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HelpStrengthening a Brand Through Corporate Events
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A live event costs more than a pretty penny to plan. It only makes sense then to milk the event as much as you can. Whether you’re promoting a new product launch or rubbing elbows with a prospective investor, a corporate event is also a branding opportunity. Use this moment to strengthen your event marketing efforts and showcase your brand/logo to a live and streaming audience.
WHY EVENTS ARE IMPORTANT FOR BRANDING
Even in a digital era, companies still spend an annual $263 billion on live events and meetings. Why? Because they recognize the type of rapport that can only be built through live gatherings.
The digital world we live in has provided many conveniences. However, this also means less in-person interaction. Events provide an opportunity for guests to meet the faces behind the company as well as other like-minded consumers. It’s a totally new experience to actually be able to shake someone’s hand or hand someone a business card. This is a totally new experience as opposed to the much more impersonal email or social media correspondence.
IDEAS FOR EVENT BRANDING
1. Add a Catchy Slogan
Go beyond just plastering your company logo over the venue. Think of a creative slogan and keep it simple. Nike’s “Just Do It” slogan is short yet resonates with an audience because it’s easy to memorize, is direct, and straight to the point. The slogan can also double as the event hashtag. The slogan can be one you regularly use or a temporary one solely for the event.
Where can you include this slogan? Within the venue, include it on banners, digital signage, ticket stubs, event schedule sheets, and event swag. You can also brand your staff by including the slogan on their uniform.
2. Brand Your Promo Handouts
Event swag was just mentioned. Promotional freebies like pens, coasters, keychains, and calendars are effective because they’re physically tangible. This is a huge plus in a digitally-minded world. Since small knick-knacks have a functional use, they will likely be kept, as opposed to paper flyers that will likely end up in the recycle bin.
For more expensive promo supplies, such as t-shirts, thermoses, and umbrellas, you can hand these out in exchange for something in return from the attendees. Perhaps you can require them to supply their email for a subscriber’s list or share a content on your company social media channel.
3. Make It Memorable
How do you make an event memorable and distinguishable from competing events? It comes down to the wow factor and a little thinking outside the box.
The National Bank of Arizona is one company that did something quite creative. It held an event known as Elevate AZ, a campaign promoting several local businesses in the state. To wow its audience, the company constructed a 30-feet tall and 100-feet wide rock wall, or a miniature representation of the Grand Canyon.
Granted, you may not have a monstrous budget for something of that magnitude. However, you can still take a creative route without killing your budget. The wow factor comes in many forms. All it takes is a little imagination and unconventional thinking to come up with a captivate-worthy idea. Here are some other examples of getting in that wow factor:
- Serving refreshments using a drone
- Include “selfie stations,” which contain beautiful backdrops for taking group or solo photos
- Include an interactive element at check-in with RFID wristbands
- Beautify the venue using 3D projection mapping
4. Hire a Memorable Speaker
Is there a planned presentation? Whoever the assigned speaker is, get someone that is charismatic. The speaker reflects your brand, so bring in someone that understands the psychology of keeping an audience captivated and intrigued.
The speaker should be someone that is knowledgeable of your industry and can explain concepts in layman’s terms while also providing the occasional humor and wit. This person should also break up the speech into small chunks to give the audience time to digest the information.
You can look up TED Talks conferences on any subject for an example of a confident and energetic speaker.
Corporate events provide much opportunity to separate your brand from the competitors. Use the moment to not only display your logo but to also create an interactive and engaging component. A novel experience, after all, is the best form of branding.
Guest Author Bio: Dan McCarthy is an Event Manager at Ultimate Experience, an event management company based in the UK. Dan has 6 years of event project management under his belt. He has worked on many successful events, and currently, he shares his knowledge by writing on the company blog. Follow him on Twitter @DanCarthy2.
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