The aim of any occasion is to supply an enticing, invaluable, and memorable expertise for attendees. The technique that occasion planners and organizers use to realize that is named occasion activation, or experiential advertising. Whereas occasion activations sometimes occur throughout an occasion, trade professionals use the tactic in pre-and post-event advertising too.
Learn on for inventive concepts and ideas for occasion activations that improve engagement, enhance the worth of your occasion, and guarantee attendees take pleasure in a optimistic and noteworthy expertise.
An introduction to occasion activation
Briefly, an occasion activation technique is a sequence of coordinated actions put collectively by an occasion organizer or planner to extend and keep engagement earlier than, throughout, and after an occasion. Occasion advertising falls beneath the broad umbrella of occasion activation, and consists of techniques for selling an occasion, attracting members, and producing buzz. However occasion activations aren’t only for pre-event advertising.
In the course of the occasion, activation methods deal with the attendee expertise and contain a bunch of actions that encourage visitor participation—from digital actuality and networking to contests and giveaways. After the occasion wraps up, activation strategies persist to facilitate post-event engagement. That might imply sending out a survey to occasion attendees, offering a group platform for them to attach even after the doorways shut, or partaking with event-goers on social media about their expertise.
Occasion activation advantages
Occasion activation lets you join along with your target market on a extra private degree. This strategy to occasion advertising is designed to be customized, significant, and, most significantly, enjoyable.
By an activation technique, an occasion organizer can allow the success of occasions of all codecs and sizes, serving to to:
Increase occasion ROIImprove model consciousness and recognitionMaximize attendee engagement
10 excellent occasion activation concepts
Activation is the important thing to success all through all levels of the occasion course of. Acquire inspiration from these 10 concepts to assist create unforgettable occasion experiences for attendees.
Earlier than the occasion
1. Create an occasion hashtag and put it on the market on social media
Utilizing social media supplies a chance to have interaction attendees pre-event. Occasion planners can begin a hashtag marketing campaign to create buzz, reply questions, and have interaction in dialog with potential attendees.
Creating social media content material surrounding your occasion is an effective way to realize consideration whereas not seeming too sales-y. To generate pleasure, publish about among the actions that you’ve got deliberate, tease keynote audio system, and share behind-the-scenes fashion content material as your occasion begins to come back collectively. For an much more partaking and pure really feel, leverage influencers to create social media content material for you.
2. Work together along with your target market
Launching a social media advertising marketing campaign is an efficient begin, however interacting along with your target market on these platforms is even higher. Make it a degree to reply to any mentions or questions you obtain on social media main as much as the occasion. This may help improve model recognition earlier than showtime and funnel extra individuals towards your registration web page.
3. Provide exclusivity to early birds or VIPs
Strive providing offers and customized experiences to attendees who register early or buy tiered, VIP-type tickets. This might embody early entry to the venue on occasion day, reductions on tickets for early birds, or a VIP lounge expertise for attendees who’re prepared to spend a bit of extra to assist your occasion.
In the course of the occasion
4. Provide interactive experiences
Interactive experiences, equivalent to digital actuality, workshops, or picture cubicles, assist attendees create fond and lasting recollections of your occasion. That’s invaluable in and of itself. Plus, when attendees are having a good time, they could be extra prone to share what they’re getting as much as on social media, inform their pals about it, and paint your group as one which hosts top-notch occasions.
5. Use stay streaming
We stay in a hybrid world, so any instruments or strategies that present worth to each in-person and digital audiences are worthwhile. Stay streaming lets you ship an in-person occasion expertise to attendees tuning in from afar. For this activation thought, arrange stay streams for a keynote speaker or product launch, host a stay Q&A, or have somebody conduct a stay tour of the venue amid all of the hustle and bustle.
These methods assist create a way of group amongst digital attendees. Plus, utilizing the precise occasion software program, stay streams could be saved and distributed after the occasion to supply attendees with much more worth.
6. Make it straightforward for attendees to attach with one another
Networking is a big and necessary a part of most company occasions. And for networking occasions particularly, offering a platform for viewers engagement in the course of the occasion and afterward extends the potential for connection past the bounds of the venue.
With an occasion app that gives group options and networking performance, it’s straightforward for attendees to attach with fellow event-goers, share concepts, and discuss their experiences.
7. Design the occasion round a theme
Themes assist put further emphasis on occasions, make them extra enjoyable, and encourage attendee participation. Showcase your occasion theme by way of meals, decor, or deliberate actions. Internet hosting an occasion in the summertime? Make it barbecue-themed! Is your occasion centered round rising tech? Put a enjoyable spin on it with a futuristic theme.
After the occasion
9. Put up concerning the occasion on social media (and use a lot of footage)
Everybody loves an excellent success story, and posting about your occasion on social media when it’s all stated and carried out is an effective way to extend model consciousness and get forward of the advertising in your subsequent occasion.
On occasion day, ensure that to take a lot of footage and movies you can share on social platforms afterward. Tag sponsors, interact with attendees, and ask for suggestions from individuals who obtained the prospect to attend.
10. Ship out a survey to gather knowledge
This final occasion activation thought is integral—particularly for ROI reporting and planning a future profitable occasion. Surveys assist occasion managers study what company favored and didn’t like and supply actionable perception about the right way to plan for the longer term.
Possibly a selected occasion activation thought didn’t resonate along with your company as a lot as you’d hoped. Surveys assist to decipher these hiccups, so you may tweak the actions and experiences to make an much more vital affect.
Making occasions thrilling with activation methods
Occasion activation is what allows planners and organizers to host a very memorable expertise. By implementing even only a few of those methods, you may set your occasion up for achievement. And, by selecting occasion know-how that gives end-to-end administration, occasion activation choices are limitless—and straightforward to implement.
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