Most major events involve the participation of event sponsors and exhibitors that help with funding and enhancing the experience of all who attend. Sponsors and exhibitors aren’t only there to spread their brand message, they’re also there to strategically create opportunities that will allow them to connect with the audience that they anticipate would later become their loyal customers.
For organizations that have signed up to sponsor or exhibit at The Event Planner Expo in New York we strongly suggest that you factor in the various people who will be in attendance. The attendees aren’t your average target consumer. Those in attendance have experience with multiple personality types because they work to create events for all industries and every type of person. You have to engage them on a different level.
Whenever you’re structuring a plan to gain new customers, the first thing you must keep in mind is, “how can I resolve the problems their facing?” Deciding on people’s needs can be challenging and devising a brand activation plan that will boost your involvement requires some wisdom and creativity.
In this post, we’re going to help participating sponsors and exhibitors strategize the best ways to attract and engage the versatile attendees at The Event Planner Expo.
3 Creative Tactics to Attract and Engage Attendees at The Event Planner Expo
To ensure that your brand’s presence stands out amidst the crowd we suggest:
Picture courtesy of Paderno
Design an Exciting Networking Hub
Most attendees register for expos because they’re looking to rub shoulders with industry professionals that will help them accomplish their business goals. So if that’s their key goal, it only makes sense that you design a stage to facilitate it.
Make your booth look like a small bar and offer mocktails in martini glasses or coffee with whip cream in beer mugs. You can place small bowls of snacks that are typically seen at a bar like pretzels, chips, and nuts as well. Food and drinks easily attract attention and once people begin to gather at your booth, the networking opportunities will come by way of random conversation just like it would happen at a local bar. Instead of having sports playing on a big screen like a sports bar would, display videos about your brand’s products or services on a plasma screen.
Picture courtesy of Convention Massages
Let Attendees Relax, Relate, and Release at Your Booth
The Event Planner Expo is filled with exciting workshops for attendees, opportunities to listen to keynote speakers, and then an exhibitor’s hall filled with the top vendors in the events industry. Exhausting! So be smart and attract attendees to your booth by being the sponsor or exhibitor who offered an area for people to relax.
Placing a few massage chairs at your booth will draw attendees in and during their mini massage session, you can play light music with a voiceover that speaks about your brand. This is an excellent way to inadvertently download your brand message into their brains.
Picture courtesy of EUBCE 2019
Design a Live Experience
The best way to convince people that what you sell will deliver solutions is by allowing them to see it for themselves. Add a mini stage to your booth and pull attendees in for a live demo. Invite someone to the stage and let them try your product while you live stream their experience on social media. Make them the star of your show! Everyone loves a little attention and if you want attendees to connect to your brand, then create a way for them to really experience your products or services.
Understanding what to offer attendees is one thing but crafting a way to draw them in is another. Using these creative tactics to attract and engage people at The Event Planner Expo will help you position a memorable experience.
Have any ideas on how to connect more with attendees? We’d love to hear from you! If you’re a Corporate Event Planner in NY who would like to submit an article on ways to connect with the audience more at events, please contact us to be a guest blogger on our website!
