all events have apps, but this can be a great place to communicate with attendees, whether it is a delay in a presentation or a venue that has changed for a meet up after the event. Keep this simple, as a buggy app can lead people to delete it from their phone and could impact their experience in an extremely negative way. Make sure battery is not drained by this app as events are a constant blur of exchanging contact information.

As you can see, marketing for an event has changed drastically, even in the last decade. Keep up with the trends and market your event to the best of your ability.