75+ Event Tips FREE

70+ Event Marketing Ideas


The importance of multi-channel event communications and positioning has never been more important and fast changing.

The ideas below are grouped by subject area.


Event Branding

1. Agree on an event mission and an elevator speech with key staff and stakeholders. It should be easy and known by key staffers and the customer service team. Repeat the summary often. The “mini” of the elevator speech can be on the web site home page, the direct mail, etc.
2. Create a simple, easy to use style guide and logo guidelines
3. If your association name is not built into your event name, create the connection. Example: “A service of xxx” “Hosted by”
4. Create a consistent event brand – logo, color palette, style, etc. and then change the theme as needed. Your graphic designers should respect your brand standards and still be able to create a campaign to promote the specific event. Link the brand back to the association and other event inventories as needed.
5. If your event has been or could be confused with another industry event, distinguish yourself.
6. Promote your not-for-profit as needed. Example: The abc association is a not-for-profit trade association that hosts the xxx Convention. The net proceeds of the event support the abc mission and activities throughout the year to expand the biotechnology industry and innovations.

7. If your event has an international attendance, promote the international aspects in your favor.
8. Provide exhibitors and key stakeholders with your event logo for print and online use.
9. Understand where your event competes in your marketplace and industry – differentiate and position where necessary.

Create a Pre Event Buzz and Attendee Registration

Know Your Prospective Attendees Pool

10. Know the 5-6 Key business challenges of your audience and center your theme, key messages, and event value around these “pain points.” Check your information via market research.
Examples of “pain points” – keeping up with technology, small business issues, intellectual property, technology transfer and translational research
11. Know your attendee demographics and your desired attendee profile pool. Demographics such as company size, primary business areas, primary business functions, professional titles, geographic location, buying power and any other relevant industry information.
12.Know the top 10 companies that send the most attendees by name. Watch for any trends.

Prospect Data
13. Know your “loyal” or “repeat” statistics attendees well and handle their needs early. Offer your loyal attendees a perk for registering very early, even without a brochure.
14.Have at least double the amount of email addresses compared to your mailing addresses.
15. If you rotate locations, know your data trends and play off of them. Example: when we move to the west coast, European attendance drops and Asian attendance picks up.
16.As appropriate, utilize local and state lists to freshen your prospect data.
17. As much as possible, make a data connection between hotel room reservations and registration.
18.Have a good internal or external list and data processer. Making decisions and choices requires good data manipulation. Example: Be able to quickly generate a data file of all active members who have attended ’06 and ’07 annual meeting who live in CA, AZ etc.
19.Partner with industry trade publications for fresh names – publishers live and die by their subscriptions lists. Association data is usually a step (or two) behind.
20. Measure, measure, measure list performance and adjust accordingly.

Email Marketing

21.Create an email marketing strategy that is parallel with your web site strategy. For both email marketing and web site strategy, create an editorial calendar that fosters debate and can adjust along the way.
22. If your prospective audience uses mobile devices, consider an email delivery format that will work for them. Text, link to etc.
23. Highly target your emails. Every broadcast email that is sent should have something of value to the reader. Examples are free downloads, breaking news, insights, free, free, free, free.
24. Encourage exhibitors to supply you with free stuff, content, discounts, coupons, prizes, tickets and more
25. Provide exhibitors with invites – electronic pass along items
26. The subject line is the most important copy. There are great resources on http://www.marketingsherpa.com/
27. Have a “join our mailing list” on every page of your web site.
28. Use your online registration confirmation process to begin event communications by securing investments and decisions to attend.
29. Always have and respect the “opt-out” process.

Invest in Your Event Web Site
30. What happens after the “first click” makes all the difference
a. Make sure you have a robust search feature so prospects can find their topic fast
b. When prospects are searching on the program, try to capture their email by giving them incentive to give it up.
Offer a free update, a planning tool, or something in
exchange for their email
31. “Pictures say 1,000 words” - Show off your event via photos on your web site
32. Understand the basics of Web 2.0 interactivities and social networking and decide which key features to try.
33. Create connection points for attendees to interact with each other prior to the event. Ideas such as groups on Linkedin or Facebook are low cost. Lyris tools or BDMetrics are licensed software that can provide more robust systems.
34. Add content relevant to the important event topics by adding free articles, blog commentary, free white papers, speaker interviews and insights from trends reports
35. Tap industry consultants and trade publication editors to write on important subject matter or issues. Provide them branding and recognition. Participatory journalism.
36. Search for your event web site via Google and other popular search engines. Make sure your key search words are used on the home page of your site. Stay current on search engine optimization. Your Google your “love links” are important and changing event urls for each event loses your search engine optimization (seo) so make your decisions on what is important.
37. Fresh content ideas
a. Ask an editorial leader to conduct an audio or written interview on your event chair or on a trend to insert into your event home page.
b. Ask a local leader to create a restaurant favorite list for your web site travel section
c. Add testimonials to your web site
d. Conduct “man on the street” interviews to digitize for the next event site. Or photos with captions.
e. Ask a session moderator to write two paragraphs about why this session is an important topic.
38. Use industry standard size banner ads if you plan on selling banner ads on your site.
39. Create banner ads to give to affiliates and exhibitors.

Sharpen and Focus Your Direct mail

40. Show your event value proposition. Use storyboarding to organize the story you want to tell; don’t just dive into logistics as if the reader needs those first.
41.Know and measure the prospects you spend postage money on – keep track of when they last “voted with their feet” and drop them if they don’t travel to the region your event will be held.
42. Know your postage regulations 6” x 9” is back!
43. Don’t forget about the value of a #10 envelope mailing!
44. Variable data printing is getting easier and less expensive. Try it and measure your results.
45. If you traditionally have two key event mailings, add a third via a partnership with a publisher for a “pre event planner” or add an exhibitor card deck. Card decks are from the 70’s and they still work! Contact Bliss Beasley at http://www.aesmarketing.com/
46. Don’t’ be afraid to send the same brochure twice or only change the cover. It works.
47. Make use of your exhibitors in reaching prospects. Provide supplies of postcards, brochures or pass along email invites to the exhibitors early.
48. Consider creating a virtual brochure for audiences you choose not to spend postage money on.

Media Outreach

49. Use your business challenges as part of your media outreach messages to create editorial coverage of your event via pressing topics.
50. Embrace controversy if your event will help solve or continue the debate. Controversy sells tickets!
51. Issue a calendar release - don’t forget to issue a calendar press release to ensure your event is listed on industry calendars. It is simple but often overlooked.
52. Create and host backgrounders in your web site media section.
53. Prepare your web site so that media can cover your event from afar. It will pay off.
54. Offer exclusive stories where you need to earn trust and ensure coverage.
55. Know and tap into the blogosphere.
56. Use http://www.prweb.com/ and dig well!
57. Consider showing off your media attendance by placing the tv/radio interview areas in a most public area. Promote a podcasting or blogging area. Attendees love to feel the attention.
58. Promote the media list to the exhibitor, with permission.


Making Your Event Relevant to Your Target Audience
59. Use the search feature on the web site to help prospects quickly find the topic on which they are interested.
60. Offer a pre event planning tool so that the attendees can quickly justify their attendance with marketing sessions, exhibitors and events they value. They then have a “justification report.”
61.Create an easy connection for attendees to connect with exhibitors. Showcase the exhibitors products and services.
62. Once you have a registration from one company or organization, make the business case why another title or position should attend.
63. If you have international attendees, create a network of “delegation organizers” to assist you in understanding their country specific needs, business challenges, and issues. The delegation organizers can serve as an information broker or translator that can assist in bringing out value or relevance.
a. Provide incentives to the delegation organizer as needed.
b. Involve international travel agents as needed.
64. Once an attendee has registered, keep sharing the value of attending and business reasons to attend. Make them feel secure about their investment.

Ensure the Return Attendee and Word of Mouth Marketing

Ensure your success - over delivering on event value creates repeat attendees

65. Create as many onsite networking opportunities as possible
66. Create a personal feel and hosts as many niche events as possible for attendees to meet each other.
a. Create as many possible “hang out” and “lobby bar” areas in places around your convention center or hotel. Some examples include small seating areas, cash bar with lounge furniture, and gathering spots around coffee.
For instance, if the convention center has a Starbucks, ask for tables or expanded seating during your event.
b. Create small gathering areas in your exhibit hall.
c. Promote free wireless where available. Folks will have impromptu business meetings.
d. Organize casual and promote discussions such as “think and drink” sessions, informal salons or café discussions.
e. Promote “birds of a feather” discussions
f. Offer a reception after a committee meeting or a session of like attendees. Great sponsorship opportunities.
67. Help attendees find “like” attendees
a. Example: promote CFOs meet at the back bar at the beginning of the opening reception
b. Example: Women in BIO meet at the Fountain at 5 pm.
c. Offer egroups on your web site
d. Publish or make available an attendee list, housing list or a message service, or whatever is appropriate.
68. The old school thinking of conventions – you give and you get. You register, you sit, you listen
The new school is you give, get, exchange, use. Know how to engage your current customers, so that they experience the total
value of exchanging ideas and taking them home for immediate use in their immediate business challenges.
69. Everyone wants to know where the parties are – publish a list on your web site, as appropriate. Let those affiliated events add to your event’s networking value.
70. Create as much personal feel as possible.
a. Create a “flickr” photo uploading process to the web site onsite so attendees can support your personal event feel. http://www.flickr.com/
b. Promote photos via a slide show or during the walk-in
c. Implement a Google map to show where attendees hail from – get really fancy and add photos!
71. Offer and promote onsite blogging as it adds a personal feel and assists with your search engine optimization
72. Create a print or online show daily and use as many photos as possible to promote the networking side of your event.
73. Promote attendees networking with exhibitors.
74. Assign your BOD and leadership sections of the exhibit hall to visit.

75. Create a theater on the exhibit floor. Tap consultants or trade publications to offer “lighter” educational sessions within the exhibit hall or host a contest where attendees can interact and meet each other.
a. Have staff ride the shuttle buses or hang out in common areas to learn from attendees’ conversation topics.