In-Person Events

New Rules for Marketing In-person Events

Eventually Learning Team

Event professionals are all set to resume their in-person events in 2021 as COVID vaccine adoption is climbing in all states. Many event planners have also announced or already organized their in-person events. In addition, event marketers are working on new ideas to market events on various platforms. Attendees are super excited to get back to in-person events.

IBEX and EHS conferences, for example, are all poised to begin their in-person gatherings in 2021, if local officials' criteria are followed. They've also revealed the dates and locations of their upcoming events for the eager attendees who are excited to register for these in-person events this season.

However, situations are not typical, as they were before the pandemic. Many things have changed for in-person events. CDC (Center for Disease Control & Prevention) has already published its guidelines for organizing significant events and gatherings. Every person who works around in-person events should note the risk factors and promote healthy behaviors that reduce spread. Hence, following the local authority guidelines is a must as per the CDC guidelines.

Much has been reformed for in-person events, as well as the in-person marketing strategies. Here we will see the new rules for marketing in-person events and why there is a need to consider these new rules.

1 New Rules for Marketing In-person Events

1.1 Associate with Your Community

While planning for an in-person event, connecting with your community adds much value to the event. Involving the attendees during the planning phase and getting suggestions or ideas from them can make your event more personalized to the attendees. Connect with your community members through online videos, chats, webinars and social media pages. Encourage them to list their thoughts, suggestions and doubts about the event.

Conducting advance surveys, polls and incorporating attendee's questions on webinars and presentations are also great ways to connect with your community. Involving the audiences in the initial stages of the event may help the attendees to become more engaged.

Why connect with your community?

First of all, connecting with your community can help to build an attendee group for you which can be a great source to be accessed for future events. Secondly, it makes the attendees feel appreciated, as if their opinions are valued. Last but not least, it boosts the overall interest of the attendees for a particular event if they access it in advance.

1.2 Involve Program Speakers

Collaborate with your event speaker/s and ask them to share a blog post, article, podcast or social media post about the event. Also, look for ways to connect with different speaker groups to promote your event through multiple channels such as social networks, the speaker's community and industry trade publications.

Why involve program speakers?

Involving professional program speakers in the event's initial marketing phase would help you to spread the word about the event. In addition, your speaker's community likely has a good audience reach that could help you spread awareness about the event. This method will also help the audience to connect with the event speaker before the event.

1.3 Capitalize on Content & Digital Marketing

Make sure you build a good website and social media pages. Then, produce various forms of digital content such as articles, blogs, social media posts, newsletters and interactive content to connect with your audience. Hire a subject matter expert or community leader to organize a free, informative and interactive webinar. In addition, hire an excellent digital marketing team to boost your digital presence with the latest digital marketing tactics.

Why capitalize on content & digital marketing?

Although it's an in-person event, search engines and various digital platforms are the first steps toward reaching your target audience. Digitization & digitalization have transformed the event industry to the next level. As a result, every marketing strategy revolves around the digital world. Your interactive online presence is the only way to reach out to your audience members. Therefore, you must capitalize on content marketing.

1.4 Mention Clear Safety Measures

This rule is the most important rule for in-person marketing events in 2021. Prepare interactive videos, articles and images to explain how you are planning to present a healthy environment for your in-person events. Explain to the audience what precautionary measures you plan to implement in order to avoid any spread of infection at your event. Share the venue images and necessary contact numbers to quell any doubts about the event's overall safety measures. In short, put extra emphasis on safety measures taken at the venue event without overdoing it.

Why explain event safety measures?

Situations have changed now, and health comes first these days. Demonstrating the safety measures put in place due to the pandemic should reassure the attendees about the venue and make them feel safe to register for the event. In addition, having a clear idea about the facilities available at the event venue will help them plan their trip smartly.

1.5 Avoid Event Cannibalism

If you plan to have a digital version of your event and an in-person event, make sure you are not undervaluing the in-person event requirements to succeed. Adding the hybrid concept into your in-person event would add a layer of cost along with additional efforts. If you are planning a hybrid event, then make sure to market it well without cannibalizing the physical attendance for the in-person event.

Why Avoid Event Cannibalism?

We all know that we are now stepping back into the in-person events, and we need these events to get more responses from attendees. If we encourage audiences to attend the digital version of the event, it won't help us in organizing an in-person event. We are trying to bring the in-person events back onto the track, and it won't work if we focus on virtual platforms over an in-person event experience.

Conclusion

Advanced planning and creative marketing strategies along with traditional marketing strategies can help you create an effective in-person marketing plan. Additional use of event marketing technology can also add value to your efforts for in-person events. The collaboration of event professionals and event marketers can transform any in-person event into a remarkable experience.

FAQs

1 How do you do in-person marketing?

Prepare an easy-to-follow marketing strategy that focuses on achieving the event goals. Bring in an expert who can plan a good event marketing strategy.

2 What are the in-person events?

An event that needs the physical attendance of the audience is an in-person event. For example, business events, conferences, and other business social gatherings are all in-person events that require travel to the event venue.

3 How can an in-person event differ from a virtual event?

Both in-person and virtual events are popular with participants, but in-person events give the attendees more exposure to experience the event and build professional community through the events. They are also popular to explore new work cultures and ideas that professionals share at in-person events.

4 What are the advantages of in-person events?

Exploring new prospects, brand building, generating new leads and reconnecting with clients and partners are significant benefits of in-person events.

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