101 event marketing tips to make your next event a success

101 event marketing
tips and tools
email ask@leadharvest.com.au phone (02) 8038 5098 website leadharvest.com.au | Page 1

#1
Identify your
event objectives
and the ‘why’ behind
your event. I.e. why are
you holding this event
and what is the ultimate
goal? For example: to
connect your customers,
inspire your staff, launch
a product or increase
sales?


#2
Once your objectives are identified you
need to determine how they will be
measured.


Research
Internally – has
your company held
an event like this in
the past? What
worked / what
didn’t. Externally –
what are your
competitors doing?

#3

#4
Develop a detailed project plan that clearly identifies
key milestones, the steps required to achieve those
milestones and an allocated time frame.


For more complex
events with multiple
stakeholders, use a
project management
software.

#5

Forum Group Events uses
TeamworkPM but there are
countless options that will
keep you organised, aware of
deadlines, and keep your
project on track.


Learn to delegate

#6

Get some help-there is no I in team for a
reason! Events are never the result of
one person’s effort’s alone. Ensure you
have a great support team to assist you
and your event will be better off for it.


#7

Have regular WIP (Work In Progress) meetings with all
participating parties including clients, suppliers and
your events team.

#8 Create a budget and be sure to
include a 10% contingency. Unexpected
costs are guaranteed to arise!


Be realistic about
your capabilities.
It’s better to
under promise
and over deliver.

#9

#10
Don’t be afraid to negotiate. Before a
conversation with a vendor or supplier, make
a list of everything you need from them,
determine your budget and then give them a
number that is 5 – 10% lower.


Develop a sponsorship prospectus and
recruit sponsors who can add value to your
event either through cash or in-kind
sponsorship.

#11


#12 Utilise your existing resources.
What can be managed in house?


#13 Call in the professionals where
needed. Use trusted suppliers for key
areas of the event that you know will do
the job right. Even if they are more
expensive – you are paying for quality.

#14 Always be one
step ahead in your
planning. What are the
things your client, suppliers,
or delegates are going to be
thinking / asking you when
you tell them X? Have an
answer or solution
prepared...think of all
possible outcomes.


When looking at your venue location,
always consider parking / transport –
how will your guests get to the event?
This is an important factor. If it’s too
hard, people won’t attend.

#15


#16

Wherever possible, complete a site inspection.
It’s important that you see a space for yourself
to ensure it is suitable and meets your
requirements.


#17 Create 3D
artist impressions
or renders. This is
the best way to
visualise your event
and will become a
useful resource for
briefing others
involved in the
event.


#18
When contracting minimum numbers with
venues, always give a lower number so
you’re not stuck paying for extra seats
should you not reach your target attendance
number.

#19
Choosing an
appropriate date.
These may be fixed beyond your
control but if you do have a choice it
will help obtain the best
attendance/response from your target
audience. Check whether your event
will clash with other events competing
for your audience’s attention as well as
public holidays.

#20
For free corporate
events such as
educational seminars
it’s best to hold the
event either first thing
in the morning or after
work – i.e. it’s hard for
delegates to get away
from the office in the
middle of the day.


#21
Incorporate a point of
difference. Try to offer
something the attendees
are unlikely to have
encountered before in
the entertainment,
theming, food, etc. so
that you can create a
talking point that will
leave a lasting impact.
The ‘WOW’ moment.


Walk through the
whole event from
start to finish as if
you were attending
the event. Make sure
you are creating the
best experience
possible. Ask
yourself, how easy is
the registration
process? Is the
program allow for
sufficient breaks? Is
there enough
catering? Create an
event that you would
want to attend.

#22


Event Marketing and Promotion


#23

Market towards the right people identify your key demographics and
target them through the appropriate
mediums. For example younger
generations respond to social media
invites through facebook, however
business professionals are more
likely to engage through linked in
and / or email marketing.


#24
Use more than one method
for marketing your event to
gain maximum exposure.
E.g. email marketing,
telemarketing, social media
and / or press releases.


Make sure that your branding is consistent
across all event communications and that you
are adhering to your company branding
guidelines.

#25


#26

Develop a detailed marketing plan
with a timeline for communications.


Send your invite out at least
6 weeks prior to ensure
optimum response rate.

#27


#28
Ensure that all pre-event
communications include
a call to action.


Regardless of how big or
small your event may be,
create an event website.

#29

This can be through
Eventbrite (for the smaller
ones) or Etouches (for
larger events). In today’s
world everyone seeks
more information online,
so it only makes sense to
offer an event website (or
at the very least a page
with the event details on
your website).


#30

Further to the above point, make your
website responsive - i.e. adapts to
users on a mobile device such as
tablets or mobile phones.

To capture
registrations,
use an online
registration site
such as
etouches.

#31

You can completely
customise your
registration process &
questions, provide
automated
confirmations as well as
web-based real time
reporting.

#32
Let your audience do
your marketing for you
by incentivising the
process so that they
are encouraged to
bring more people
along to the event. For
example, tell a friend
offers for 20% work
really well.


#33
Offer an early bird registration rate.


#34
Combine a
catchy teaser
with a QR code
to the event
website if you
are marketing
your event to the
public.


Use tools such a
Hootsuite to manage
your social media
posts all in the one
platform.

#35


#36
Make use of Social
Media advertising,
such as linkedin and
facebook ads. For a
small cost, there is
opportunity for mass
exposure.


#37
Create a twitter
hashtag and include
it in all pre-event
communications.
Build hype in the
lead up to the event.


#38

Telemarketing for the event both pre
and post is a great tool to gather
feedback and understand exactly
what your customers are looking for.


#39

Promote your event on related
blogs, forums or event listing
sites targeted at your
demographic.


Track the statistics from your marketing
communications. The size of your
database, what percentage are opening it
and how many are registering. By
knowing how many people are opening
the emails or unsubscribing, and
comparing with statistics from social
media, you should gain a good
understanding of what is working, what to
do more of, what to do less of.

#40


#41
Have a dedicated email address or
phone number for any event enquiries
in the lead up to the event.


#42
Send a final confirmation email a day or
two prior with all of the event details –
timings, venue, dress code, parking
information, etc.


#43
Send a reminder SMS the
day prior with event details like
location and start time. It
makes it easy for the
attendees to find the venue
without having to search for
the email confirmation to find
the address.


#44
Be prepared!
Failing to plan means planning to fail.


#45
Regularly refer to and make
updates to your project plan.


#46
Re-visit your budget weekly to ensure that costs
are within the allocated amounts at all times.


Create briefs for all suppliers
involved with an event and be very
specific. Don’t leave anything open
to interpretation or allow for any
oversight. Make sure you schedule
a final briefing meeting as well to
talk through the brief. Either face to
face or over the phone.

#47


#48
Have contingency
plans in place.
E.g. wet weather
contingency. Speak to
your suppliers about
what they suggest.


#49
Ensure that you have all the necessary
paperwork from your suppliers including
public liability and work cover.


#50
Make sure that all
agreements and
conversations are
documented in writing or
via email, in case any
discrepancies arise.


Make sure you
have all the
required permits.
E.g. lottery
permits for
competitions.

#51

#52
Always consider your
demographic when
booking speakers and
or entertainers. Be
conscious of cultural
sensitivities. You don’t
want to offend anyone
or make them
uncomfortable.


#53
Consider factors such as
disability access, translators or
any other services that may be
required for attendees.


#54
Have a clear agenda for the
event. Have this on the event website
and have print-outs available including
maps for customers upon registration.
Make it clear exactly what is
happening when and where.


#55
Ensure that sufficient
time for breaks / walking
between sessions has
been allocated.


Incorporate the use of a mobile app to
share event information and engage
with attendees.

#56


#58 but for the events it does apply to, sure
#57 but for the eventsit does apply to, ititsure

makes them more fun. Select a theme fits fits
makes them more fun. Select a theme thatthat youryour
participants and purpose of your event.
participants and thethe purpose of your event.

#58

Play good music. Good music is
different for everyone though so if you
will be playing music, make sure it
resonates with target audience, and is
at an appropriate decibel level.


Hire a good photographer and
videographer; they provide countless
opportunities to extend the life of the
event too.

#59


Incorporate the use of event apps.
iSurvey (good for feedback forms), iLead
(lead capturing) and iBanquet (table
seating allocations) are a few examples
of apps that are useful for event planners.

#60


If there’s a networking component to the
event, another great app is CardMunch.
CardMunch enables you take a photo of any
business card and then finds the person on
LinkedIn for you so that you can send them a
request straight away.

#61


Always ask about attendee’s
dietary restrictions if there
will be food served. There’s
nothing worse than going to an
event and not being able to eat
anything.

#62


#63
Always have coffee, tea and
water available to delegates.


Have room temperature or
lukewarm water for speakers.
Cold water is not as good for
the vocal chords.

#64


#65
Test microphones beforehand during
sound check. There’s nothing worse
than listening to the loud screech of
microphone feedback during an event.


#66
If learning is a component, share
knowledge through different mediums to
cater for different learning styles. E.g.
visual, audio or kinaesthetic. Graphic
artist drawings of the sessions projected
on screen are a great way for visual
learners to recall information.


#67 Ensure you provide a thorough briefing to all staff
onsite. They are the ones who will be connecting most with
your attendees - they need to know everything about the event
- where are the toilets, what time is the session, the names of
the rooms, who is speaking during this session, when will the
event finish. Let them impress attendees with their knowledge!


#68
Include images of
the staff/speakers.
People like to see
pictures of other
people. They like to
know who they are
dealing with and who
they will be listening
to. Include headshots
where appropriate.


Understand the flow of
people through a room. If
you are unsure how the
layout of the event will
work, do a run through
yourself by pretending you
are a customer. If you
cannot see something
properly - move it. If
something is not set up
correctly - fix it. You need
to see the event through
the customers eyes.

#69

#70
If you have a small
budget for
entertainment,
reach out to local
dance schools.


#71

Make the most of your AV.
Never underestimate the effect that lighting
and projections can have on theming a room.


Schedule a rehearsal with speakers prior
to the event to run through their
requirements and check their presentation.

#72


Develop a delivery schedule.
List all items that are being
sent to the venue and tick
these off as they arrive. Have
return delivery labels handy so
they can easily be couriered
back to the office at the end of
the event.

#73


#74
Be creative with the way
you serve your catering
through unique catering
stations & unconventional
serving platters – tie it into
the theme of the event. E.g.
if your client is related to a
particular product, use that
product to serve the food.


#75
Contrast – mix contrasting elements for a striking
look with your theming. Old building? Add in
elements of crystal and modern glamour. Steel city
building? Add in organic, natural elements of grass
and fresh flowers.


#76

Book your accommodation room blocks
and flights / travel arrangements well in
advance to get the best rates possible.

#77
Read the fine print!
Always check your
contracts including
cancellations clauses.


#78
Make use of work experience students or volunteers for cost
effective onsite assistance. However make sure that these people
have basic roles such as greeting people, directing people.
Nothing with too much responsibility.

#79
Create a detailed cue sheet for
the audio visual / production side
of the event. Make it very clear
what is happening at all times with
the lights, music, stage wash, etc.
Have a production meeting before
hand and a rehearsal to ensure
the av crew know exactly what is
happening. The more detailed,
more prepared you are. The more
seamless the production will be
and less work for you onsite.


Reserve the back rows of a room to encourage
attendees to fill the front seats first.

#80


#81
Always make sure there is
enough food! There is
nothing worse than hungry
guests. It will be the thing
they remember long
afterward.


#82
As you think about
hiring your
entertainment talent,
find out where and for
whom they’ve
previously performed.
Make certain that you
view a demo video or
check their
references with a
couple of phone calls.


#83

Save the phone numbers of key staff and suppliers in
your contacts on your mobile phone so you can quickly
call people if needed onsite (rather than having to
search through emails or documents to find their
contact details).


#84

If budget permits, hire
walkie talkie headsets so
that you can
communicate with key
staff onsite (it saves you
from running around to
multiple places
throughout
the day).


#85

Prepare a detailed run sheet for onsite
that outlines exactly what is happening,
when, where and at what time.


Make sure that you give yourself enough time
for bump in. Liaise with suppliers to find out
how much set up time they need.

#86


#87

Prepare a well-stocked
event kit containing every
item you might possibly
need, such as tape,
stapler, extra nametags,
scissors, pens and
pencils, first-aid kit,
camera and batteries.
Create a checklist
incorporating these items.


#88
Put a smile on, while keeping a positive and cheerful character.
Attendees can tell if you look stressed so make sure you maintain
your smile at all times and keep calm, cool, and collected no matter
what happens. Always remember that managing an event is all
about interacting with people to deliver the best results.


#89

Provide delegates with a
freebie or giveaway that will
be of use post event and will
have them be reminded of
your brand for a long time to
come. This could be a
backpack for example. Use
subtle branding (consider
having your logo in the lining
of the bag as opposed to on
the outside) and don’t include
any dates – you
want delegates to actually
use the item again in the
future.


#90
Send follow up emails. Thank your customers for attending the
event and include some points as to where they can go for more
information. Where possible send personal follow-up emails.

#91
Ask attendees to complete a post
event survey with a prize incentive.


#92
If an objective of your event was to
increase sales, make sure that any
attendee leads are forwarded to the
sales team in order for them to follow
up and close the deal.


#93

Continue engaging with attendees post event via
social media. A great way to do this is to post the event
photos online and enable delegates to tag themselves
and share with their social networks.


Turn the recorded content
from your event sessions
into formatted videos that
can be used as a resource
post event – for example to
train staff or share with
customers who couldn’t
attend the event.

#94

#95
Hold a sub event on
the backend using the
left over collateral and
content. For example,
if you have a major
conference in Sydney
or Melbourne you may
then hold a mini
conference or road
show in rural areas.


Hold a post event
webinar or multiple
webinars utilising the
content from your
event.

#96


Offer a hybrid event – expand the reach of your
event by engaging delegates who may not have
been able to physically attend the event and share
resources post event.

#97


Live stream

sessions that can be
re-played and shared post event.

#98


#99
Write a case study or
post event press
release and submit to
trade publications.


Take time to evaluate the event with all participating
parties and create a detailed
debrief document which you can refer to in the future.

#100


#101
Celebrate the success of your
event and thank all involved.


101 event marketing tips to make your next event a success

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101 event marketing tips to make your next event a success