Download BEM * Marketing and public relations for events

Lim Sei Kee @ cK
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1. What is marketing?
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2. How to market an event?
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3. Define target market.
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4. Consider an event you have recently attended,
what different types of people were there and how
could they be classed into various target markets?
How would this information be useful?

The key to how an event will be marketed is
the target market itself – knowing what
kind of people will attend, where they live
and how can they be influenced to attend.
 Marketing
is not simply pushing out a
few posters and hoping for the best.


People have limited discretionary or
disposable income, and limited time.
There will be finite money, time and staff
available for marketing, and these resources
need to be planned carefully and used
effectively.

Research may be required about the target
market, as well as a thorough assessment of
the competitive environment the event is
operating in.
 Research
√
 Objectives √
 Budget and marketing schedule

Functions of budget: obtain the most
effective marketing impact for possibly
limited money.

All marketing is expensive?

FALSE.

PR (Public Relations) may have quite modest
costs and be as effective.

The marketing schedule is the one most likely to
surprise people new to the job.

It is not possible, to create a brochure in a day or two.

WHY?




- have to decide what to say in it
- find suitable pictures or graphics
- laid out to look attractive, proofed, checked,
returned, amended and checked again
This all takes time, if the end result is going to be
professional
 The
people who would be coming to
a particular event.
 It
might be wrong to think that an
event could only have one target
market.
Who is your potential market?
 Is your event targeted at the general public,
or at a specific group?
 What sort of age or lifestyle segment will
your event attract?
 Will your event appeal to special interest
groups?
 Are the different segments likely to be
responsive to different prices?


Part of the process of identifying the target
markets for an event involves knowing
where your visitors will be coming from.
 As
a ground rule, the more important
the event, the larger its catchment
area.
What kind of activities they would enjoy
 What publicity material they might respond
to


This helps to understand the likelihood of
their coming to the event.
 There
are a range of influences on
why a target audience might or
might not attend an event.
 Possible
reasons: weather, no wish to
go, others events are ongoing, lack of
immediate interest, other reasons.

A number of determinants can be seen as
being specific to an ‘events buyer’.

It is important to have an understanding of
who was doing the buying, of who gets the
ticket and how you might influence them to
do it.

Marketing is not just about getting people
in through the door. But also ensuring they
get the kind of satisfaction from the event
that they have been led to expect.

EG: IF the visitor expects an excellent, wellorganized, enjoyable and good value event,
then the level of satisfaction he/she would
have would be very high.

Whether your friends might go

Whether the price is a major concern

Whether the event will be good enough

One-off or repeat sales opportunities – is
this annual, biannual, occasional?

Familiarity – people’s knowledge and
awareness

Inclination to join in the activity due to
personal interest, education, entertainment,
relaxation, status, etc

Considerations of personal enjoyment, or
other satisfaction from the event.

In promoting an event, it is necessary to
create an awareness of it amongst the target
market.

EG:
 Method
– posters
 Market – students
 Interest phase – stimulating the
interest of the target market

In any target market, people who are
considering attending the event will be
seeking a reference mechanism for
confirming that the event is what they want.

Reference mechanism: word of mouth

Solutions:
 External
referents, such as the quality of
the advertising material, or the view of critics.
 Create
the desire for the product,
through encouraging people to feel that the
event will fulfill their particular needs and by
generating a positive ‘buzz’ about it.

The marketing plan, like the operational
plan and the financial budget, will be
developed from the event objective, in a
number of stages.

The nature of the event buying decision and
the influencing factors make targeting
potential visitors relatively complicated for
certain types of event.
Review of the event objectives
↓
Marketing audit
↓
Statement of marketing objectives and general
marketing strategy
↓
Preparation of the detailed marketing plan
↓
Identification of the system for measuring
effectiveness

The event marketing officer’s expertise and
resources in selling the event may not
always be large

Marketing is therefore creating general
awareness and word of mouth, or responses
to enquiries, rather than expensive
advertising.

Next week:
How to market a new event.
 How to market a repeat event.


What influences you to attend an event?

Attention

Interest

Desire

Action

Attention:
-
Saw poster

Interest
-
Talked to friends in the class

Desire
-
Motives: Have a good time

Action
- Ticket seller knocked on the door