Event marketing is a way of getting our products and services across to the customers by transmitting experiences through public relations. This marketing method involves direct face-to-face contact between brands and the potential buyer in events such as trade shows, conferences, webinars or seminars.
The three key points on which event marketing is based are:
- Entertainment.
- Excitement.
- Enterprise (Initiative)
Types of event marketing
Generally speaking, we have two main categories:- Face-to-face or physical event marketing.
- Online event marketing.
Trade shows and exhibitions
They are usually industry-specific. This is one of the best ways for companies to present their new products as well as to learn first-hand what their competition is doing. Example: Pure London , the UK’s leading fashion trade show.Networking events
Meeting new people and expanding your circle is one of the crucial activities on a professional level. If you are an entrepreneur, this type of event is critical to give visibility to your business. Examples: Midland Business Network and Woman in Business Network both provide professional business exhibitions and networking events.Sponsorship
These are events in which the goal is to achieve sales without obtaining the buyer’s contact details. For example, when the potential client comes to the brand stand, he is given a small gift or goodies for the fact of going and getting interested, and by the way, it will remain in his memory for the future.VIP events
It is targeted to the C-Level, executive or top profiles of each company. Where they can have exclusive experiences as well as interact with other similar profiles in other companies.Conferences
It is one of the most expensive events for your organisation. The conferences have several speakers, and the attendees will be able to listen and learn from the gurus or experts, about topics that interest them. Example: Content World Conference the biggest event in the content marketing community.- A subcategory would be the panels or presentations made by Speakers. In many cases a networking session is also held during this type of event.
Seminars and workshops
Both categories have an educational purpose. The two main differences between them are: their duration (workshops can last one or more days and seminars one or more hours), and their content (workshops are more participatory while seminars are usually lectures with less interaction, although some questions can be answered).- Another subcategory is the webinars. It is usually a presentation, conference or workshop that occurs online in real time. Users can participate through their questions or file sharing. It is important that the content offered in this category is useful and of quality, especially if the attendees have to pay a ticket for it.
Festivals
They are experiences targeted to a very specific audience. The artists themselves are the first to be promoted directly to their fans. Examples: RedBull or American Express.- The events broadcasted by live streaming are an extension of video marketing and during 2020 have become the favourite channel for most brands and event organisers for the quick and easy way to create engagement. As an example, this year a lot of concerts and festivals were cancelled, but a lot of artists performed for all their fans in social networks like Instagram, Facebook or Youtube
