While our world has been turned upside down over the last two years, even covid can’t stop the clock. The world keeps turning and despite new rules, guidelines and even some restrictions, we still seem busier than ever. It’s no wonder our digital consumption has been on the rise. However, being inundated with constant advertisements, has begun to render them less effective. Brands need to get in front of consumers, not just on their screens. What if we told you that you could deepen those relationships? It’s true! We’re talking about connecting with consumers on a more personal level, through meaningful brand experiences. In our experience, nothing works better than a 360-degree approach to marketing. Therefore, we’re sharing with you 5 successful event ideas, guaranteed to make your next event unforgettable.

Definition

The first step to any successful event is a clearly defined concept. What is the reason for the event in the first place? The goals you’re aiming to accomplish by hosting the event should be well-defined. If you don’t know where to start, simply ask, “what are you hoping to achieve”? Everything else will start falling into place. No one is more passionate about your brand/service than you and your team. We absolutely love when we can feel the passion when we hop on a discovery call with a client. This drives inspiration! That being said, passion doesn’t necessarily evolve into a plan. If we could offer any advice, it would be this: an amazing concept won’t convert into amazing event if your goals are undefinable.

Attention & Attraction

The best successful event ideas keep attention and attraction top of mind. And now that the goals of your event are defined, you want to attract an audience. Now, this can mean consumers, attendees, the media and/or a mix! Your event should attract and captivate the audience of your desired demographic. Even if the concept is simple, this doesn’t mean that the scope of your event should be. For example, consider a simple street team, sampling activation. At first thought, it seems super straightforward, street team hands out samples. But in reality, it’s so much more than that! These events can really “pack a punch” if planned properly! Don’t believe us? Check out these past activations from Amarula and Taste of Nature!

Remember, it’s human nature to be attracted to people, events, brands, products, or services that stand out. More so, people love sharing their experiences. This is proven by how explosive social media has become in the last decade and applies to people of all ages. While there are always young users, more than ever before, are we seeing older generations make a name for themselves on different platforms like Instagram and YouTube. So, when planning your next event make sure to attract and captivate attention. Make your target audience feel attraction towards your brand and give them a reason to share their experience!

Make It Engaging

To produce your own successful event ideas, you must consider engagement at your event. How you keep people engaged is up to you. However, we suggest starting with content and participation. For instance, if you plan on having speakers or presenters, ask yourself these questions before finalizing appearances. Are they known to your audience? Will the topics they’re speaking about be relevant? Do they touch on new and innovative topics? In addition to this, consider if there are opportunities for guests to engage with the content. Perhaps a soapbox, networking or Q&A session can be added. Also, consider the way in which they’re presenting. They should be personable and utilize visual aids, to keep audience members engaged during their entire performance.

In terms of participation, you are responsible for making guests want to participate. Make your event fun and interactive. For example, add games, photo opportunities, samplings, or even a contest. You must give them a reason to get excited. You want people to not only remember your event, but be talking about it for days, weeks, hopefully even months (or years) afterwards. Our advice? Give people something they WANT to talk about and share! You can get people talking by doing something unique, thoughtful, or inspiring for your consumers

Make It Memorable, Yet Measurable

Now that you have a memorable event under way, remember you need to be able to measure the results. In addition to providing quality, you want to ensure you’re able to quantify that success. Simply put, the numbers matter! What specific numbers matter is up to you, but here are a few examples: number of brand impressions, participant counts, samples distributed, etc.

In addition, there are other ways to measure the success of an event. Did people post/share about their experience on their social channels? Were they engaged with the content onsite? Did you distribute/receive satisfaction surveys or did people genuinely participate in your contest? Beyond this, there are other important aspects to consider as well. Did you receive feedback, testimonials and/or any FAQs? These can provide huge insights into brand perception. Everyday brands drive thousands (even millions) into marketing campaigns, you want to ensure you’ve set up different channels of collecting meaningful and tangible data that show the event was worth the investment.

Choose The Right Team

Finally, all is for naught if you don’t have the right team in place. Remember, events reflect your business, and any event is only as successful as the team who planned it. It’s crucial to surround yourself with a team who is both positive and reliable. Whether it’s an in-house team, a team of suppliers or an outside agency, they should be just as passionate about your project as you! Contracting outside help certainly comes at a cost, but it may save you time and money in the end. If you contract an agency, they should be solely focused on making your event a success. So, if you’re looking for a little outside help, let us give you one piece of advice. Don’t let price be your overall deciding factor. Be sure to evaluate the quality of the services you are paying for. Remember, you get what you pay for!

We hope you found our top tips helpful and we can’t wait to see your successful event ideas! We like to remind our clients that if you want to not only maintain but grow their customer base, they need to go above and beyond traditional mediums. You must connect with consumers on a deeper level. It’s not enough to get an ad or physical product into their hands, you must get into their heads and hearts! If you can accomplish that, then your next event will be a guaranteed success! As a bonus, we leave you with one last example. Check out the video, of one of our favourite examples of successful event ideas, our infamous PR stunt with TransferWise! And if you’d like some help bringing your ideas to life, click below for a free quote or call Tigris at 647-286-9392 today!