The Power of Experiential Marketing in Events: How to Engage Your Audience

An event is great. A hard-hitting marketing campaign visual is great.

A combination of the two is where events and marketing really shine!

Memorable and immersive experiences that allow participants to engage with the purpose, product, or core values of the brand or business and leave a lasting impact on attendees.

 

We’ve previously covered how events are becoming one of the most sought-after business growth tools, but we haven’t discussed our favourite growth method through events. Now, let’s call a spade a spade – not all events are created equally. We know that. You could have an amazing event coordinator, with the best entertainment in the business and flashy decor, but that doesn’t mean it will translate to sales or brand alliance. To gain the most traction from a sale on your bottom line (not just an Instagram feed), it is essential that you incorporate experiential marketing into your event.

 

What is experiential marketing?

It is a way of showcasing your brand or product through an interactive and immersive experience. This could be a sample bar for drinks or makeup, a VR game for a building/development walk-through, or an innovative way of using a new space that will be open for hire.

 

All of these allow attendees to properly engage with the product/space/concept/brand that is being sold. You’ve more than likely been to an event that has included experiential marketing elements, whether you’ve noticed it at the time or not.

 

These types of events are memorable and work by creating an association with fun, accessibility, usefulness or luxury and the brand or product in question. This association means that the brand or product will be front of mind when the attendee or prospective client is ready to commit to a product purchase.

 

While there is normally a specific experience that the event is featuring or trying to get all attendees to engage with, it is vital to ensure that the entire design of the event is aligned with the brand goals and will complement the experience. For instance, colour association can be used throughout the venue, as can logo use, and other luxury or fun touches (depending on the vibe you are trying to convey to your audience) as this will allow your guests to associate the whole event with the brand and have multiple positive memories associated with it or the product in question. This is why we always recommend using an event producer as they will think about every detail, and never leave anything out. They’ll also consider the way all elements interact and will leave the attendees feeling and how it could impact your ROI.

 

The Perfect Brand Opportunity!

This is the perfect place for brand awareness to take a front seat and be highlighted heavily. If you’ve been doing your branding properly, you’ll already have a strong sense of storytelling. Your audience has probably already seen multiple reiterations of your brand story and been drawn into your brand storytelling. This is the time to move from storytelling to storyliving. Let your audience dive into your brand story and allow them to feel the sense of family, luxury, or fun that your brand lives by.

 

If you’re looking for the next best way to convert your audience or push your marketing to the next level, now is the perfect time to start hosting corporate or brand events. These will have a positive impact on your bottom line and your overall brand awareness.

 

Book in a free 20-minute brainstorming session to discuss how The Perfect Events Group can create experiential marketing magic at your next event!