EVENT MARKETING

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1.Explain the importance of a marketing plan;

2.Develop an event marketing plan;
3.Identify the marketing mix and tools for an event;
4.Outline the process of sponsorship marketing; and
5.Explain how trade shows can be used as a marketing
tool.
MARKETING PLAN
THE MARKETING PLAN

Marketing is the process of creating and transferring a product or service to the

buyer.
Good research is crucial in making informed decisions. The same is true in making a
marketing plan.
Marketing plan is composed of four stages:
1. Conducting a market analysis (feasibility study);
2. Identifying the target audience and marketing objectives (e.g., revenue);
3. Defining the marketing mix and marketing strategy; and
4. Implementing, monitoring, and evaluating the marketing performance.
IDENTIFYING TARGET AUDIENCE

Begin with the end in mind.

In events management, the end goal of marketing efforts is the number of
attendees to an event.
First step in preparing the marketing plan is to define your target audience
further through expansion of the information from the feasibility study.
The purpose of this step is to determine whether there is a gap between your
attendance expectations and the likelihood of that target person to go to the event.
What would attract or hinder your target audience from going to the event.
Marketing efforts must fill the gap.
IDENTIFYING TARGET AUDIENCE

To do this, you must know the answer to these two

questions:
1. Who is your target audience?
2. Where is your target audience?
IDENTIFYING TARGET AUDIENCE

Build your audience profile. Brainstorm with the group.

Set priorities on the types of audience.
Understand your audience more, learn about their interests, what they do
(course/profession), what they read or listen to, where they live, how they
travel, etc.
Your existing audience base can be ambassadors for your event spreading
positive word of mouth, so take good care of them.
Put your money on existing and potential new audience and do not waste
your efforts on indifferent people who are very unlikely to attend.
SET MARKETING OBJECTIVES

Keep the objectives SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable/Achievable,

Realistic, and Time-bound)
Remember that marketing objectives should be in accordance with your
overall event objectives.
Examples:
To increase the level of overall attendees by 20, from last years 800 to 960
To achieve the following breakdown of attendees: 70% students of the university, 5%
teachers of the university, 23% students of other universities, 3% teachers of other
universities and others.
To achieve 95% audience satisfaction (excellent or very good in feedback sheet)
SET MARKETING STRATEGY
Identify your marketing mix and marketing tools.
Example of event marketing mix from Events Scotland:
PRODUCT What the event offers.
Is the program enough to provide expected experience?
PRICE Cost of attending
Can the target audience afford the ticket price and is there a need to offer group
discounts?
CONVENIENCE Ease of attending
Is it easy to buy the tickets and find the venue?
PROMOTION Saying the right things to the right people.
Do you have the right combination of marketing tools to communicate the events
positioning?
POSITIONING How you present your product/event to the public, thereby creating expectations to
an extent.
Will the event be fun, purely academic, jologs (tacky) or classy?
SET MARKETING STRATEGY
After providing a list of solutions to the questions presented
concerning the marketing mix, select the marketing tools which befit
your target audience.
PRINTS Posters, flyers, printed program, tickets, postcards, direct
mail, etc.
MASS MEDIA Media advertising (print, radio, TV), press releases, etc.
INTERNET- Website, blogs, social networking sites like Facebook, and
BASED email (personalized or mass mail), etc.
MATERIALS
OUTDOOR Billboards, streamers, etc.
ADVERTISING
PERSON-to- Telemarketing, door-to-door campaigns, referral programs,
PERSON etc.
 CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: PRINTS
PRINTS
Posters In producing posters, remember that they must contain only KEY MESSAGES, not the detailed
program of the event, to CREATE AWARENESS, and ANTICIPATION.
Do not forget to include the event title, date, venue, & contact details.
Should be eye-catching and easy to read from an appropriate distance.
Determine place and size of distribution before printing, and display posters well before the
event.
Flyers People can take flyers away with them so they must contain more information than posters, such
as the answers to 5Ws of the event,
Aim is to convert the takers/readers to ATTENDEES,
Use both sides of paper to maximize space: one side catchy, the other with more details.
Program Two types of printed programs (1) ONE-PAGE FLYER type program and (2) BOOK/MAGAZINE type
SOUVENIR PROGRAM
Both contain details about the event program thus, serving as the guide to the event.
Elements of the Flyer type program include the event title, date, and venue, as well as the
chronological list of activities, names of performers and/or speakers, and the name and/or logo of
sponsors and the host school.
 CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: PRINTS
PRINTS
Program Souvenir program naturally contains more information since it offers more printing space.
Information such as welcome messages and endorsements from school authorities, public officials,
sponsors, the organizers and the like, event background, full program details with a summary, site
map/floor plan and amenities available in the area, sponsor and exhibitor information and
acknowledgments.
Pages in the souvenir programs can also be sold as advertising spaces.
Ticket If sold in advance, make sure that they are difficult to counterfeit and they have control
numbers.
Think of other ways to utilize the ticket space, such as printing safety measures at the back of the
ticket or including a tear-off portion for a raffle draw or meal stub.
Logos If your event is funded by several sponsors and supported by some government agencies, ensure
that all your print materials contain the agreed acknowledgments.
Avoid overcrowding your materials with logos.
Prepare an image file for your set of logos to ensure that each logo has enough breathing space
and that the logos are scaled to the right size and proportion.
Have the logo approved by the sponsors and by school authorities for school events.
The event logo must be used in all print collateral with the right Pantone color, typeface &
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: EVENT
GIVEAWAYS
Gifts with practical application, personalized gifts have a better
chance of being kept and cherished by receivers than being thrown
away or given away a second time as pasalubong by meeting
attendees.
Event organizers and their clients pay a considerable amount of
money for giveaways, handouts, and other event accessories; it would
be such a waste for these little somethings not to serve their
purpose.
Companies provide gifts for several reasons: to say thank you, to
persuade, or to reinforce a brand.
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: MASS MEDIA

Choose the media advertising platform that fits your budget and
reaches your target audience most effectively and efficiently: print,
radio, or TV.
For print media, is it magazine or newspapers ( and which section)?
Sending out press releases for publication is possible at no cost and is
often more convincing than paid advertisements.
Always include contact details in all press releases.
Provide honest information and always thank those who cover the event.
Strive to create a good relationship with media contacts.
AD PLAN TEMPLATE
Date of Publication/ Size & Copy* Contact Notes/Status Budget Agreed Cost
Release Program Specificatio Deadline
ns

Total Total
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: MASS MEDIA

Take good photos for press releases and for the terminal report.
Pre-event and post-event releases are both important.
TIPS IN WRITING A PRESS RELEASE ABOUT AN
EVENT:
1. Indicate the date on the upper left hand of the first page and the phrase Press Release of
For Immediate Release above it.
2. Use a catchy or attention grabbing title or headline.
3. The first paragraph (called the lead) must answer the 5W questions but not longer than
three sentences. State facts not opinions.
4. Use quotes from spokespersons in the next two paragraphs.
5. Place ### or -end- at the end of the story.
6. Put the contact details: name, email address, phone number.
7. Include a photo whenever possible; it increases your chances of getting published.
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS:
INTERNET-BASED MATERIALS
Should you choose to have a website for your event, always keep your website updated, and
make sure that it is user-friendly, easy to navigate, and displays the most important
information (5Ws) prominently.
Use photos and attractive graphics.
When using a free website host, be aware that you cannot change the template and that you
will not be able to control the ads that appear on your site, which may contradict your event
positioning.
When putting up your own site, consider the costs, like design, maintenance, hosting, and
domain name registration.
Using CMS is also an option. CMS allows you to change your website as easy as the way you
update your Facebook account.
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS:
INTERNET-BASED MATERIALS

Email is a cheap tool in disseminating information about your event. Make sure that the
contents of your email are worthy of your readers attention.
Email only those who signified interest to receive them and put and unsubscribe option in
your emails.
Always provide a link to your website in your emails.
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: OUTDOOR
ADVERTISING
In choosing locations for outdoor ads, information on your target
markets usual routes comes in handy.
How do they travel between home and work/school?
Establish a strong presence in these routes by putting up billboards
and streamers, as well as ads on lamp posts, mobile vans,
terminals/waiting shades, train stations, and even at display windows
of stores in strategic locations.
Look for ad companies selling retail billboard spaces or check with
the city hall for requirements and specs.
CHOOSING MARKETING TOOLS: PERSON-TO-
PERSON MARKETING

Person-to-person marketing tools may be more effective for

smaller events with lots of available manpower like school
events.
Involves person-to-person interaction, and if done properly,
can be the most convincing tool.
Examples: telemarketing, room-to-room campaigns, and
referral rewards systems.
SPONSORSHIP
SPONSORSHIP
Sponsor is an individual or a group that provides support to an
event, whether financially or through the provision of products and
services.
It is a source of revenue for the event.
If you plan to invite sponsors to support your event, you have to:
1. Identify the expense items in your budget which can be provided by
sponsors, and prepare sponsorship packages based on this;
2. Identify individuals or companies whose business objectives are aligned
with your event objectives, because this way, you will get better chances
of approvals; and
3. Send out sponsorship request letters and follow up.
BRANDING
BRANDING

Creating a brand means creating a name and logo for an event or series of
events.
Branding plays an critical role in promoting events, especially those that
are held on regular basis.
Brand encompasses the experiences associated with the product, which
includes quality and the idea of value for money.
A good event brand is similar to a statement saying, pay for the
experience and you will get more than what your money is worth.
TRADE SHOW AS MARKETING TOOLS
TRADE SHOW AS MARKETING TOOLS

Trade shows are of the most efficient and effective business tools.
Trade shows are cost-effective means not only of reaching ones target
market face to face in a single place and time, but also of reaching to the
media, industry influencers, and decision-makers.
Trade shows also provide a chance to reconnect and strengthen relationships
with existing clients who are in the location of the trade show.
Live presentations and product demos at trade shows where target buyers
are often able to try the products, accelerate the selling process, and
generate new sales probably more effective than ads.
TRADE SHOW AS MARKETING TOOLS

Trade shows specializing in MICE products and

services:
Incentive Travel & Conventions Meetings Asia (IT&CMA)
Incentive Travel & Meeting Executives Show (IT&ME) in
Australia
Incentive and Business Travel, and Meetings Exhibitions
(IBTM) in Europe
TRADE SHOW AS MARKETING TOOLS

Product demos are effective for tangible products, but how

do you demonstrate services at trade shows?
Conducting invitational tours right after a show is a
common gimmick used by destination management
organizations (DMOs) to promote their products especially
to MICE clients.