Help Your Brand Take Center Stage
Whether you are a non-profit trying to raise money or a corporation paying tribute to your top clients, your event should be an extension of your brand.
According to Catherine Kaputa, author of How to Brand Your Meetings & Events, “In the Business World, events are the primary stage on which one performs…how the company performs on the event stage can make or break the corporate brand.”
Throwing a mediocre event will indicate you represent a mediocre brand. Every component of your event including logos/ trademarks, keynote speakers, micro-sites, seminars, custom event signage and goodie bags should be well thought out, exciting and represent the corporate brand.
Create a Sense of Exclusivity
Exclusivity leads to a desire in your attendees to be part of the “in crowd,” changing your event from “want to attend” to “must attend.” It is a common belief that more guests means more revenue; but it is possible to create a sense of exclusivity without sacrificing ticket sales. An elite attendance package and its perceived enhanced value proposition will create an opportunity for your guests to invest more in your event and/or cause, just to be a part of the area behind the velvet ropes.
Show Them a Good Time
During the event, don’t miss an opportunity to cast your brand in a favorable light. Pretend you are attending the event and walk through a guest’s typical path to identify “touch points” along the way where you can engage your guests while reinforcing your brand image. From the obvious opportunities like show entrances and stages to the more traditional such as custom directional signage, table tops and floor graphics, don’t overlook an inch of space when designing your visual communications and signage strategy. Creative uses of common spaces can be one of the best ways to intrigue your guests and drive them to take action.
Keep Them Coming Back for More
Make sure you follow up with any inquiries quickly. There are many resources available to event marketers to keep event attendees engaged from event to event including micro-sites, email marketing and of course, social media marketing.
Integrate social media into your custom event signage and graphics, too – add custom QR codes and include the web address of your brand’s blog, Facebook and Twitter pages. Be sure to post pictures, video and creative messaging to help create excitement for your next event!
Check out our video below for some examples of custom event signage and graphics Signs By Tomorrow produced for our clients:
