Experiential marketing events are complex and ever-evolving productions that require diligence and conscientious attention to planning, detail, and moment-to-moment adjustments of itineraries and schedules. It can be overwhelming to tackle it all, but I’m here with word from “on high” that will help to guide your decisions and interactions in the experiential marketing event arena.
Thou Shalt Nots
I. Thou shalt not lose focus!
What is the point? What is the message? Do you have any WOW factors that need to be scaled down? Extra elements introduced at the wrong time and place can distract from what you are doing and your main message
II. Thou shalt not make small assumptions!
Don’t ever assume that just because the event is smaller the planning will be less! Research and planning are key to the success of any event, no matter the size.
III. Thou shalt not go at it alone!
Event planning is a skilled profession and it is what we do every day. Unless you are willing and able to put in the necessary time, effort, budget, and expertise, you probably shouldn’t attempt to do an event on your own. Find a qualified agency who can do the heavy lifting.
IV. Thou shalt not try to run the event on a dime!
This commandment includes its corollary: do not go over the top to try and impress. Be calm, cool and collected in your approach, doing exactly what’s needed to accomplish your goals with style.
V. Thou shalt not “do it for doing its sake”!
A well thought-out and executed event can be very rewarding for potential consumers, but if it is not the right timing or place it can be all for naught. Be smart and be strategic.
Thou Shalts
VI. Thou shalt do market research!
Events can be very high risk and high reward, so if done poorly you may damage your brand. However! If done correctly, the rewards are yours for years!
VII. Thou shalt budget!
Duh, you need to budget correctly and predict the cost for everything. Incidental costs can kill you and add up really fast. You need a well thought out plan on how to attack the budget and also make sure you are monitoring it all the time when your costs are coming in to see where you are on it.
VIII. Thou shalt seek expert advice!
Seek and listen to what the experts say! There are reasons why we are still in business after 19 years, we have done this day in day out and we help make things happen all the time. If you need help, just ask!
IX. Thou shalt maximize your event!
Today more than ever there are so many avenues to take to take your message to the masses, use them! Social media along with traditional avenues will help bring your event to life and extend the reach beyond your event. You can create a great event, but if no one experiences your brand, is it still great?
X. Thou shalt stop and smell the roses!
Remember to take it all in, look around at what you created, write down the things that worked, the things you thought would work but that didn’t, the things you would change, and the things that you didn’t think much of that were a hit. During the event is your only time to see it action, you can make adjustments on the fly but remember to use all of that information for the next experiential marketing event.
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