The Value of Event Communications

Suzanne Carawan, VP Global Marketing

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What Makes Event Communication Valuable?

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Making It Valuable

• Good marketing:

• Price

• Product

• Place

• Promotion

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Making It Valuable

• Campaign that is in Writing:

• Purpose

• Goals

• Segmentation

• Offers

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Making It Valuable

• Identified Channels:

• Organizational Website

• Event Website

• Social Networks

• Social Media

• Direct Mail

• Email

• Print Ads

• Mini-Events

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Whoa? What’s a Mini-Event

• Time Out for a Trend: mini-events or event-within-an-event

• Speed networking

• Hosted buyer

• one2one meetings

• Mentoring programs

• Event buddy/first time attendee programs

• Roundtables, small groups by topic

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Making it Valuable

• Good project plan:

• When communications go out, to whom and for what purpose

• Spread out the timeframe to make it year-long and consistent

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Making it Valuable

• Good project plan:

• When communications go out, to whom and for what purpose

• Spread out the timeframe to make it year-long and consistent

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Time Out for a Trend: Impact of Mocial

• Event Marketing now focuses on:

• Extended time period of communication

• Increasing the number of “assets” to market

• Increasing the number of touchpoints

• Leveraging the event’s history

• Recognizing participants

• Providing products and services that fit the “new attendee”

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Who’s the New Attendee

• Wireless

• Consistently connected

• Zero focus, zero memory, zero patience

• Empowered: time & purchase power

• Choice due to large supply

BUT

• Loyal and attentive IFF they receive value

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So…..How Do You Design Value into Your Communications?

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Designing for Value

• Respectful

• Focuses on WIIFM where the “me” isn’t you!

• Interesting

• Provides unexpected nuggets of joy (humor, curiosity, knowledge, recognition)

• Consistent, but not redundant

• Sets up a win-win with participant-event organizer

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Standard Event Communications

• Save the Date

• Press Release to Announce Event & Partners

• Emails for Early Registration

• Emails/Website for Attendee Generation

• Tradeshow/Exhibition News

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Save the Date: Valufied!

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Press Releases: Valufied!

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Press Release: Valufied!

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Emails for Early Registration: Valufied!

• Tasting Menu

• Tweet-chats

• Meet-ups

• Blog Posts by Speakers

• Media Coverage

• Snippets of content

• No early bird! No BUY NOW BUY NOW!

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Emails/Website for Attendee Generation: Valufied!

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Tradeshow/Exhibition News: Valufied!

Tradeshow/Exhibition News: Valufied!

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Summary

• Need to be comprehensive

• Need multiple touchpoints

• Need to utilize multiple channels

• Target different audiences with different programs and content of value

• Measure everything to show its value!

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Sales: Steve Mackenzie

• sales@etouches.com

• 1-877-386-8248

Marketing and PR: Suzanne Carawan

• marketing@etouches.com

• scarawan@etouches.com