Event marketing can take many forms, including trade shows, exhibitions, outdoor activities, and charities. The goal may be to cultivate relationships with clients or to convince a new audience on the ground.
Event marketing aims to highlight a product or service through an event that will provide a pleasant or stimulating experience for participants. Possible options include organising a party, a concert, a recreational weekend for your premium customer base, a charity dinner, a fair, children’s workshops, or a trade show.
Although the marketing techniques and channels may be similar, the tone of the messages and the value proposition must change depending on the type of event that the company wishes to put together:
- If you are reaching out to the consumer (B2C), the focus should be on personal benefits and positive emotions to attract participants.
- If you are reaching out to other companies (B2B), it is crucial to present concrete benefits, such as increased sales for sponsors, to convince them to commit.
There are several ways to organise an event, each involving different levels of company involvement. Organising an event yourself is a complex and expensive process, but it allows you to focus public attention on your company. Another, simpler, and more economical solution is to sponsor an existing event. However, this option may be less commercially effective as the company will be seen alongside other companies that could also attract consumer interest.
Creating your own event
When no existing option matches a company’s needs, or when it must have exclusivity in order to avoid any form of competition, it may choose to organise an event from A to Z on its own. To cover costs, it may sell sponsorship rights to non-competing companies interested in the same type of event, for example. They can co-sponsor the event if they deem it relevant and likely to attract their target market. In any case, it is essential to present the event to potential sponsors and promote it through the business press as well as on the company’s website.
Calling on professionals
If the event requires complex logistics, you should call on specialists, such as independent consultants or companies specialised in event marketing. The professionals will then handle activities, meals, hotel reservations, conference rooms, security measures, and transportation.
Collaboration with experts in the field is even more important if there are risks involved. You need to avoid disappointing participants at all costs, as this may damage the company’s reputation. To assess the risk of possible inconveniences, two questions can be asked:
- Does the event involve multiple activities carried out by people outside the company? If a limousine rental, catering, hotel room reservations and the performance of a group of animals are planned, there are risks involved. The specialists manage these aspects to ensure that the event runs smoothly.
- Can the public be upset by minor setbacks? Rain can disrupt a golf competition. Similarly, a breakfast that fails to be served before a conference session can upset participants. If the event needs to occur in a specific order, a specialist should oversee all the details.
Participating as a sponsor
Given the abundance of existing events, creating your own event may seem superfluous. Many companies choose to sponsor an event to present their name to a targeted audience. For example, the French association "Vérité", which fights against the exploitation of children, organises a charity dinner with a famous jazz singer once a year. Companies sponsoring the event benefit from the association’s positive public image. Here are some tips to identify the most suitable sponsorship opportunities for your company:
- Explore local options. In addition to major events, it is also important to find out what is organised in the regions where the company operates. It may be useful to contact local associations via chambers of commerce or umbrella associations to get lists of local events, or even associations linked by their activity to the company's target audience. For example, a sporting goods vendor may contact a basketball association to sponsor a sporting event.
- Analyse the commercial impact of each event. Events whose target audience does not correspond to the company’s market, that convey a negative image or are linked to politically sensitive causes should be set aside. The remaining options must then be analysed based on cost per exposure. This calculation may, for example, reveal that it is more cost-effective to sponsor several small, specialised events than one large national event. Small events can be used to target the public better.
- Assess the relevance of the event to the business. This is often overlooked, although essential. An event that is relevant to a company will be closely related to a service or product and its use, such as when car brands sponsor motor racing. An Italian restaurant may offer a free buffet on the opening day of a nearby art gallery. This type of sponsorship is effective because art lovers often go to restaurants. Direct exposure of potential customers to the product in a pleasant setting also has more impact than an event where people watch cars drive past a billboard.
Trade shows and exhibitions
Although expensive, trade shows and exhibitions can be very good long-term investments. This type of event helps to find new customers while also improving the company’s image with current customers. Used to launch a new product or strategy, trade shows also provide an opportunity to introduce members of the company, including staff and management, to customers.
You cannot host a trade show or exhibition without a booth. Before the event, the company will therefore have to integrate into its strategy the development of a booth, which must be in line with current trends and likely to be of interest to the target clientele. Several key questions need to be answered if the booth is to achieve its goal:
- How do you attract the right people to the show and to the booth?
- How to communicate and motivate visitors on-site?
- How to identify and guide visitors in the booth?
- How can one get information about visitors and their interests?
- What follow-up should be put in place to establish and/or maintain connections?
Choosing the right size and location for your booth will also be a milestone. A spot near a fast food stand, restroom or other high-traffic areas is ideal. If possible, a spacious and airy booth is best. However, a small booth in the middle of an alley can also attract visitors, especially if the target audience is large. Some participants go to trade shows in search of innovative solutions (start-ups) and will therefore be interested in somewhat smaller booths. Companies that do not have the professional resources in-house can call on specialists to design and set up their booth.
These events are opportunities for knowledge exchange and networking that should not be missed. Do not hesitate to discuss with the public and other exhibitors so you can learn about new market trends. The value of information gathered at a trade show is often greater than the cost of participation.
Sources: Hiam, A., Heilbrunn B. "Le Marketing pour les Nuls", John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2021; Rudi, V. Event Marketing Strategies and Ideas: The 2025 Guide, 2025 (consulted on 2nd April 2025).
