When planning a convention or different giant occasion to your affiliation, figuring out how one can have interaction attendees from begin to end is important for achievement. On the similar time, you need to make sure that your occasion comes throughout as skilled and represents what your group stands for. In spite of everything, your predominant objective is to maintain members coming again and making the most of all of the skilled alternatives your affiliation has to supply!
Constantly branding your occasion helps tackle all of those elements. Your group’s model reinforces its mission and values whereas emphasizing the skilled side of your affiliation. Utilizing your model strategically will draw attendees into your occasion, permitting them to have a memorable expertise that leaves a optimistic impression of your group.
On this fast information, we’ll take a look at three areas of affiliation occasions the place you should use branding to speak your mission:
Registration Varieties
Promotional Supplies
The Occasion Area
Earlier than you dive into branding your occasion, Loop recommends compiling your affiliation’s model pointers right into a single doc. This model information will then function a reference for anybody who works in your occasion branding to make sure each side is cohesive.
Registration Varieties
Registration marks the start of the occasion expertise for attendees. Create first impression by making your affiliation’s branding pop in your registration web site and type!
Specifically, guarantee these features of your branding are entrance and heart as members enroll:
Brand. Your emblem is the visible illustration of what your affiliation stands for, so it serves as a “seal of approval” that connects your occasion supplies again to your group. Place it within the prime nook of your registration type so attendees see it instantly.
Fonts. Select fonts that look skilled and are simple to learn on a display screen—sans serif tends to work greatest. Use completely different typefaces for headers and physique textual content so as to add visible selection, however keep away from having greater than two distinct fonts on the shape so it doesn’t look cluttered.
Colours. As you incorporate your model colours into the shape, make sure that there’s sufficient distinction between the textual content and background colours so it’s simple to learn. Let’s say your affiliation’s colours are pink, black, and light-weight grey. You possibly can use black textual content on a lightweight grey background or vice versa after which embody pink as an accent shade to make the shape extra visually fascinating.
Messaging. Branding extends past visible communication. It additionally applies to how your affiliation presents itself in writing—just like the informational content material in your registration type. Hold your written tone, phrase selection, and mechanics constant so your members could be assured they’re registering to your occasion.
To offer the very best sign-up expertise, your registration type’s branding ought to be according to the remainder of your group’s web site. This cohesion permits for a seamless transition between the informational web page in regards to the occasion and the shape, in addition to different components of your web site the place first-time attendees would possibly look to study extra about your affiliation.
Along with your affiliation’s web site, characteristic the above branding parts in your entire different occasion promotional supplies, together with:
Electronic mail advertising. Create a branded letterhead for e-mail blasts about your occasion that features your emblem, fonts, and colours, and reference your messaging pointers as you write the copy. Moreover, when affiliation employees members reply to questions in regards to the occasion, have them put your emblem of their e-mail signatures to instill belief that the responses are from actual individuals at your group.
Social media. Guarantee your affiliation’s visuals and messaging shine on each social media platform. In response to Getting Consideration, Fb is the highest ROI-generating social media web site as of 2023, with Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok all tied for second place. Promote throughout all of those platforms for the widest doable attain—together with LinkedIn, since its customers are most likely searching for skilled growth alternatives like your occasion!
Unsolicited mail. Though many organizations give attention to digital advertising, junk mail isn’t useless. Relatively, it’s a good way to make your model extra tangible for occasion attendees! Use your model fonts and messaging pointers to speak what advantages members will obtain in the event that they attend your occasion, and incorporate shade into your invitation letters wherever doable to catch their consideration.
If you happen to promote your occasion by way of co-marketing alternatives, guarantee your companions or sponsors embody your affiliation’s emblem alongside theirs and add direct quotes out of your group that seize the essence of your mission-driven messaging. Not solely will you make your affiliation’s model recognizable to your sponsors’ viewers, however you’ll additionally talk much more about your mission by showcasing your partnerships with organizations whose values align with yours.
The Occasion App
Branding an area seems to be completely different relying on whether or not your occasion takes place in particular person or nearly. We’ll cowl every of those choices within the following sections.
In-Individual Occasions
A few of the greatest locations to characteristic your model colours, fonts, and emblem at in-person occasions embody:
Signage and banners on the venue
Your occasion app and different interactive instruments
Identify badges for attendees, audio system, employees, and volunteers
Occasion swag like notepads, pens, water bottles, and telephone wallets
Incorporating your model in these methods makes your venue look cohesive {and professional}, along with showcasing your affiliation in every single place on the occasion.
Digital Occasions
For digital occasions, you’ll primarily model the know-how related along with your occasion, together with your:
On-line occasion agendas
Internet hosting platform’s ready rooms
Livestreams and pre-recorded movies
Presentation slides
Moreover, your affiliation could already ship member and donor presents by way of the mail, so why not mail out swag packs to digital occasion attendees as nicely? That method, they’ll have a tangible reminder of your occasion (and your mission) along with seeing your branding all through the digital expertise!
Speaking your affiliation’s mission by way of branding doesn’t finish when your occasion is over. Incorporate your model into thank-you messages and different follow-ups to maintain it prime of thoughts even after attendees depart. Additionally, embody a few questions in your post-event survey about model recognition and your affiliation’s mission to find out how a lot your efforts resonated along with your viewers.