XEVT20004 EventMarketing 01-Sep-2016 v6

Event Management Extension Certificate
XEVT 20004
Event Marketing
Student Course Manual
Version 6
Revised: September 1, 2016

Copyright 2016 by Mount Royal University. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying or any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission
in writing from the publisher.
Published in 2016 by:

Mount Royal University
Faculty of Continuing Education and Extension
Calgary, Alberta
Page ii
Event Marketing Student Course Manual
Contents
Introduction to Event Marketing ..................................................................................................................... vii

Course Learning Outcomes ................................................................................................................................ vii
MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing ..............................................................................9

Module 1 Learning Objectives ............................................................................................................................. 9
a) Introduction to Event Marketing ............................................................................................................. 10
Defining Marketing ................................................................................................................................ 10
Defining Event Marketing ................................................................................................................... 10
b) A Brief History of Events and Event Marketing................................................................................. 10
c) The Four Ps of Marketing .......................................................................................................................... 12
1. Product .................................................................................................................................................. 13
2. Price ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
3. Packaging/Public Relations .......................................................................................................... 14
4. Placement (Distribution Channels) ........................................................................................... 15
d) Marketing Momentum ................................................................................................................................. 15
Module 1 References ............................................................................................................................................ 16
MODULE 2: Marketing Components ............................................................................................. 17

Module 2 Learning Objectives .......................................................................................................................... 17
a) Marketing Components ............................................................................................................................... 18
1. Set realistic and targeted goals ................................................................................................... 18
2. Incorporate creativity and a strong theme ............................................................................ 18
3. Include a MIX in your promotional activities ....................................................................... 18
4. Target your audience and target your reach ........................................................................ 18
5. Include Social Media ....................................................................................................................... 19
6. Follow-up with attendees and non-attendees alike .......................................................... 19
b) Sales ..................................................................................................................................................................... 20
c) Communications / Public Relations ....................................................................................................... 20
d) Advertising ....................................................................................................................................................... 22
Advertising and Public Relations .................................................................................................... 22
MODULE 3: Event Marketing Plan ................................................................................................ 23

a) Event Research ............................................................................................................................................... 24
Analyze and Review Your Existing Strategies ............................................................................ 25
Developing Effective Questionnaires ............................................................................................. 25
Demographic and Psychographic Variables to Consider....................................................... 26
b) Direct Marketing ............................................................................................................................................ 27
c) Positioning the Event ................................................................................................................................... 28
d) Rules for Developing a Positioning Statement .................................................................................. 30
Tests and Tips for Creating a Positioning Statement .............................................................. 31
e) Branding Your Event .................................................................................................................................... 32
Event Marketing Plan Template ...................................................................................................... 32
Page iii
MODULE 4: Advertising ..................................................................................................................... 33
a) Purpose of Advertising ................................................................................................................................ 34
Targeting Advertising Efforts ........................................................................................................... 34
b) Advertising Methods .................................................................................................................................... 35
c) Creative Advertising ..................................................................................................................................... 37
6 Strategies for Creative Ideas .......................................................................................................... 37
d) Design ................................................................................................................................................................. 38
Elements of Design Checklist ............................................................................................................ 38
Working With a Print House ............................................................................................................. 39
e) Pros and Cons of Different Advertising Media ................................................................................... 41
Radio ........................................................................................................................................................... 43
Television .................................................................................................................................................. 44
Internet Advertising ............................................................................................................................. 46
Pros and Cons of Online Advertising ............................................................................................. 46
Direct Mail Campaigns ......................................................................................................................... 47
Outdoor Advertising ............................................................................................................................. 48
Invitations ................................................................................................................................................. 48
Online Invitations and Online Registration ................................................................................. 50
Methods for Evaluating Advertising Campaigns ....................................................................... 52
MODULE 5: Word of Mouth Marketing ........................................................................................ 53

a) Word of Mouth Marketing .......................................................................................................................... 54
WOMM marketing can be confused with Buzz and Viral Marketing So Whats the
Difference? ........................................................................................................................................ 54
The five Ts: essentials of a word of mouth marketing campaign ...................................... 55
Ethics and guidelines of word of mouth marketing................................................................. 56
b) Social Media Marketing ............................................................................................................................... 57
Trends in Social Media Marketing .................................................................................................. 59
Summary ................................................................................................................................................... 59
MODULE 6: Communications/ Public Relations ....................................................................... 61

a) Public Relations .............................................................................................................................................. 62
Events as Part of the PR Campaign ................................................................................................. 62
When Events Are the Public Relations Campaign .................................................................... 63
b) Public Relations and the Media ................................................................................................................ 65
Understanding How the Media Operates ..................................................................................... 65
c) Preparing For an Interview ....................................................................................................................... 66
Some Basic Guidelines ......................................................................................................................... 67
Interviewing Tips ................................................................................................................................... 68
Important Tips to Remember During Media Interviews ....................................................... 70
Characteristics of Interviews in Various Media ........................................................................ 70
Who Should Do the Interview ........................................................................................................... 71
Anticipating Media Questions ........................................................................................................... 71
d) Press Releases ................................................................................................................................................. 72
Two Types of Press Releases ............................................................................................................ 72
Characteristics of Good News Writing .......................................................................................... 72
Page iv
Structuring Your Press Release ........................................................................................................ 73

e) Holding a Press Conference ....................................................................................................................... 74
f) Hosting a Media Event ................................................................................................................................. 75
Stunts .......................................................................................................................................................... 75
Sex Sells ...................................................................................................................................................... 76
Celebrity Attractions ............................................................................................................................ 76
Communication and/or Public Relations Campaign or Plan ............................................... 77
MODULE 7: Sales .................................................................................................................................. 79

a) Sales ..................................................................................................................................................................... 80
b) Collaborative Selling ..................................................................................................................................... 81
The Traditional Sales Approach....................................................................................................... 81
Collaborative Selling ............................................................................................................................. 81
Sales Plan ................................................................................................................................................... 84
MODULE 8: Sponsorship ................................................................................................................... 87

a) Sponsorship...................................................................................................................................................... 88
The Importance of WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE .......................................................... 88
Blending the Information and Diversifying the Sponsors ..................................................... 89
Understanding Sponsor Needs ......................................................................................................... 90
Determining Your Needs..................................................................................................................... 91
What Do Sponsors Get ......................................................................................................................... 91
Levels of Sponsorship .......................................................................................................................... 92
Sponsorship is a Business Transaction ......................................................................................... 92
Follow Through ...................................................................................................................................... 93
Who Benefits ............................................................................................................................................ 93
Common Mistakes to Avoid ............................................................................................................... 93
Developing a Sponsorship Package ................................................................................................ 93
Beyond the Obvious .............................................................................................................................. 94
b) Sponsorship Plan ........................................................................................................................................... 94
MODULE 9: Ethics in Event Marketing ........................................................................................ 97

a) Confidentiality, Proprietary Information and Copyright .............................................................. 98
b) Gifts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 98
Additional Resources ......................................................................................................................... 99
Glossary ............................................................................................................................... 101
Page v
NOTES
Page vi
Introduction to Event Marketing
The success of an event is measured by participation. Event marketing addresses the variety of methods
for providing awareness, leaving an impression and grabbing attention to either participate in an event
or service / product. Effective marketing includes a variety of strategies, timing and evaluation
components, all of which are critical to the success of an event. Students will learn to differentiate
between revenue-generating, fundraising, cost-recovery and marketing events. Word of Mouth
marketing (WOM) is a new paradigm of thinking for marketing special events, i.e. giving an intended
audience something to talk about, usually through social media forms, that ultimately results in
promotion, energy and support of an event, product and or services that the event is promoting.
Students will also develop a comprehensive event marketing plan for a real or fictional event.
Course Learning Outcomes
1. Identify the key components of an event marketing campaign
2. Identify and develop the key aspects of public relations as used in event marketing
3. Apply the concept of word of mouth marketing for promotion of special events
4. Identify and develop sponsorship needs and opportunities
5. Develop a comprehensive marketing plan for an event

NOTES
Page viii Course Introduction

MODULE 1: Introduction
to Event Marketing
XEVT 20004 Event Marketing
Figure 1 iStock
The success of an event is often measured by attendance, participation, sales and a myriad of other pre-
determined measurable outcomes. The event professional is charged with understanding the
importance of event marketing as it relates to all types of events. Community events, state-wide
celebrations, exhibitions, trade shows, publicity stunts, fundraisers, corporate events, award
ceremonies, and ground breaking events are just a few that require the skills of event marketing.
Module 1 Learning Objectives
1. Define marketing.
2. Summarize the term event marketing.
3. Explain the evolution of event marketing.
4. Describe the four Ps of Marketing.
5. Define determining value.
MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing Page 9

a) Introduction to Event Marketing
Event marketing is a key and necessary component to the event management process. The purpose of
event marketing is to create awareness, highlight a particular product or service, communicate the
repositioning of a brand, create a brand personality for a particular target market, and /or create brand
loyalty.
Each event has been designed with a target audience in mind. Programs, locations and entertainment
have been selected to meet the psychographic, demographic, geographic, lifestyle and life cycle needs
of the selected audience. Promoting the event successfully must include identifying the cost to the
delegate and convincing the target audience that the event is worth the price. The cost of the event is
anything the participant may have to give up in order to attend. This includes money, time, social and
psychological costs.
Defining Marketing
According to the American Marketing Association, (AMA, 2016), marketing is the activity, set of
institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have
value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
The activities associated with marketing communications, public relations and advertising are
inextricably linked.
Marketing is the business function whose primary role is to attract revenues. Without revenue a
company cannot recover its investment, pay its employees salaries, experience growth or turn a profit.
Marketing is vital to the success of any product, service or company.
Defining Event Marketing

Event marketing is the process of developing a message or presentation to promote a product, service,
cause, or organization leveraging in-person engagement.
Like any process that grows and morphs by the ever changing attitudes of society, event marketing and
the events being promoted have gone through major changes in the last 30 years. The most significant
of which has been the advent of the internet and its progeny, social media. In light of this advancement,
event marketing has now begun to replace the term event with experience.
b) A Brief History of Events and Event Marketing
Events are a social experience that most likely has a moral imperative. By definition, events bring
people together for a specific purpose with a specific end-goal. Events, regardless of how they take
place, are universal in their application and occurrence. Events cross all boundaries and barriers. They
are not restricted to gender, age, ability, culture, intelligence or personal preference. It is an ancient
tradition for people to celebrate.
Page 10 MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing

Today, individuals and organizations use special events as a tool for creating an image and
communicating this to the media, clients, competitors and other stakeholders. For a special event to be
an effective communication medium, it must create a very powerful impact. It must move the emotional
meter. Without the emotional impact a special event is simply not very special.
Special event marketing is understood on several levels.
1. The event itself must be marketed. An event with low or minimal attendance is a failure.
Obviously, corporate events are about public relations, advertising, and sales. These events are
about image, developing an image, changing an image, or enhancing an image. How the event is
designed, coordinated, planned and evaluated will be directly linked to this image. This image is
identified and defined in the stated purpose of the event. The same is true for family and social
events. These events are also driven by image, although less obvious and specific, they are
identified in the declared purpose of the event. This means uncovering the hidden agenda
(Resource Management for Event Planning) in order to meet the declared purpose.
2. Special event marketing also refers to the use of events to market products or services. The use
of events as a marketing tool began in earnest in the 1980s as public relations and marketing
experts came to understand that by selecting or engineering links connecting a product or brand
with an event of public interest or concern, a rapport could be built between potential
consumers and a product. This, put quite simply, became a process of linking products to events,
issues or ideas that were already of interest to consumers. Using events as a promotional tool
allowed companies to cut through mass-media clutter, gaining greater brand awareness and
loyalty.
3. Event sponsorship is another form of event marketing. Many events require corporate
sponsorship in order to provide the financial resources necessary to produce the event.
Historically, sponsorship was understood to be one step up from charity a way for the
corporate community to demonstrate community responsibility. Event sponsorship is now
clearly understood as a form of advertising and marketing. The event planner must provide the
event with solid sponsorship and this requires the ability to market the event to potential
sponsors. The event must provide the sponsors with the opportunity to market to the
consumers or other constituents they hope to reach.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never
forget how you made them feel.
- Maya Angelou
The word experience is mentioned more and more frequently when discussing events. New marketing
platforms and technological innovation is allowing event professionals to create diverse and memorable

experiences around the events they implement. Other considerations and services need to also be
considered such as brand loyalty, target audience and technology.
It is important to make the event one that attendees become emotionally invested in and engaged. To
build the brand awareness and loyalty, brands are inclined to provide consumers with experiences in
which they can interact. Interaction and engagement increases the attendees likelihood to become
more emotionally invested in the brand or product.
This becomes even more effective when the planner knows who the target audience is for the event.
Once your target audience is known, the return on investment of your marketing efforts is another
primary measure of success. How do you prove an event was financially effective? By the number of
smiles or positive comments? Not likely. This is when event planners need to understand the goals,
objectives and the eventual ROI of the event. That is most likely done through integrating technology.
Since the advent of the internet and ultimately its offspring, social media, systems like CRM and
marketing automation platforms have not only eliminated this labor intensive piece of the workload but
also helps planners to better understand the effectiveness. Mobile event apps will keep playing
important role in eliminating event planners tedious processes and ultimately enhances the guest
experience. Event software, online registration systems and even design software help to further engage
the customers experience.
c) The Four Ps of Marketing
Marketing strategy often refers to the marketing mix. Typically, the marketing mix consists of the Four
Ps of marketing. Historically, these have included:
1. Product
2. Price
3. Packaging / Public Relations
4. Placement (distribution channels)

Figure 2 iStock
Since the 1960s companies have relied heaviliy on the concepts provided by Jerome McCarthys Four
Ps of Marketing Product, Price, Promotion, and Place.
These principles have provided guidance and are even more effective when used in conjunction with
more than one of the Ps. A combination has the greatest effect. When speaking about the Four Ps,
according to Scott Schenker, Microsofts general manager of worldwide events These are not
individual things that operate in a vacuum, he said. They are levers that can be used to distinguish and
differentiate the event experience from other events and other experiences ( Sorrells, 2014).
1. Product
In a traditional marketing approach, product is self-evident. Product refers to the tangible item that is
available for the consumer to purchase. In the service industry, it refers to the service that is being
offered. A temp agency offers temporary office support as its product.
In event marketing, the product is often misunderstood as the event itself. In reality, the product is the
idea or concept behind the event. The product is the identified purpose of the event.
2. Price
Price refers to the cost of the product to the consumer. Pricing the product is of great importance and
must fit several criteria. The price must fall within the accepted market range. A disposable pen at
$16.95 will not meet with success if most of its competitors are priced at $0.59. The second criterion for
pricing is that the cost to the consumer must exceed the cost of production if the producer is to turn a

profit. The third criterion is for the product to remain competitive. Under-pricing a product can be as
devastating to its success as overpricing a product. The same disposable pen priced at $0.12 will be
viewed as cheap and unreliable if all of its competitors are priced at $0.59. The old adage you get what
you pay for comes into play here and the consumer makes an assumption.
Pricing an event is of equal importance and several factors must be taken into consideration. Basic
market research will help determine the price. Part of this research is to determine the price of similar
events. Many event planners want to believe that their event is significantly different and unique, and
therefore is not subject to comparison. What is really important is whether the target audience or
attendees view this difference as significant. Typically, three factors determine price:
1. What is the financial philosophy of the event? Is it a cost-recovery event, a fundraiser, a

revenue-generating event or a hosted event? Once the philosophy is clear, the event planner
can begin to determine the price of attendance. The price must reflect the cost of all goods and
services required to produce the event plus a margin of profit or retained earnings.
2. The second factor is the perceived competition. If your ticket is priced at $100 and your event
does not offer the same perceived value as a similar event selling for $50, your target
audience may choose the other event. Being price-competitive does not necessarily mean
lowering your ticket costs it may mean raising the perception of value associated with the
ticket cost.
3. General economic conditions are the third factor affecting pricing decisions. During times of
recession or economic anxiety, events are frequently viewed as discretionary spending. Keep a
close eye on the economic community and be sure your target audience has the necessary
purchasing power to attend your event.
These three factors remain the same, although applied slightly differently, regardless of whether you are
pricing the ticket to your event or the sponsorship buy-in package to potential supporters of your event.
3. Packaging/Public Relations
Millions of dollars are spent each year in the development of product packaging. This includes the
physical package in which the product is housed as well as how it stands out from its competitors on the
shelf. It also includes advertising and other promotional activities that ensure brand awareness and
brand recognition. It is the public face of your product.
If we accept that the product in event marketing is the idea or concept behind the event the WHY or
purpose of the event then the packaging/public relations of event marketing refers to the event itself.
This is an important distinction in event marketing, as it requires a shift in thinking. How the event is
designed and produced will shift as the understanding of what the product is becomes clear.
Lets return to the case study of the birthday party for the 10-year-old. The event planner recognized
that the purpose of the party was to enhance the social standing of the child within his circle of friends,
so the design of this party (the packaging/public relations aspect) shifted to a format that would be well

received by pre-adolescent boys. Consider for a moment if the purpose (product) of the event were to
enhance the social standing of the parents. The design and production of the event would be very
different providing more opportunity for the adults to mix and catering to the needs, wants and
desires of an adult audience. Not only is it of primary importance to understand the purpose of your
event, it is equally important to understand who the target audience is and carefully match the
messages, images and activities of the event to these two factors. Understanding the event itself as the
package/public relations aspect of the marketing mix allows the event planner effectively and efficiently
to inform and persuade others to support the purpose or the WHY of the event.
4. Placement (Distribution Channels)

In marketing language, placement or distribution takes place through channels. Distribution is about
moving the product to the consumer. These channels typically involve manufacturers, wholesalers,
retailers, sales reps, etc. Lets face it, though: consumers dont care. If they want or need a product and
yours is hard to get, typically they will buy something else to meet their needs.
This has huge implications for event marketing. In real estate, location is everything the same can be
said about events. An event held in a remote rural area may not get the media coverage it needs to
attract large numbers. The area may not have the infrastructure in place to support large groups
attending. Some potential attendees may not have the logistical ability to attend due to transportation
limitations. Some venues in urban areas are considered more attractive and viable than others.
Determining where your event is to be held has implications for how large it can be or in what direction
your marketing plans need to be focused. Place not only implies the taste or style of the event, it also, in
large part, defines the type of individual that will be persuaded to invest in the event. Knowing who your
intended audience is helps determine the choice of location for your event, and in turn will have
implications for building a suitable marketing plan.
Place and the concept of distribution are also important in determining how ticket purchases and
sponsorships will be facilitated. In both of these situations, the process must be straightforward and
simple. Event attendance is in the category of discretionary spending if it requires too much work,
people will not invest.
d) Marketing Momentum
In 1685, Sir Isaac Newton introduced his three laws of momentum of which the second law states that
an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion, stays in motion unless acted upon by an
unbalanced force. Essentially Newton realized that without some sort of action, you will not
experience momentum. The same is true with a concerted marketing effort. Without clear direction,
strategy and action your marketing efforts will stall and fall flat.
When you dont have momentum, even the simplest task can seem impossible or overwhelming. A lack
of momentum can thwart your ability to grow the event while robust momentum can skyrocket the
growth and the interest in your event. Building momentum is no easy task. The biggest influencer, as

stated by (Johnson, 2016) is execution. If you want to build marketing momentum you have to be
diligent with your team and hold your team accountable to follow through on the marketing activities
laid out on your marketing plan. Similar to your critical path, execution should be accountable, done on
time, and adhere to the goals and objectives of your marketing plan. Knowing this, focus your marketing
on what is working and build your momentum upon your strategy. Focus your efforts on strategic,
significant activities of your event and be consistent.
Building momentum stems from being consistent with your product and with your customers. An
example of consistency might be to keep your loyal patrons and potential future patrons, updated on
new food choices at your event, or the artists you have booked for this years event. This may entail a
blast email or Instagram post announcing the artists one a week or once a month just to keep the
event alive in the clients eyes can help you to remain consistent with your audience.
Remember, starting and stopping will not build momentum. Just as Newtons law of momentum states,
you need to stay in motion and keep executing to build strong momentum.
Module 1 References
Johnson, S. ( 2016) The Four Secrets to Building Momentum for Your Marketing. Article. 6th January.
Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/four-secrets-building-momentum-your-
marketing-sarah-johnson-dobek

MODULE 2: Marketing
Components
Figure 3 iStock
Successful events require active participation. A sold-out event without actual attendees does not equal
a successful event. The challenge, then, becomes selling the tickets by selling the experience, ensuring
that those individuals that have purchased tickets make the further commitments associated with the
cost and attending the event.
1. Describe major components of event marketing.

2. Explain the negative connotation that is often associated with the role of sales
3. Explain the negative connotation that is often associated with the role of public relations
4. Recognize how sponsorship can contribute to the event success.
5. Describe the relationship between advertising and public relations.
MODULE 2: Marketing Components Page 17

The client may be king, but he's not the art director.
- Von R. Glitschka
a) Marketing Components
The marketing components can vary depending on the mission and vision of the event. Here are a few
to consider when planning your event marketing
1. Set realistic and targeted goals

Return on Investment (ROI) should be planned in advance of the event. Think about the impact of your
budget, your investment in marketing and compare those to your return (attendance, ticket sales, etc).
You dont need to wait until the end of your event to measure the ROI. Measure it during and
throughout the event process.
Also, if you hold an event that is well-attended by the wrong people, you will increase your costs
without impacting revenue. Your model may show that the percentage of qualified attendees tends to
be a high indicator of success (this sensitivity may only be relevant for physical events; as virtual events
are less costly). (Marketo.com, 2016)
2. Incorporate creativity and a strong theme

A cohesive message and look creates a seamless brand experience
You want to create a presence that compels someone to stop, not just walk by. Consider using games or
interactive tools as a way to pique the interest of attendees.
3. Include a MIX in your promotional activities

As previously mentioned, you want to mix up your marketing approach. Using email, social media, PR
and other types of promotion to advance your brand. By communicating with your audience early and
often, you will have a better turnout and the event will be face front of your attendees.
4. Target your audience and target your reach

Make sure to create a strategy that targets you market and your reach. If you are having an event for
teens, its not necessary to spend time doing mailers or newspaper ads. Spend your time and money
where you will have the most impact social media, online ticket sales and options for younger adults to
use.
Page 18 MODULE 2: Marketing Components

5. Include Social Media

Being active on social networks before, during, and after your event is critical for your success and social
media cannot be ignored. Attendees often use social networks to engage with other participants in a
live environment. Some examples of good social media use include:
Twitter: Twitter is a great way to promote your event and engage other attendees in read-time.
Facebook: Because Facebook is a visual medium, it is a great place to promote your events using eye-
catching graphics. Being 4- 6 weeks out and use a mix of graphics, graphics, memes, and images taken at
or in preparation for the event to encourage attendance
Google+: The Google+ events feature allows users to send out customized invitations and syncs with
Google calendar when a user confirms. Google Hangouts to get influencers, prospects, customers, and
other attendees in the same place discussing the event.
LinkedIn: Use LinkedIn to promote your registration page and use LinkedIn groups to get some
additional promotion and interest in your event.
Instagram: According to a study by Pew Research, the use of Instagram has doubled since 2012 and
when it comes to engagement of its users, approximately 59 percent of Instagram users get on each day,
which makes getting consistent content out on the channel imperative (McCoy, 2015). Instagram is a
great way to combine high quality photos of your event with Twitter (hashtags [#]). Hashtags are the
backbone of the most effective way to use Instagram for effective engagement.
Promoting events before, during, and after using Instagram can help to improve the visibility of the
event. In 2015, Instagram averaged 80 million photos being shared a day, with 3.5 billion likes occurring
each day. Further, you can also link your Instagram feed to our other social media platforms (i.e.:
Facebook) for an all-encompassing social media approach
Snapchat: Snapchat is another form of social media that event professionals can utilize to promote their
events. According to (McCarthy, 2016) some ideas include:
Creating behind the scenes footage of the event
Incorporate a location based Geofilter
Provide a look from the planners point of view
Sent fun facts about the event IE: What kind of BBQ will you be eating on Sunday?
Add a coupon
6. Follow-up with attendees and non-attendees alike

Plan your follow-up strategy before the event beginsyour event should be in the faces of attendees
throughout the year and not just a few month pre event to leave it falling off the cliffs post-event. BE
and THINK year-round with your marketing.

b) Sales
An event is identified as an opportunity to bring people together resulting in celebration, education,

reunion or marketing. In all of these cases, the event strives to evoke an emotional response. The terms
sales and public relations both evoke emotional responses in most people. Both are for the most
part misunderstood.
To many people, the word sales evokes the vision of the used car salesperson. Salesmen are
negatively stereotyped as pushy, overbearing, aggressive, dishonest, emotionally stunted individuals
who usually have bad taste in their personal presentation. Instead, most of us want to believe that if
we build it they will come. This is especially true of event planners as they design and plan the next
event.
The truth is that event planners need to develop sales strategies and embrace sales tactics if they are to
achieve the attendance numbers and sponsorship targets deemed necessary for success. As previously
stated, marketing is defined as human endeavours which facilitate the exchange of values. For the event
planner value is measured in dollars and gifts-in-kind. The importance of sales and skilled salespeople in
our society can be demonstrated by the abundance of how-to books on improving, increasing or
instilling sales skills, found in any bookstore, library or personal development program. The shelves are
lined with them.
As event planners develop and design their events, they must believe that they are offering the
consumer and/or sponsor an experience which has value if they are to participate in the exchange of
value with honesty and integrity.
c) Communications / Public Relations
The term public relations is equally misunderstood. Frequently referred to as spin doctors, public
relations experts are sometimes viewed as magicians who create an impression of reality that is
different from everyday experience. Public relations practitioners are suspect, as they are perceived to
twist reality to meet their needs and the needs of their clients, rather than making a truthful
presentation of fact.
In fact both the professional salesperson and PR practitioner are subject to a code of ethics and personal
integrity. A good salesperson doesnt attempt to sell a client something they do not need or want. A
good public relations practitioner doesnt misrepresent the situation instead they provide the
opportunity for information to reach the public and be understood from varying perspectives. Much of
the work of a public relations practitioner involves coordination with the media in getting the story out.
In event marketing the public relations experts role is to ensure the community perceives the event, as
well as the purpose behind it, as valuable.
Where sales and public relations converge is where the magic lies; value must be defined by the
consumer. All too often we want to tell the consumer how valuable our event is to them, why they need

it and why they cant live without it. In event marketing, this wont work. The consumer, audience,
attendee and potential sponsor tell us what is valuable to them. We must listen and then provide it for
them. The exchange of value on the part of the consumer includes the ticket price and associated costs
(to the event) and on the part of the event planner/marketer, the experience, whose value is defined by
the consumer. Value is a perception; consumers will only purchase what they perceive to be valuable to
them.
Sponsorship is one of the most important and least understood aspects of event marketing. Sponsorship
is directly related both to the promotion and the management of events, regardless of their size and/or
complexity. Without sponsorship, most events would fail to come to fruition.
Sponsorship spending on fairs, festivals and annual events is expected to total $878 million in 2016, a
2.1 percent increase over the previous year, according to IEG research (IEG.com, 2016)
In its simplest form sponsorship provides the financial or in-kind resources necessary for the
production of the event. In return sponsors receive public recognition, usually through the use of logos,
presence at the event, product samples and displays, and acknowledgement in media and publications.
To be clear, sponsorship is not an act of charity. It is a business investment that endeavors to show
some form of positive ROI. It is clearly a business arrangement; standard evaluative criteria should be
used to establish the suitability of a proposed event in relation to the sponsor. Some benefits of
sponsorship include: (Business case studies.co.uk, 2016)
raise brand awareness and create preference
create positive PR and raise awareness of the organisation as a whole
provide attractive content for a range of products and services
build brand positioning through associative imagery
support a sales promotion campaign
create internal emotional commitment to the brand
act as corporate hospitality that promotes good relations with clients.
It is the event professionals responsibility to understand the intricacies of the event, its message, image
and target audience, and then to match that event to prospective sponsors. Asking questions like what
are the marketing objectives of the company and then align the event with the needs of the sponsor
creates the necessary environment for a successful sponsorship agreement.

d) Advertising
Public advertising is not necessarily a component of all events. In some cases, such as celebrity
weddings, public advertising is not only discouraged but actively suppressed. This does not preclude the
importance of advertising, even for exclusive events. The lack of public awareness of some events is, in
effect, advertising for the stakeholders. The offer of exclusivity, of being in the know, is actually a form
of advertising. This particular type of advertising is specifically targeted and addresses the needs, wants
and desires of the audience.
Most events do require public advertising to attain the desired attendance numbers as well as to satisfy
the requirements of sponsors. Advertising can take many forms, including television and radio spots,
newspaper and magazine advertisements, billboards and other outdoor signage, bus and transit signage,
posters, and direct marketing campaigns.
Advertising and Public Relations

The relationship between advertising and public relations in event marketing is complex. Frequently,
one relies on the activities of the other in order to achieve its goal of promoting the event. Event
advertising will generate public and media interest, which often results in interviews and other forms of
exposure. The research necessary for a targeted public relations campaign is directly applicable to
purchasing advertising space. For both advertising and public relations, it is important to talk to the right
people, at the right time, with the right message. Public relations is about building an image, while
advertising is about supporting and enhancing that image.
The desired outcome of most advertising campaigns is to generate sales. For events, this means ticket
sales. Another desired outcome of event advertising is to fulfill the public recognition component of
sponsorship. A good advertising campaign that is specifically targeted to the desired audience can and
does enhance the optimum outcome of the event. Advertising provides public awareness of the event.
People know the event is coming up, where it will be held, when it will take place and how to purchase
tickets. An advertising campaign also provides credibility for the event. Any event that uses a variety of
advertising techniques tells consumers, This event is for real. The more times the consumer sees the
event advertised, the more brand recognition is established, leading to the idea that attending this
event may be valuable.
The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save
time.
- Henry Ford

MODULE 3:
Event Marketing Plan
Figure 4 iStock
The foundation of a marketing plan is made up of two main things: the intangible and tangible goals
behind your event (whova.com. 2015). A clear understanding of the declared purpose, goals and
objectives behind the event and an equally clear understanding of any hidden agendas will prove
beneficial as the marketing plan is developed and implemented. The event purpose speaks to WHY the
event is being held in the first place, and establishing an agreed upon, focused purpose for an event is
MODULE 3: Event Marketing Plan Page 23

key to developing an effective event marketing plan. (This is more fully addressed in the course Resource
Management for Event Planning.) Although events may seem to have several purposes at first glance
(i.e. raise funds, increase profile, attract new customers) and different opinions from different
stakeholders on what the purpose truly is, it is important to identify one main purpose for an event.
1. Describe the two ways to research can be used to plan for an event.
2. Define the two types of research.
3. Summarize the concept of direct marketing.
4. Explain how to position your event.
5. List the five rules of a positioning statement.
6. Outline the key components of the eventing marketing plan template.
a) Event Research
Research can be used in two ways to manage an event marketing plan effectively.
1. First, when approaching an annual event, you may have the opportunity to review research
done over the past years that help an event planner see strengths and weaknesses of the event
itself, as well as WHO the audience attending each year, really is. This information forms a
profile of the target audience and directs how and where you should market based on past
research conducted.
2. Second, if this is the first year of an event with no past research, information will need to be
gathered upfront to market the inaugural event as well as future events. Identify events that are
similar to your event in terms of geographical location, size, scope, purpose and assumed
audience profile and analyze the target audience profile of these events. In theory, if these
events have the same general characteristics of your event they will also attract the same
audience. This information can be gathered online, via emails and phone calls or face to face
meetings depending on how much information others are comfortable to give. Many large
events post their audience profile directly on their website for everyone to see.
Once the first event is over you will need to conduct event research of your own from guests and all key
stakeholders to find out their true opinions about the event, and statistics that tell you who they are, for
example: how old they are, their marital status, their educational background and income. You will need
to decide the most appropriate way to incorporate the research process into your event, whether it be
asking guests to fill out an online survey after the event, interviewing them on the spot as they leave the
event or having a self-serve survey kiosk at the event. It all depends on what type of event it is and what
logistics make the most sense.
Marketing-specific research frequently relies on both qualitative and quantitative research.
Page 24 MODULE 3: Event Marketing Plan

Analyze and Review Your Existing Strategies

Strategies may already exist that have been used successfully. Historical data helps the event
professional to move forward. What were the past marketing strategies for this event, the current
marketing strategy for the organization hosting the event (the brand), and what are the strategies that
are used by competing events.
Looking to the past will help you learn whats gone well in terms of marketing this event, and whats not
gone so well. Youll save money, time, and headaches if you do this.
Some ways to review the past to learn in the future are to:
Review attendee demographics
Find out how attendees heard about the event
Ticket or gate #s or RSVP # from years past how do they compare from three years ago
compared to today
How many people downloaded apps or Snapchat, Instagram the event? Was it tracked?
These are all compelling vehicles that drive your event strategy and feed the marketing plan
Once you have some clear answers to what the event strategy is, you will be able to create a sound
event plan and ultimately a marketing plan. Deciding who the demographic is, the tactics to the
marketing, doing a SWOT analysis (the Strengths and threats to your event (such as weather, competing
events that weekend, etc.), and reviewing the branding of the event will guide the events marketing
plan.
Developing Effective Questionnaires

List specific event purposes Dont spend money or time collecting irrelevant data.
Write short questionnaires Dont tax respondents patience; they may get careless and skip
questions or flip answers.
State your questions clearly using low-literacy language as often as possible Avoid
generalities and ambiguities to avoid any chance of misunderstanding.
Use a short opening statement Include the interviewers name, the name of the organization,
the name of the event and the purpose for the questionnaire.
Put the respondent at ease The initial questions should be answered easily without time
required for serious consideration or thought. Tougher, more reflective questions should follow
later in the questionnaire.
Avoid questions that suggest an answer or correct response They bias the results. Include
several questions that cross-check earlier responses they help establish validity.

Place the demographic questions (age, income, education, etc.) at the end of the
questionnaire This helps establish a sense of anonymity.
Pretest the questionnaire Depending on your sample size, pretest the questionnaire with a
number of people that are not involved with the event to establish that the questions are
interpreted and understood correctly, and that it covers all of the areas in which information is
sought.
One of the most important aspects of research is to understand who the target audience is, including
their demographic and psychographic traits.
Here is an example of demographic information on a specific target market for an event: a group of
young women, under 25, with high school education, earning less than $30,000 per year, living outside
the parental home. The psychographic information that may play a role in how the event and marketing
plans proceed would include things like: Are these young women also mothers? Are they caring for their
children or have they made alternate arrangements? How do they feel about being young mothers
was it a planned pregnancy or not? Has their personal vision of their future changed as a result of the
pregnancy, i.e., do they believe their options in life have changed as a result of the pregnancy? How do
they feel about dating, men, marriage, long-term relationships, and short-term relationships?
Understanding WHO the target audience is as fully as possible has huge implications for how and to
whom the event is marketed. An event designed to promote RESPs to young mothers will find more
success if the attendees are young mothers that are concerned about their childrens future. Similarly,
an event designed to promote travel to young women will find more success if the attendees are young
women with disposable incomes (typically young mothers fitting the demographics outlined above do
not have disposable income and therefore would not be a good target audience for the event.)
Demographic and Psychographic Variables to Consider

Family Life Cycle - Young single; young married; young married no children; young married with
children; youngest children under 6; youngest child over 12; older single; older married; older
married no children; older married with children; youngest child under 6; oldest child over 12;
older divorced; older never married; older widowed; older no children under 18; etc.
Occupation - Professional and technical; managers; officials and proprietors; clerical; sales;
craftspeople; supervisors; farmers; retired; students; homemakers; unemployed; etc.
Social Divisions - Upper crust; movers and shakers; successful singles; social security; middle of
the road; metro ethnic mix; etc.
Personality - Gregarious; compulsive; authoritarian; ambitious; reserved; etc.
Geographic - Urban; suburban; rural; NE; NW; SE; SW; etc.
When developing the user profile (or the WHO), event planners should consider all of the relevant
questions. What previous behaviors of the target audience need to be taken into account? Are they

concerned with things like economy, prestige or convenience? Are they currently users, non-users, ex-
users, first-time users or long-established users? Are they concerned with quality, price and service? Are
they influenced by advertising, promotion? What about brand (event) loyalty? All of these matters need
to be contemplated, regardless of whether you are marketing a product, service or event.
b) Direct Marketing
Direct marketing, or 1-to-1 marketing, is a term used to convey the idea that potential customers can be
segmented so specifically that a different marketing message can be sent to each audience group based
on research that outlines his or her individual demographic and psychographic characteristics. The idea
is that customized, personalized invitations and promotions are much more likely to elicit a response
because it conveys the impression that the company really knows the customer. In the past the most
common form of direct marketing was a direct mail campaign, where printed invitations, brochures,
sponsorship packages or newsletters were mailed to individuals homes based on their postal code, past
history or relationship to an event.
With the continued rich data and power of the internet, direct marketing has been taken to the next
level. E-vites, online registration, send to a friend referral, clickstream histories, pop-up surveys,
checkout forms, and other customer touchpoints can be aggregated over time, to develop a very
extensive database on each customer. Companies such as Cvent.com were created specifically to
aggregate and measure in real time the effectiveness of marketing campaigns, using database analytics
and statistics so event planners can monitor the effectiveness of their marketing campaign day to day.
Figure 5 iStock

In its simplest form, direct marketing would be sending out batches of emails to segmented contact
groups customized by group type; As a past attendee of this event As a sponsor of our event the past
3 years As a new attendee to the event referred by _____
Direct marketing means communicating with contacts from your database over a period of time, each
with a strategically timed message.
The event website should act as the hub for all online direct marketing, so a link to the event website
address should be included on all direct marketing pieces to provide detailed event and contact
information. A remove me from any further email link should also be included on all pieces not
everyone appreciates direct mail.
Because it relies on database information collected over time, direct marketing is a great tool for annual
events. As you collect demographic and psychographic information year after year, a comprehensive
database can take shape and each year this database information can be used for a direct marketing
campaign.
According to (Black, 2015) the top 3 direct marketing trends are Personalization, Using mobile devices,
and Combining campaigns. Personalization is about making your message matter to your audience.
Why should I care about this? What have you done for me lately? Right offer, Right audience, Right
time is still the cornerstone of building a successful direct-marketing campaign (Black, 2015). Your
target audience is more likely to go straight to a mobile device to search for your product or service
after reading your mailer or another marketing tool. Keep the multi-channel approach in the marketing
of your event. One -fourth of the budget of all marketing campaigns are slated for digital channels, and
it is expected to rise to one third by 2017. (Roy, 2016). Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram are adequate
strategies for use by the event professional when considering their direct marketing channels. They
might all not work in tandem, but they are integral to the overall strategy. Chose the best one that
works for your event, your target audience and your brand.
c) Positioning the Event
How you position your event in the minds of your clients, sponsors, potential attendees and other
stakeholders is critical to attracting higher levels of attendance and reaching the level of success that
you desire and that the event requires.
When you present an event to the marketplace or community, you are faced with a number of
challenges, problems and obstacles. One challenge rises above the rest finding a way to communicate
effectively what your event is about and whom it will benefit the most. Every day the event planner is
faced with the challenge of introducing the event: picking up the phone, writing copy for a brochure, ad
or sponsorship letter, or in some form or fashion, communicating with individuals or groups about the
event.

As events are frequently marketed by a number of people as part of the event team, it is important that
everyone involved speaks about the event in the same way. Positioning your event simply means
developing a message that allows everyone involved in the event to speak about it in the same way.
Positioning also places your event in the context of the community in which it is to be held, providing
opportunity for meaningful conversations to occur about the event and the attainment of the resources
it needs in order to be successful.
There are three positioning strategies you can take in event marketing.
1. You can position your event by classification type or category. Positioning by category is the
most common strategy used; its focus is on the generalized approach your event is taking.
Attaching more than one category to an event creates confusion and turns people off. Some
examples of categories are:
Fundraiser: Someone who solicits financial contributions
Trade Show: An event at which goods and services in a specific industry are exhibited and
demonstrated
Exposition: A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory
Civic Affair: A term used by both the United Nations and by military institutions (such as the
US military) but for different purposes in each case
Hospitality: The friendly and generous reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or
strangers
Tourism: The commercial organization and operation of vacations and visits to places of
interest
Retail: The sale of goods to the public for use or consumption rather than for resale
A significant portion of the marketplace may have a negative perception of your event
classification due to a past negative experience with one of your competitors, or perhaps some
public misperception casts doubt on the event category as a whole. Obviously some are worse
than others.
2. The second positioning strategy is positioning by activity-based presentation. Doing this can put
you in immediate competition with a variety of other events. Some examples include:
Gala Dinner
Reception
Fashion Show
Trade Show
Sales Training Seminar

Networking Conventions
Team Building Events
Birthday/Anniversary Celebrations
Rodeo
If your primary efforts, introductions and promotional materials are focused on an activity, then
you must do everything and anything you can to set yourself apart from your competition. Your
competition is anyone who is promoting an event where the activity is in any way similar to
yours.
3. The third positioning strategy, and the most effective, is positioning your event by concept. This
is idea marketing. Another way of understanding this concept is to identify the event purpose or
WHY of your event, and focus on the outcome of the event. Simply put, what happens when
people attend your event? This becomes your primary strategy for differentiating your event in
the marketplace. Positioning your event by concept means identifying the content of your event
combined with the outcomes, thereby creating a whole package.
The easiest way to position your event by concept or idea is to create a positioning statement. A
positioning statement is a simple answer to a simple question: What is your event about or What do
you do?
When you can answer this simple question in a succinct and concise way, you create a consistent
response that is reassuring to your investors and prospective attendees. A great positioning statement
appears to be a simple response to a simple question. Creating one, however, is a difficult task it may
be the hardest part of developing your marketing plan. Once you have a good positioning statement,
everyone on the event team that answers the question, What is your event about will say the same
thing.
The benefits of having a consistent response to this simple question are tremendous. How many times
when speaking about your event did you answer the question differently. Do your clients, co-workers, or
even your family and friends really understand what youre doing and why? What would happen if
everyone knew? What if everyone even remotely associated with your event could repeat the
positioning statement? Your event would be sold out and sponsors would be lining up at the door.
d) Rules for Developing a Positioning Statement
Your positioning statement should include the content as well as the outcome of your event. Dont
forget about your original event purpose, or WHY you are holding this event in the first place. Your
original purpose is your content, although you may want to rethink the wording when you develop the
positioning statement. Start by identifying words you would like other people to use about your event if
they were describing it. Just list these words; some you will use, others you wont.
When creating a positioning statement, you should give consideration to the following five rules.

1. Language Use basic language. Dont assume your market has a high literacy rate. This doesnt
mean they are not intelligent; literacy is only one measure of intelligence. Too often we use
complicated language and phrases and buzz words that are not always understood. Keep it
simple.
2. Conversational A positioning statement is a simple answer to a simple question, What is this

about? or What do you do? If you wont say it, it is not a positioning statement.
3. Attraction It must attract people to you. No statement will attract everyone so dont spend
hours trying to create one that will.
4. Solution Oriented Focus on the dreams of your target market. You will have a greater
likelihood of attracting this market with their dreams rather than their problems.
5. Repeatability This is the hardest standard to attain. If another person can repeat, and chooses
to repeat, your positioning statement or a portion of it, you have created a good one.
Tests and Tips for Creating a Positioning Statement
POSITIONING STATEMENT
For <target customers> that <need/care about>, our <product, service>, company> is a solution that
<benefit>. Unlike, <our competitor>, our <product, service>, company> is <unique differentiator>.
When developing your positioning statement, use the words work with and want, use at least one
and in your statement, and use three- to five-word outcomes.
Three tests you can take to help you determine if your positioning statement is a good one.
Will I say it?

Are others attracted to it?
Could someone else say it?

Remember: Positioning statements are dynamic. They ebb and flow during the creative
process. If you find it difficult to pin down one specific statement that doesnt seem to hit the mark,
then consider the possibility that maybe your event does not fit that particular target or category
and learn from it. Further, positioning statements are about your audience and what they might find
most interesting. It essentially identifies your target market and gives that market a perception of
how you want them to feel about your event and/or your brand.
e) Branding Your Event
The concept of branding is not a new. The idea behind branding is to find a concrete way to identify
ownership. The concept has become popular in business in the past few years.
Branding is defined as the identification of products and services that differentiates them from
others. Business branding is not in essence any different from ranchers branding livestock. The
difference in business is how it is implemented. Branding occurs through the combination of the name,
words, symbols or design of the product, and in many cases the packaging and advertising, that
distinguishes it from its competitors.
For event planners, branding the event is often about theme continuity and ensuring that the theme of
the event is used in all promotional and marketing materials and strategies. Event branding involves
developing event logos, tag lines and colour schemes that distinguish this particular event from all the
other events in the area that fall within the same category or activity base. In order to brand
successfully, consistency is the key.
Event Marketing Plan Template
Downloadable
Click here to open the Event Marketing Plan Template
Module 3 References
A simple, free marketing plan template for 2016 Published on September 13, 2015 by Alicia Kan
retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/simple-free-marketing-plan-template-2016-
alicia-kan

MODULE 4: Advertising
Figure 6 iStock
Event advertising is the structured and composed communication of information, usually persuasive in
nature, encouraging individual action, i.e., an attendees investment in the event. Remember,
investment in the event includes all levels of investment: money, time, psychological and social.
1. Describe the five steps of advertising and explain the importance of targeted marketing.
2. List some of the advertising methods.
3. Outline the elements of a design checklist.
4. Determine when to use a print house.
5. Summarize the various forms of media advertising.
6. Explain the methods for evaluation advertising campaigns.
MODULE 4: Advertising Page 33

a) Purpose of Advertising
Advertising campaigns encourage potential attendees to take action. It is unrealistic, however, to expect
advertising efforts alone to produce ticket sales. Before an advertising campaign can persuade
customers to buy, it must first inform, persuade or remind its audience about the organization, the
event, the product or the issue. The adage to remember is An integrated marketing campaign sells
advertising tells.
When developing an advertising campaign, it is important to remember the five steps of advertising and
what should be achieved at each level.
STEP 1 Awareness: Acquaint people with the company, product, service or event.
STEP 2 Comprehension: Communicate enough information that a percentage of the

target market recognizes the event.
STEP 3 Conviction: Persuade a certain number of people to believe in the value of the
event.
STEP 4 Desire: Move people to desire involvement with the event.
STEP 5 Action: A percentage of those that desire will invest in the event.
The advertising steps work in three dimensions: time, dollars and people. Advertising results may take
time, especially if the event is new, expensive or produced irregularly. Over time, as the event continues
advertising, the number of people who are aware of the event increases. As more people comprehend
the event, believe in it and desire it, more will take the final action of investing in it.
Targeting Advertising Efforts

Typically, the target audience for advertising efforts is larger than the target market. Event planners
need to know who the end-user is, who makes the decision to invest and who influences this decision.
Childrens events are a good example of this dynamic. Children can exert a strong influence over what
events they would like to attend. The target market in childrens events are the adults (who purchase
event tickets), while the target audience is children. In this situation, it is important to develop
advertising campaigns directed at both adults and children.
Understanding WHO your audience is helps direct advertising efforts and, more importantly, helps
establish and control advertising budgets. Advertising where your target audience or target market are
not likely to be is unsuccessful, wasting time and money.
Page 34 MODULE 4: Advertising

The research completed at the beginning of the planning process helps the event planner to know who
the audience is, what they read, what they watch, which radio stations they listen to, what attracts their
attention, what they ignore. Advertising is wasted if it does not reach the intended audience.
Advertising in the business section of the Calgary Herald, if your target audience is 12 to17-year-olds,
will not move them past Step 1 of your advertising campaign it may not even achieve Step 1
(Awareness).
b) Advertising Methods
Event planners usually have very tight budgets and therefore seek out a media sponsor (e.g., Calgary
Herald or Calgary Sun) in order to get a specified number of advertisements free or at a reduced cost. In
these situations, the event planner doesnt control the size or placement of the advertisement or what
day of the week it runs. All too often, this is what planners agree to and where the thinking about
advertising stops.
Take a minute and consider all of the possibilities.
Newspaper and magazine ads
Radio and television spots
Outdoor signage
Indoor signage
Postcards
Bookmarks
Newsletter inserts
Posters and banners
Bus stops and train platforms
Community bulletin boards
Direct mail campaigns
Internet
Local targeted publications (Todays Parent, FFWD Magazine, Synchronicity Magazine, etc.)

Figure 7 MRU
When building your event budget, it is important to consider the role of advertising and where your
efforts will be directed. People cannot buy what they dont know about. Advertising is about telling

people what is available. It is worth building these expenses into your budget in order to attract the
attendance necessary for your event to attain the outcomes that measure success.
The best advertising for any event is still the cheapest. Word-of-mouth advertising tends to be the most
targeted and the most widely received. However, this is only effective if people have something to say, a
story to tell. Although this is the cheapest form of advertising, it is not necessarily free. Provide your
supporters with the language and the format in which to talk about your event. These unpaid and
uncontrolled commercials are more effective if the message being provided is consistent. This is where
your branding and positioning statements become beneficial. Take the time to develop the
advertisement copy and graphics you would like to use (even if you cant afford it), make them available,
and you will be surprised how many people repeat your efforts as they talk about the event.
c) Creative Advertising
Voltaire said, Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. This means that creative ideas or creativity
generally involves combining two or more previously unconnected objects or ideas into something new.
Many people are intimidated by the notion of creativity, believing that it implies the development of a
thing or idea that did not exist before. In event planning, as in advertising, Voltaires definition is more
productive. Creativity in these arenas requires the presentation of fresh and new ideas, but with enough
familiarity that they are readily understood and accepted. A pure creative design, idea or approach may
cause the audience to spend more time figuring it out rather than moving from awareness to
comprehension.
6 Strategies for Creative Ideas

Creative ideas come from manipulating and transforming resources. Generally, this means asking lots of
questions: What if I added this? Or took away that? Or looked at it backwards? Or compared it to
something else? A creative individual changes patterns and experiments with a variety of approaches.
Following are six strategies for incubating and manipulating ideas:
1. Change the context. Think what the event may be besides the obvious. Charities are
currently using the term friend-raiser instead of fundraiser somebody had to do it first.
2. Ask what if? Let your imagination soar. Be wild, zany, off the wall, bizarre.
3. Look at things backwards. Sometimes the reverse of what is expected has a huge impact.
4. Join unrelated ideas and concepts together. Ask the question, what ideas can I connect?
5. Use a metaphor. Compare one thing to another. The English language is rich with metaphors
that help people understand.
6. Have some fun. Tell jokes, fool around, especially when youre under pressure and nothing
else seems to be working. Humor stretches our thinking and when used in good taste works
great for advertising.

d) Design
The sole purpose of an advertisement is to attract attention. Not only do you need to attract attention,
you need to do it fast and make a lasting impression. At best, your ad has only a few seconds to grab the
reader. Millions of dollars are spent on advertisement development and media space. Thousands of
those ads dont get noticed. If you arent sure about this, flip through a newspaper and count the
number of ads you read. Then return to the newspaper and count the number of ads that are actually
there. Interestingly enough, studies show that 85% of ads dont even get looked at. These same studies
indicate that there is no relationship between the expense of the ad and its readership. What is
important is the quality of the ad. Good design not only commands attention, it holds it.
A good ad communicates as much information as possible, in the shortest amount of time and makes
the message easy to understand. In advertising, less really is more.
Visuals, headlines, copy, company signatures and logos are all important to advertising design. Ads that
score the highest recall ratings employ a standard format with a single dominant visual that occupies
60% to 70% of the total ad space. Headlines normally fill between 10% and 15% of the ad space.
Headlines may appear above or below the visual and those that appear below the visual tend to gain an
additional 10% readership. Copy should be kept to less than 20% of the ad, as readership tends to drop
once the word count exceeds 50. People want to know who is behind the ad so company signatures and
logos are important. They dont need to be large, but typically they are found in the lower right-hand
corner or across the bottom of the ad.
Elements of Design Checklist
Figure 8 iStock

Downloadable
Click here to download the checklist.
Working With a Print House

Once you have your ad designed and copy written, in some situations you will need the services of a
print house. The advertisement you develop for a newspaper or magazine more than likely will also
make good postcards, bookmarks, posters, etc. Using the same visuals, copy and headlines will provide
your event with continuity and as name and theme recognition are enhanced, branding begins to be
established. These same materials with some minor adjustments may also act as signage at your event.
Find a good print house, develop a relationship with them and then stick with them. The more business
you take them the better the price they will be able to give you. A good print house will also be able to
help you with the artwork, copy and layout of your advertisement. It is important that you and the sales
rep for the print house speak the same language. If you arent sure what they are saying to you, ask for
an explanation. They are like everyone else and love to talk about what they do. If they dont want to or
cant answer your questions find another supplier.
Some terms you may need to know

(see glossary for entire list)
Crossword
Click here to open the crossword activity for this section.
Four-colour process This is a process that allows you to print in full colour. This is achieved by
combining the four primary colours to create almost any colour. The primary colours are cyan (blue),
magenta (red), yellow and black. Each printed piece is actually printed four times, once in each colour.
Finishing Once all the pieces are printed, the ink must dry. Then the excess paper is cut away. Talk
with your sales rep about maximizing the use of the paper (it will keep your costs down) by being
flexible about the size of the finished product. Finishing can also include embossing, die-cuts, binding,
stapling and folding.
Die-cuts These take the shape of the image rather than straight edges.
Blueline This is a proof that is created to show any obvious errors before your item goes on the press.
It is your responsibility to check this carefully, watch for images that are reversed, spelling and

grammatical errors. The blueline is usually trimmed, folded and stapled, as the final product would be.
You will be asked to sign off on this and any future errors will be your responsibility.
Proofing (or proofreading) Before your materials go to a full print run you will be asked to proof the
copy. Check this carefully for spelling and grammatical errors. More importantly, check to make sure all
the pertinent information is present. Dates, times, costs, telephone numbers, etc. all need to be
carefully reviewed. Thousands of brochures with the wrong telephone number on them are an
expensive oops.
What Works Best In Print

Simple layouts
Captions under a photograph
Avoid negative headlines
Dont be afraid of long headlines
Photos work better than drawings or clip art
Look for story appeal
Look at your ad in the environment it will appear. (Photocopy it in the same tones as your
newspaper and paste it in. A beautifully mounted ad in full colour can look very different in
newsprint.)
Develop a single advertising format (branding)
Before and after photos make a point better than copy
Do not print copy in reverse type. (It looks great but is hard to read)
Do not print copy in unusual fonts. (It looks great but is hard to read)
Do not print copy on top of visuals.
Make each ad a complete package (react as the reader will. Only advertisers and event planners
read the complete ad. Assume it is the only ad for your event the individual will ever see.
Before & After Magazine
http://www.bamagazine.com/
65 Creative Print Advertisements
https://www.codefear.com/graphics/65-great-creative-print-advertisements/

e) Pros and Cons of Different Advertising Media
Figure 9 MRU
Newspapers
Advantages Disadvantages
Sense of immediacy Advertising rates can be high especially at

Local emphasis a national level
Flexibility with cost, production and Variation in printed colour may distort
deadlines (black & white, 2 or 4 colour) expensive graphics and design
Large potential audience Small secondary circulation usually not
Comprehensive in scope passed to a second reader
Mass medium Short life span
Geographic selectivity (Southside) Lack of control over exactly where the ad
will appear
Magazines
Targeted to specific readership Early closing date for content

Good colour reproduction Lack of immediacy
Longer shelf life Slow building of reach delayed reading
Great secondary circulation Shallow geographic coverage

Guaranteed circulation to the target Inability to deliver high frequency most
audience magazines are published monthly
Reader loyalty Heavy advertising competition
Authority and believability
Television
Dynamic presentation High cost

Reach targeted and mass markets Short lived messages
Limited availability of preferred programs
or time slots
Radio
Reach local target audience Short-lived message

High frequency repetition is available No opportunity to refer back to message
Good economical choice as a supporting
medium
Flexible can be used selectively and
message insertions or changes can be
made quickly
Direct Mail
Very selective for audience targeting May be expensive due to production and
Response is easy to evaluate mailing costs
Personal medium addressed by name Mailing lists may be inaccurate or
Geographic and production flexibility incomplete
Lots of competition Varying delivery dates

Outdoor / Transit Displays
Wide coverage of local markets Limited to simple messages

High frequency relative permanence in Does not assure high recall of messages
view, heavy traffic flow Relatively high cost medium
Largest print format available Difficult to evaluate effectiveness
Flexibility in geographic sites Does not target specific audience
Round the clock exposure High competition as audience can be
Effective for simple copy themes and distracted
visual identification
Reaches people on route to decision
making
Point-of-Purchase Displays
Presents message where decision is being Vendors controlling the site may not
made cooperate
Great flexibility for creativity Slow production for elaborate displays
Ability to demonstrate message in use High unit cost
Good colour reproduction Space availability problems
High frequency 1 Shipping costs
Radio
Radio is a good medium for building brand awareness but not for making long lists of points or complex
arguments. If the company or event name is tricky or innovative, it may be misheard or misunderstood;
consider spelling it out. Be sure to mention the event name early and often as radio does not have any
visual supports for recall. A radio commercial needs to be memorable; a 30-second spot that no one
remembers is a waste of money. It may be more economical to fight for a 60-second spot.
When scripting your radio commercial, use familiar sounds and descriptive language. This combination
will assist the listener in developing a mental picture of the message you are promoting. Radio is a local
medium; adjust your language and presentation to the listeners you are trying to reach. Now is the time
to use local idioms and clichs. In radio, presentation is everything. Even the most exciting commercial
looks boring on paper as a script. It is brought to life by the people involved and their ability to act,
produce vocal quirks, sound effects and most importantly, their sense of timing. Scripting for radio has
to be clearer and more succinct than any other writing as visual cues and reminders are not available,
and the listener cannot refer back to the copy in order to clarify a question.

Television
When developing a television ad, begin at the ending. Concentrate on the final impression you want the
commercial to make, and then work toward creating that impression. Television commercials require
attention-getting openings; make it visually surprising, full of action, drama, humour or human interest.
This sets the context and allows you to transition into the rest of the commercial as you already have
the viewers attention.
In television advertising, the characters are the living symbols of your event; as such they need to be
appealing, believable, non-distracting and most of all relevant. Television is a visual medium for
advertising; therefore, you need to keep the copy simple and to a minimum. In a 60 -second
commercial, 101 to 110 words is most effective; more than 170 words is too talky. Let the words
interpret the picture and prepare viewers for the next scene. Use conversational language and avoid the
sell.
Eight Common TV Commercial Formats
1. Straight Announcement One person delivers the commercial message. Music may be in the
background; on television, the announcer may be on or off camera while a demonstration, slide
or film shows on the screen.
2. Presenter A presenter commercial uses one person or character to present the product and
carry the sales message. Presenters are frequently celebrities; however, they dont have to be
real people, they can be animated characters.
3. Testimonial A true testimonial where a satisfied user tells how effective the product or service
is can be highly credible in both TV and radio advertising. Celebrities may gain attention but they
are not necessarily credible users.
4. Demonstration Dont say it, show it. Demonstrations convince people faster and better than
spoken messages. Demonstrations are more effective on TV; however, successful
demonstrations have been accomplished in radio advertisement as humorous tongue-in-cheek
demonstrations.
5. Musical Jingles can produce the best and worst commercials. A well-done jingle will live on
forever; a poorly done jingle is a waste of money and irritates people.
6. Slice of Life Commercials that dramatize real-life situations are called slice of life. Often it
starts with a problem and ends with a solution to the problem.
7. Lifestyle Show the user rather than the product or service. Cigarette companies were famous
for their use of lifestyle remember the Marlborough Man?
8. Animation Cartoons, puppets and computer-generated animation are very effective for
communicating difficult messages and reaching specialized markets such as children.

Figure 10 MRU

Internet Advertising
Internet advertising continues to offer the best and the worst of possibilities. At its best it is a truly
interactive medium allowing consumers to interact directly with an advertiser, thereby establishing
future relationships. The Internet also offers advertisers the opportunity to reach a large (estimated at
400 million) users through a truly global medium that is immediately accessible. By purchasing keywords
and cookies, Internet marketing can target consumers specifically. Statistics in the late 1990s suggested
that Internet users were better-educated and more affluent, with higher disposable income than any
other market segment. The Internet also allows advertisers and marketers to provide in-depth
information to the end user, who is typically information-hungry.
In the past few years it has become increasingly evident that Internet advertising and marketing is not
reaching the levels of productivity and results that were initially forecast for this medium. Stand-alone
ads on the Internet may be inappropriately placed and completely miss the market they were intended
for. Slow downloads hamper Internet advertising efforts as consumers lose patience and move on to
another site.
Large events benefit from the development of an event web page. However, relying solely on the
Internet to market the event could prove risky. The ideal use of the Internet in an advertising campaign
is as a support to other advertising strategies. The benefits of the Internet can be exploited (providing
additional detailed information) and the risks minimized.
Pros and Cons of Online Advertising

PROS
Cost effective: online advertising is much less expensive than TV, Radio or newspaper.
Online advertisements can feed the need for immediacy. Customers and see you, your message
and even purchase tickets and swag online this provides immediate gratification and
convenience.
Dynamic ads: You can alter your banner ads hourly, daily or weekly and your advertising is
available 24/7.
Geo Targeting: You can target your ads by focusing on geographical location and target your
messages to a certain target audience within a particular niche.
CONs
Information Overload: Your product or event ad is one of many your potential customers are
being bombarded with daily. Your event is competing with hundreds of ads for other products
and events. This is why developing that emotional connection and brand message is so critical
to your online advertising success.
Data Overload: You want to track data but too much data with no focus can cause massive
amounts of time without real focus. Get clear on what you wish to measure.
Too much of a good thing: Your ads need to be focused.

Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail campaigns are frequently used in event promotion. This is particularly true for annual or
repeat events. Once an individual has attended the event, their name and address is placed on a
database. This database is then used to address the direct mail advertisements for the next event. A
direct mail approach offers personalization and frequency. A well-managed database allows the event
planner to personalize the direct mail piece, giving the impression that the individual attendee is
remembered and the encouragement to attend the next event is personal. A direct mail campaign
benefits from the idea that frequency sells. The more times an individual receives correspondence via
the mail, the more likely they are to respond to it favourably.
Direct mail campaigns for events range in frequency from two to five pieces. These pieces can include
introducing the event, follow-up on the introduction, more information, invitation, follow-up on the
invitation and thank you for attending. Brightly coloured postcards work well in direct mail campaigns as
they are usually fashioned after the print media advertisements (no additional costs for development)
and can be mailed without envelopes and the associated costs. Only an address label and stamp are
required.
The success of direct mail campaigns relies on the accessibility and accuracy of the database or mailing
list. Mailing lists can be purchased specifically to reach the target audience. These can be expensive and
are very often available on a one-time-only basis. When purchasing the list, be sure to clarify how many
times you will be able to use it and be sure that number is the same as or greater than the number of
times you are hoping to contact the target market. The success of direct mail campaigns relies on the
accessibility and accuracy of the database or mailing list. Mailing lists can be purchased specifically to
reach the target audience. These can be expensive and are very often available on a one-time-only basis.
When purchasing the list, be sure to clarify how many times you will be able to use it and be sure that
number is the same as or greater than the number of times you are hoping to contact the target market.
Trick of the Trade
The success of direct mail campaigns relies on the accessibility and accuracy of the database or
mailing list. Mailing lists can be purchased specifically to reach the target audience. These can be
expensive and are very often available on a one-time-only basis. When purchasing the list, be sure to
clarify how many times you will be able to use it and be sure that number is the same as or greater
than the number of times you are hoping to contact the target market.
The success of direct mail campaigns relies on the accessibility and accuracy of the database or
mailing list. Mailing lists can be purchased specifically to reach the target audience. These can be
expensive and are very often available on a one-time-only basis. When purchasing the list, be sure to
clarify how many times you will be able to use it and be sure that number is the same as or greater
than the number of times you are hoping to contact the target market.

Outdoor Advertising
Outdoor advertising is one of the most accessible forms of advertising. It carries the message 24 hours a
day and cannot be fast-forwarded, put aside, inadvertently thrown away or turned off. Outdoor
advertising offers geographic flexibility and can be targeted to the habits of the intended audience.
Messages can be concentrated in areas frequented by young people, upper-income people, athletically-
minded people, or people of specific cultural backgrounds. It is possible to categorize communities by
generalities, identifying average age, income, education, life cycle, marital status and employment
choices. Outdoor advertising is ideal for messages that are short and simple. It offers creative flexibility
as the message can be enhanced with lights, animation and brilliant colours.
The main disadvantage of outdoor advertising is the speed at which most individuals pass by. The design
must tell the whole story briefly and crisply or the message is lost. Its environment can influence the
success of the ad. A glamorous ad in a run-down neighborhood can tarnish the overall effectiveness of
the message. Measuring the effectiveness of outdoor advertisement is difficult. It is hard to determine
how many passers-by see the ad, read the ad or respond to the ad.
Trick of the Trade
Some people object to outdoor advertising and consider it visual pollution. Know your audience. If
this is an issue for a significant portion of your target audience, your advertising dollars are better
spent in other areas.
Invitations
The invitation is the official offer to participate in the event. This is an important piece in the marketing
mix. Invitations should reflect the theme and the image of the event. If the event is billed as upscale, the
invitation should reflect this. Similarly, a casual backyard barbeque should not begin with gold-
embossed invitations. The image of the event would be compromised and response to the invitation
jeopardized. The invitation should include all of the information your guests need in order to make the
decision to attend.

Figure 11 iStock
Invitations should include:
Name of the host organization or individual

Date, time and location
Address of the location
Dress requirements
RSVP instructions
Ticket price
Invitations May Also Include:
The purpose of the event

Names of honorary board or committee members
Other celebrity attendees
Frequency or historic nature of the event (first annual, 100th Anniversary)
Limited supply of tickets
VIP status
The design of the invitation should reflect the theme of the event and its layout and graphics consistent
with all other advertising materials. The mailing of the invitation provides the opportunity to enhance all
of the previous themes, messages and visual components of the advertising campaign. The invitation is
where the event planner gets to step it up a notch. In creating the visual presentation of the event, give

careful thought to practical considerations such as how your efforts may be received and whether
additional costs may be accrued. Increasing the size of the invitation may result in additional mailing
costs as the envelope no longer meets the standard acceptable size. Further, as invitations increase in
size, envelopes and other accompanying materials may need to be custom-made in order to
accommodate the changes.
The invitation must be an honest representation of the event. Planners are often tempted to include the
cautionary note limited supply of tickets. If this is true, it is important to add it. Never use it as an
attempt to generate sales for an event that may not be a complete sell-out. When people purchase
limited-supply tickets they expect a full house. To purchase the ticket and arrive at an event that is only
65% sold immediately tells the purchaser that they have been deceived. Their overall impression of the
event is now coloured.
VIP status is another area where you must exercise caution. If your event supports a VIP component
through enhanced opportunities, identify on the invitation what those opportunities are and what the
additional cost of the ticket is. Encouraging people to purchase a VIP ticket (usually at least 25% higher
in cost) and then providing them with the same experience as all of the other attendees is not only a
form of deception but is unethical.
As the invitation is developed and designed, consider all of the information that participants need to
know. Ask yourself:
Have I provided contact names and numbers?

Should I include parking instructions?
Have I provided for a staggered entry time?
Is the venue address included?
Is the date and time included?
Will people know how to dress for the event? Is this important?
Do people know how to purchase tickets?
Do people know how much a ticket is and what that fee includes?
Have I included an RSVP process?
Will people know who is hosting this event?
Will people realize the range of activities associated with this event?
Online Invitations and Online Registration

An online invitation is also a useful way to encourage a quick reply, make an environmental impact and
register guests for an event all at one full stop. Registering for events online is also an extremely
effective use in place of the standard printed save the date and invitation. Sites like EventBrite, CVENT,
RegOnline, and 123Signup are just a few of the sites you can use to provide you with full service
invitation, registration and post-event analysis.
In an article by (Activenetwork.com, 2016) the benefits of using online invitation and registration
systems include:

For Event Managers For Guests
1 Save time opening, entering and sorting out Save time Participants can sign up online
illegible or inaccurate forms can be very time when and where is most convenient for them
consuming, so just by eliminating these processes in just a few minutes without having to print,
off your duties you are set to get at least 4 less manually fill out and send paper forms
administrative work hours per week
2 Free Online registration - you can pass the small Improved customer support your online
registration fee to your participant, half the fee registration provider will ensure you have all
between you and the participant, or pay the small the necessary information to answer
fee yourself immediately to any of the payment related
questions a participant might have
3 Secure online payment processing 24/7 Active Securely and conveniently pay online instead
Network payment system is PCI DSS compliant of writing a check or counting cash at the front
and possesses Secure Socket Layer technology line, participants can simply enter their credit
card details online to securely complete their
transaction in seconds
4 Centralized data management collect Receive automated confirmation receipt

participants data and payments; view number of Once the payment is processed, participants
remaining participant places; analyze participants will then receive a receipt confirming they are
and payments reporting; assign participants with signed up for their desired event and their
bib numbers; e-mail the participants database payment has been securely processed and
and more accepted
5 Improve event efficiency the time and money Access to early bird pricing with flexible
saved on data entry administrative tasks can be pricing options, participants can now be
used for better the event, contact more sponsors, incentivized and rewarded with a discount if
prepare more activities, reply faster to they sign up by a specific date
participants
6 Customized online registration a good online Access to discounts event organizers can
registration provider will permit full offer discount codes to potential participants
customization of your event registration page to to incentivize them to join the event, hence
the look and feel you want to give it participants are far more likely to enjoy
discounts through this payment method
7 Detailed reporting The system should provide Receive e-mails and notifications - Participant
an insightful reporting into payments received gets the ability to be informed straight to their
and due, refunds given, multi-event analysis and inbox whenever a new event of their interest
all other reporting tools essential to efficiently is launched, without having to look for it.

manage a successful event
8 Improve marketing efforts with the ability to e- Enter multiple and team registrations via
mail the database via a central management online registration, participants have the
system, organizers will not only notify ability to enter multiple events without re-
participants of future events, but also track their entering the same fields more than once and
open rates and response can register their whole team in one go
9 Fundraising and donation option collect Easy fundraising set-up Ability to

donations, track donor information and sell immediately create a fundraising page upon
fundraising merchandise online during the sports registration to help the participant set up its
registration process online through a trusted fundraising goals and distribute it to its whole
provider online network
10 Set up online surveys to get to know better Register for a training plan good sports
your participants interests and measure your specific online registration systems will also
participants experience at the event, a good provide the participant with the ability to sign
online registration system will also integrate an up for a customized training plan to set their
online survey tool endurance prepared for the event day
Methods for Evaluating Advertising Campaigns

Direct questioning (Ask specific questions about specific ads.)
Focus groups
Order-of-merit test (Ask people to rank two or more ads in order of preference)
Direct mail test (Two or more ads are mailed to different prospects on a mailing list to see which
will generate a better response)
Aided recall Recognition of readership (To jog their memories people are shown certain ads
and then asked whether their previous exposure was through print, radio, television, direct mail,
etc.)
Unaided recall (Individuals are asked without prompting where they saw ads)
Attitude tests (Direct questions, semantic differential tests or unstructured questions measure
changes in attitude)
Sales tests (comparing previous event attendance with ticket sales generated by the current
advertising campaign)
Advertising Campaign or Plan

Media to target
Ideas for creative direction
Branding
Promotional ideas or plans (buy 2 tickets, get 1 free, etc.)

MODULE 5: Word of Mouth

Marketing
Figure 12 iStock
The concept of word of mouth has been around a very long time. Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM)
is said to be the most powerful medium on the planet. People sharing their opinion about a product or
service with other consumers. These consumers and the natural brand advocates. WOMM great
success is due to the honestly of the consumer experience about the product - its honest and natural.
1. Describe the benefits of Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM).

2. Explain the five Ts.
3. Outline the ethic and guidelines for WOMM.
4. Summarize each of the social media communities.
MODULE 5: Word of Mouth Marketing Page 53

a) Word of Mouth Marketing
In many ways word of mouth is not about marketing at all it is a new way of thinking to work with our
talkers, to help them promote our business or product. Instead of having a sale and hoping people will
hear about it and come, we work with those who like and talk about us already, and provide a way for
them to get the word out using social media to extend the reach of the conversation to a much larger
audience.
Word of mouth marketing is about building mutually beneficial relationships with your talkers based on
honesty and transparency. It is important that your intent when beginning a word of mouth campaign is
to provide something useful to those that will advocate and market on your behalf, and not to try and
get something from them or purely sell to them.
Smart marketers know that their talkers should be considered partners and taken seriously in their
influence over others who may be interested in your product. If talkers feel they have a certain
ownership with your brand they will be much more likely to advocate it on your behalf. Talkers are
never paid to say what they say. They are motivated by just having a platform to express their opinion
and to be heard. They can openly express opinions, even negative ones, and brands and businesses
listen to these opinions and take action to make wrongs right and to highlight positives. Top talkers are
rewarded by becoming community VIPs or being on a private sale list, receiving small incentives or just
by being recognized. When those who are new to your brand or business read what your engaged,
happy talkers have to say and are influenced by them: they are marketing you on your behalf. Now you
have word of mouth marketing.
WOMM marketing can be confused with Buzz and Viral Marketing So Whats
the Difference?
According to (Karr, 2015) Viral Marketing is an attempt to deliver a marketing message that spreads
quickly and exponentially among consumers. Today, this often comes in the form of an email message
or video. Contrary to alarmists fear, viral isnt evil. It isnt dishonest or unnatural. At its best, it is word
of mouth enabled, and at its worst, its just another interruptive marketing message.
Buzz Marketing is an event or activity that generates publicity, excitement, and information to the
consumer. Its about the PR from the stunt or activity that gets the buzz and people will write about it,
so it essentially becomes a great PR vehicle.
Page 54 MODULE 5: Word of Mouth Marketing

The five Ts: essentials of a word of mouth marketing campaign
Figure 13 MRU
The 5 T's Description
Talkers Talkers are any group of people that talk about you and are regular people such as
friends, customers, fans, cabbies, do-it-yourselfers, or soon-to-be-brides. Talkers love
to talk, share their ideas and opinions on their favourite topics and to help others.
Tracking Free online tools that allow you to monitor daily what is being said about you online
to help you understand what your audience really thinks about your brand or product
(e.g., Google Alerts or Technorati). Only when you know the truth about what is being
said can you fix problems and capitalize on positives with a word of mouth marketing
campaign. Tracking also lets you know if your word of mouth marketing campaign is
working, if it is, talkers will begin to talk about it online.
Topics Five talkers reason to talk. Word of mouth is based on the spreading of a message; it
doesnt have to be a complicated or fancy message. It could be a new flavour, a give-
away, a special sale, a celebrity event or a unique twist on a regular product. The topic
needs to be simple to understand and for talkers to share easily.

Tools Tools help your message spread faster and farther. Whether it is a send to a friend
email, a post-paid postcard, free samples or an online community such as a Facebook
fan page, tools help your topic spread quickly to your talkers.
Taking part Joining the conversation. When people are talking about you online, reply to them.
Answer emails, respond to posts and questions. Join discussions. If there are
negatives or problems, fix them. Be responsive, honest and thank your talkers.
Ethics and guidelines of word of mouth marketing

There are some fundamental principles that should be followed when embarking on a word of mouth
marketing campaign.
Happy, interested people will say good things about you. Its doesnt take much more than that.
Understand this concept, devote yourself to it, and you will be a successful word of mouth marketer.
Consumers demand satisfaction, respect, and great products and services. When companies deliver,
people will tell their friends.
Respect the understanding that the consumer not the marketer is fundamentally in charge, in
control, and dictates the terms of the consumer-marketer relationship. Go above and beyond to ensure
that consumers are protected at all times.
Word of mouth is open and honest and can never be faked. Do not tell people what to say or how to say
it. Do not pay them or offer other inappropriate incentives to say something they would not freely say.
Honest marketers do no need to use any deception towards a marketing goal because they believe in
the product and their audience.

b) Social Media Marketing
Figure 14 iStock
Social media marketing should always be used as a part of a larger word of mouth marketing or
traditional marketing campaign, to enhance or support it. Before you get started, as with a traditional
marketing campaign, a strategy needs to be thought out ahead of time to effectively make use of social
media marketing tools to promote an event.
A few years ago we would all be singing the praises of Facebook and Twitter, but like all things in this
warp speed world of technology, in the context of social media, these platforms are getting a little long
in the tooth. LinkedIn, Snapchat, Instagram or WhatsApp are creating new platforms for usage of
private groups and there is a flood of people young and old using and creating them. There is a shift to
messaging apps (think Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Line, etc.). These group chats are forcing
brands and event professionals to focus on getting private and personal with their social media.
Social Media is changing. Public and for-profit channels and networks that offer content to be seen only
by those that are granted permission a small niche of people. We went from big and open to slowly
moving to smaller and private on a wide open platform. The smart event professional needs to focus on
what platform is investing to promote your event.

Figure 15 iStock
What is your goal for using social media?

How will you incorporate it as part of your larger campaign?
Which social media community makes the most sense for you event?
What will you communicate daily/weekly over social media related to your event that is
relevant, informative and interesting to your audience?
What are you providing your audience that is a service or benefit?
Do you have someone that can be dedicated to monitoring and updating information daily?
How will you track and measure your success?
Before you choose a social media community to market your event on be sure that you are already a
member and have actively participated in the community so that you understand its unique culture,
etiquette and rules. Members of social media groups are passionate, and are looking for information or
communication from you that benefit them and their community somehow they will know if it is being
used purely to market a product to them, and this in turn will backfire on you.
Remember, when using social media as part of a word of mouth marketing campaign, you always want
to add something to the online community, not expect to get something from it.

There are so many different social media communities, with new ones being developed each month that
it is important to understand how each social media community works before deciding if it can be
incorporated into your marketing campaign. When choosing a social media community, beware of the
shiny object syndrome just setting up a Facebook group uploading a video to YouTube, or creating a
Twitter account does not guarantee that your audience will find you, join the community or become
active in it. Start small with one social media that makes sense for your event and grow gradually from
there. To learn more about social media and using such networks to promote events, check out these
resources below.
Trends in Social Media Marketing

There are trends emerging and its your work to keep on top of these trends when planning your
marketing push. Here are a few noteworthy trends to watch:
Video Content - There is an increase in videos for content marketing. When promoting your event, some
ideas include using video to engage the consumer. Educational video content to instructor your
audience (and marketing to them all in one shot), Videos that explain the event or festival (Explainer
videos), and videos that entertain your audience. A good example of this is BuzzFeed. They include all
forms of short videos that feature shareable content.
Pay for Exposure Social media networks are increasingly charging for their niche services. Paying for
this advertising allows you to reach your specific demographic. According to (Wirth, 2016), when you
use Facebooks advertising platform, for example, you can market to a particular age group, gender,
location, and other parameters something that a Facebook post shared organically cannot do.
Social Commerce selling via social networks is increasing. Ticket sales, online auction sales are
expected to increase over the next three years. Take advantage of this trend by incorporating ticket
sales through your WOMM and social media networks via social media buy buttons.
Facebook - Facebook will continue to be the dominant social media platform but with some changes.
According to iStrategyLabs 2014 Facebook demographics report, Facebooks fastest growing age
demographic is people over the age of 55. Also, a PEW Research report on social media found that 56
percent of Internet users ages 65 and older now use Facebook, up from 45 percent in 2013. If you are
looking to market to those 55 and older, then Facebook is where you should focus your marketing
efforts (Wirth, 2016).
Summary
In summary, remember that meaningful word of mouth marketing campaigns need to encompass offline
efforts as much as through using social media tools. The key, is to think of the social media communities
you choose to use as a piece of the overall marketing campaign puzzle you put together to promote
your event. Use your website or even your Facebook group as the hub of your online campaign where all
other social media initiatives will link to. Cross promote your social media platforms by including links to
YouTube videos, Flickr photos, Snapchat stories and Twitter accounts on your Facebook page and
website. Include links to your website on all social media communities involved with your campaign.

ONLINE MARKETING
Online Marketing ( the used of Smartphones)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_Ei7CxXwuo
Marketing 2020 ( trends)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw-tlt3AnI0
Digital Marketing: What's Next for 2017? Midem 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooYmoj9qTeU
2016's new marketing trend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sJqdbre4PY
WOM Marketing
The Strength Of Electronic Word-Of-Mouth explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5RCgAm_oG8
This one is a few years old ( 4) but take a look: WOMMA | 5 Principles of Word of Mouth
Marketing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix2eDR4Mn7Q
Empowering digital word of mouth: ( more of an ad but informative)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE2Sf7RzrRU

MODULE 6: Communications/
Public Relations
Figure 16 iStock
Advertising is what you say about yourself and your event. Public relations is what others have to say
about you. The value of good public relations coverage is priceless. The efforts required to achieve this
are a combination of good marketing, good advertising and basic sales skills. The discipline of public
relations does not sell products, services or events. Public relations practitioners sell ideas. In event
planning, this is important because the product is the idea behind the event. The event itself is the
packaging of the product (idea.)
MODULE 6: Communications/Public Relations Page 61

1. Describe how good public relations is a benefit in event planning.

2. Summarize the components of the public relations campaign.
3. Explain the relationship between PR and the media.
4. List some interviewing tips.
5. Describe the process for a press release and holding a press conference.
6. Explain how stunts and celebrity attraction can increase awareness of the event.
a) Public Relations
Good public relations is usually demonstrated in two ways: media exposure and word-of-mouth
advertising. Word-of-mouth works well with repeat events and established organizations. Providing
attendees with a good experience and then persuading these same individuals to talk about this
experience naturally encourages others to want to participate. It is like the old shampoo commercial
shell tell two friends, who will tell two friends, who will tell two friends The added bonus in this
process is, as people tell others about the event, the desire to participate again is reinforced and
attendee retention is enhanced.
Frequently, event participants will make supportive and enthusiastic comments about the event. Ask
these individuals to put the comments on paper (preferably on letterhead) and suddenly you will have
formal testimonials. Be sure to ask permission to use these comments, out of respect for the individuals
that are supporting you. Asking for these testimonials is usually necessary, as most people dont take the
time to write nice comments, but are pleased to do so when requested.
Understanding how a public relations campaign works and how event planning fits into the campaign is
the first step. Event planning as an industry has grown out of public relations as a discipline. Events can
support a public relations campaign in achieving its goals and objectives and as such, events are part of
the process. Events can also be the result of a public relations campaign and one of the measurable
outcomes. Regardless of how the event fits within the structure of the public relations campaign, every
event needs good public relations if it is to be successful.
Events as Part of the PR Campaign

Consider the case in which the marketing objective is to increase the sales of running shoes. The
marketing strategy (which is not specifically about immediate sales, but about the human endeavors
that facilitate exchange of value) is to increase the number of road race participants (event #1). The
public relations objective becomes one of persuading people to take up road races / marathons. The
public relations strategy is, therefore, one of communicating to existing and potential participants the
benefits of running. To achieve this, the public relations programs could include mall exhibits (event #2),
celebrity spokesperson, funded research into the benefits of running, health symposiums (event #3),
publications, and press conferences to draw attention to any and all of these (event #4). The result
might look like this:
Page 62 MODULE 6: Communications/Public Relations

Figure 17 MRU
As you can see, events fall consistently within this plan to meet the marketing objective of increasing the
sales of running shoes. Each event is different and will require its own public relations, advertising and
marketing plan. The success of each event will impact the overall success of the campaign; however, the
achievement of the marketing objective will more than likely be measured independently of the events.
When Events Are the Public Relations Campaign

In this scenario, consider the plight of many non-profit organizations. They are restricted by
confidentiality in the kinds of information they can release to the press. For some, this prohibits them
from talking about their business in any concrete or specific way. The challenge then is to develop
interest and commitment to the organization from companies and individuals that may not ever benefit
directly from the services offered. Events are very often used to raise awareness (draw people into the
event and then market the organization and its staff) and to raise funds.
Frequently this situation creates a dilemma for the charity. Typically, they focus the marketing strategy
and the subsequent public relations plan on the organization rather than on the marketing strategy,
which in this case is the event. A charity in and of itself is not considered newsworthy and will not
receive media attention. A charity that is newsworthy probably doesnt want the media coverage as it
may reflect badly on the charity. Experienced event planners understand this, and recognize that the
success of the event is a direct measurement tool for the success of the marketing objective. The event

requires a public relations strategy of its own, identifying the charity but making the event, not the
charity, the centre of media attention.
In this case, the marketing objective is to increase the services offered by the organization, which means
raising money to support these initiatives and finance their implementation. The marketing strategy is to
increase the communitys awareness of the annual fundraiser. Monies are raised through sponsor
dollars, ticket sales and purchasing opportunities at the event. The public relations objective is designed
to inform and persuade people to purchase tickets and sponsorships to the event. The public relations
strategy is to communicate the social benefits of attending the event. (The social benefits can include
any of the benefits associated with an event celebration, reunion, education or marketing. In most
fundraising situations the benefits are about celebration and reunion.) Social benefits could include
being seen in the right social circles, having the opportunity to meet a celebrity host, enjoying the
entertainment, etc. The public relations campaign utilizes all of these reasons and could include the
recruitment of high-profile volunteers (which might include a pre-event event), press conference (event)
or offering the opportunity to meet a celebrity spokesperson or win a valuable door prize.
Figure 18 MRU

b) Public Relations and the Media
Although public relations is bigger and more complex than just the media, working with the media is a
significant part of the job. For many people, it is also the most intimidating.
Understanding How the Media Operates
Figure 19 MRU
The media is a business They must achieve a level of readership that ensures a profitable
return on costs associated with running a newspaper or broadcast station. Ad dollars account
for much of this, but without readership, there would be no one to advertise to.
The media sees itself as the purveyor of truth They see themselves as delivering factual
information, objectively and accurately.
When the media calls the story is already in play There is no such thing as off the record
or no comment. If you dont respond, the story will reflect someone elses agenda not yours.
Looking for news In order for you to be of interest to the media, you must be involved in
something newsworthy. Anything that was not known by the reporter yesterday is news
today. Even if it has been around for a long time, when the media finds out about it, or a new
angle on it, it becomes news. Anything that is promotional is not news.
Types of stories Print and electronic media present many types of stories: hard news,
features, editorial opinion, etc. One way to ensure your event becomes part of the story is to
become involved in a formal interview. Interviews can influence the final outcome of a story
because they can alter a reporters opinion or influence the person writing or researching the
story.
There are two ways to interest the media in your event:
Give them a story something to report on.

Involve them in the event celebrity emcee, cook-off judges, team captains, etc.

c) Preparing For an Interview
Figure 20 MRU
Do the checklist The responsibility for conducting a good interview rests with you. The only
way to ensure you put your best foot forward is to do the mental checklist prior to taking part in
any interview. You wouldnt make a presentation at a meeting without being prepared.
Never do an interview cold You need a little time to review your checklist. The first thing to
remember is never to take a call unprepared. Tell the reporter that you are with a client or are
in a meeting but that you will get back to them. Specify a time. Most reporters file their stories
between 3 and 5 p.m., so you must give them enough time to consider your statements. If in
doubt, ask them their deadline.
Craft your agenda An interview is not a passive dialogue. You are not just responding to
questions. Knowing what the reporter wants to talk about is only half of the picture. Know what
you want to talk about, strategies you will use to bridge from the reporters questions to your
agenda. The primary way of meeting this objective is to develop some key messages that help
you develop your agenda and stick to it.
Develop key messages This exercise helps you focus your thoughts by breaking a larger story
down into three or four key points you want to make.

Do your due diligence in the first call Ask the reporter who will interview you; who will
speak after you; who else is being interviewed; is there a particular issue to be addressed or is
this just a general interest piece; does the reporter have a deadline?
What is the situation Which medium (radio, TV, print) will the interview take place; who else
will be speaking on this issue? What position are they likely to take?
Know your limitations Be aware of your own comfort level, your knowledge of an issue and
your authority to represent a point of view on behalf of your organization or event. Watch for a
common ploy: sometimes reporters will ask you to comment or speculate on behalf of another
organization. Your response should be: It would be inappropriate for me to speculate on their
point of view; however, our position is this
Does the reporter have an agenda usually the reporter is not out to get you. However, he
always has an agenda to get the story in the paper. Competition between reporters at the
same paper and competition across the media is fierce. To get the story, reporters develop
angles. An angle is the way a story is framed to be of interest to readers. Part of your objective
in the interview is to influence the angle. You should know where the reporter is coming from in
this regard.
Some Basic Guidelines

Provide the reporter with background information Some reporters have an agenda; others
are neutral. Some know a lot about your organization and/or event; others do not. Providing a
reporter with relevant background information (statistics, third party information etc.) can help
change their perspective and persuade them to at least consider the story from another angle.
Place yourself in the shoes of the reporter If you were assigned the story, what would interest
you? What questions would you ask? Think: what are the four or five most difficult or sensitive
questions I could possibly be asked, then prepare to deal with them.
Know your audience Its important to know who reads the publication/watches the show?
What would they be interested in? How can you tailor your message to be of greater interest to
them? Prepare for each audience a little differently, keeping in mind their needs and interests.
Know your storyline Obviously, you cant write the story and youll most likely be only one of
several people being interviewed. Therefore, it is important to reinforce your messages. This will
help make it clear to a reporter that your messages are important.
Know your facts Too often, representatives from the same organization give different answers
to the same question. While people have opinions that differ when speaking on behalf of your
organization, all spokespersons should be speaking the same language. If not, the media may
wonder what the real story is.

Interviewing Tips
Establish a time limit When a reporter has unlimited time to interview you, you are not in
control. Tell the reporter up front, courteously, that you have only a few minutes. If you feel the
reporter is digging in the hopes of incautious statements, you are then free to terminate the
interview. On the other hand, be reasonable. This tool should not be used for evasion.
The first question The first question in any formal interview is critical. In almost every
circumstance, it is important to slow the pace and place things in perspective for the reporter.
This may involve offering a little more background or history, e.g., before I answer that
question, let me give you some history Ultimately, you must deal with the question, but it will
help the reporter understand the whole picture and helps give your answers credibility.
Do not wait until youre invited to state your key messages Try to avoid back and forth
question/answer situations. Use every opening to come back to a key message. When no
openings are presented, create one. With practice, you will change gears smoothly.
Frame the next question Usually the next question in an interview will arise from your last
answer. Use your answers to tee up the next question and thereby steer the interview in a
way that feeds into your agenda.
Dont be distracted by cameras, studio equipment, photographers, notepads or interviewers

that stare off in the distance. Try and remain focused and comfortable.
Stay cool and be yourself The most common symptoms of nervousness include shortness of
breath, tremors and dry mouth. Spend a few minutes breathing deeply and relaxing. Being
yourself is important in any interview, as is being responsive to questions. Dont take negative
questions personally or become unduly emotional. In most cases, the reporter is just doing
his/her job.
Control Control doesnt mean grabbing the microphone or notebook or refusing to answer
reasonable questions. Control means listening before answering, not allowing yourself to be
bullied, ensuring that inaccurate information is not allowed to go unchallenged and sticking to
your key messages.
Flagging One effective way to grab an audiences attention is to flag their attention to a point
you wish to make. What a lot of people dont realize about this is , The two things everyone
must remember are Such language, simply phrased, helps to tee up your message and grab
attention.
Bridging Bridging or transitioning is simply a way of weaving your way smoothly from one part
of your answer to another. This doesnt mean ignoring the question but it does mean moving
back to your comfort zone after dealing with a difficult question. That may be so but what is
clear now No that is not the case; in fact Terms like in fact alert the audience that what
was just said was inaccurate and information youre about to deliver is accurate.

Off the record You are always on the record. Not only can a reporter choose to report
anything you say, its a matter of personal integrity. How is a reporter to feel about a person
who has two opinions one on the record and another off?
No comment This has become the classic line for someone who wants to avoid answering a
question. It comes across as evasive or as an admission of guilt. Try a different approach. It
would be inappropriate for me to speculate however, I can speak to the facts.; It would be
inappropriate for me to comment on their activities.; I really dont have an answer to that
question, but let me find out and get back to you. Always explain why you are not in a position
to respond directly to a question.
Use quotable language The point is not to be cute but to make comments that will stand out;
a good comparison, a good analogy; language that we know and that a reporter appreciates
being able to report.
The news clip We used to see the 30-second news clip, now we see the 10 to15-second sound
bite. This doesnt mean you have to rush through your answer, but it does mean taking the time
to pause, determine the intent of the question and answer with the most important information
as soon as possible.
Avoid jargon We all use language were familiar with. Talk in laymans language during an
interview. Keep your audience in mind.
Avoid repeating negatives Reporters often ask questions that are loaded with statements or
phrases that are intended to get you to comment directly on something that is unfair or
inaccurate. For example: Why is your company so secretive? Assuming this is not so, dont
answer with Were not secretive. Instead, try First of all, that is not correct
Watch out for bumping Sometimes a reporter will try to knock you off balance by a
technique called bumping. Clipping off the end of your response with a new question or
comment. It tends to accelerate the pace of an interview and make your answers reactive. The
way to manage bumping is to continue to speak, pitching your voice under the reporters. This
technique is particularly effective in radio and television interviews as it makes the segment
unusable and the reporter will quickly give up.
Repeat yourself and dont worry about it Reporters often ask the same question in more than
one way, hoping you will deviate from your key message. Stick to your guns! Although you might
never do this in an ordinary conversation, it is perfectly acceptable to repeat your key message.
The rule of thumb is that a reporter will rarely ask the same question more than three times!
Fishhooks Sometimes we have a tendency to say too much. A reporter may have asked an
innocent question but our response indicates there is more to the story. Be truthful with
reporters but it is not necessary to drop company secrets. This can turn a simple interview into
an interrogation.

Important Tips to Remember During Media Interviews
Use the initial question to put things in perspective.
Pause before and consider before answering; dont be drawn into hypothetical situations.
If you say it, expect to hear it.
Answer first yes or no explain as time allows.
Dont argue, lose composure or take things personally.
Dont repeat offensive words or phrases used by the interviewer.
Dont evade; but try to bridge to your message.
Never say no comment explain you dont know or it would be improper to divulge certain
information.
Listen hard; make sure you understand the question.
Be rigorously honest.
Characteristics of Interviews in Various Media
Figure 21 MRU
Television Let your personality come across

You are actually saying what you choose to say
Because it is taped, much of what you say may be edited out
Television usually allows you less time to speak than print or radio
interviews; sometimes you only get a few seconds
Radio The opportunity exists to get more of your message across, but less of your
personality
You are actually saying what you choose to say
Because it is taped, much of what you say may be edited out
Radio usually allows you more time to speak than television but less than
print
Print You may get your message across in some detail, and a good interviewer
will also reveal aspects of your personality
Usually you are allowed more time to speak than on radio or television
The end result is someone else writing their impressions of you and what
you have said

Print interviews sometimes fail to capture the attitude and nuances of your
delivery. For example, humour and sarcasm do not necessarily read well in
print (the reader cant see you smile)
Who Should Do the Interview

In the early planning stages of your event, policy and procedure was developed. At this time, individuals
should have been identified to serve as media contacts. This is very important, as the image that is
portrayed through the media is the image the world has of your event. Determining who the media
contacts will be should take the following into consideration:
Provide the media with the most senior person available. The media and the public are
impressed with top executives.
Make certain the person is well briefed and knowledgeable enough to handle all of the possible
questions.
Select a person who has the authority and discretion to discuss sensitive information beyond the
specific subject or problem at hand. (Providing the media with someone who can only respond
with no comment defeats the purpose.)
Send someone who personifies the image of the event.
If possible, select someone who has media experience.
Sometimes it is impossible to meet all of these criteria, but strive to do so and prepare the individual as
best as you can.
Anticipating Media Questions

Prepare for the interview by considering and being prepared to answer:
1. the question that would be the most damaging or potentially dangerous to the event
2. the question that would be the most challenging personally
3. the subject you would most like to avoid
4. the reason why you want to avoid the subject
5. the question that would require the most research
6. given the nature of the event, the general climate within the host organizations industry, and
recent pertinent news stories, the most logical question and interview could ask would be
7. the most intelligent question
8. as background for the audience the most likely question would be
9. your personal opinion

d) Press Releases
A press release is just what its name implies it is a story that you write about your event for the press
(media). You release the story to the news media, and if everything goes well, they use your story. This
is how public relations works; you are in effect getting someone else to talk about you and your event.
The first thing to do is to prepare an organized media list and carefully target individuals in each
newsroom that you would like to be interviewed by. A blind press release (released generally to a
newsroom) typically is filed and never found again. For an event that focuses on fine cuisine, you would
want to target a reporter from the Lifestyle section of the paper, perhaps a social columnist, perhaps a
travel writer if the menu is international in scope. However, it would have to be a unique event in order
for a business writer to find your press release interesting and pertinent. Spend some time researching;
find out specifics like deadlines and reporter names.
As you prepare your media list, think beyond the major newspapers, radio and television. Consider all of
the print options available, including newsletters, special interest magazines, around-town listings, etc.
Also, consider all of the radio and television options; dont forget about Public Service Announcements
(PSAs).
Two Types of Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE this is the usual format. It implies urgent news and gives permission for the
media to run the story immediately.
EMBARGO In less urgent situations, you may want to provide the press release in advance and ask the
media to hold off using the information until a later date. This is done to make it more convenient for
the media. The implication is informal, Ill give you this information early if you promise not to use it
before the prescribed date. This gives the press extra time to work on the story. Many news desks
respect the embargo; however, it is no guarantee and the press is under no obligation to respect the
delayed release date. When you send an embargoed release the dateline at the top should read:
EMBARGOED: HOLD FOR RELEASE UNTIL (DATE) (TIME)
News releases that announce earth-shattering news will get used regardless of how well or poorly
written they are. Events are discretionary news (even when the logistics are earth-shattering to us) and
often get lost among the dozens of news releases that are received every day at media outlets. One way
to ensure your press release is considered is to write it in the form of a news story develop a
journalistic style. The press release that reads like an internal memo, friendly letter or government brief
needs to be rewritten completely or it may get passed over in tight deadlines.
Characteristics of Good News Writing

Build your press release around a real news story if something new isnt happening or being
announced, it just isnt news. A story without a news hook cant compete with others on the
editors desk.
Answer the 5Ws and H of journalism (Who, What, When, Where, Why and How)

Put your most important information at the beginning of the release, and the least important at
the bottom. Your first sentence should summarize the hook. Follow this with the 5Ws and H in
order of importance, concluding with quotes and background details.
Write your release to sound like an objective account, as if it were written by someone outside
of your event. (Of course you are writing with as favourable a spin as possible).
Use an active sentence construction. News is action and should be reflected in the content.
Be brief.
Use direct quotes from key people involved in the event this is a good way to introduce
celebrity spokespeople.
Structuring Your Press Release

Put a dateline at the top of the release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SATURDAY MAY 2, 2009
Place a short informative headline (or subject line) at the top of the story under the dateline.
The newsroom will most likely replace this headline with one of their own. However, it is vital
that you spend some time on this headline. If your words are well chosen, they may catch the
editors eye.
Put a place line in capital letters (i.e., CALGARY, ALBERTA) at the beginning of the lead sentence.
This place line indicates where the story originates.
Type your news release, double spaced on 8.5 inch by 11-inch paper.
If your press release is more than one page, type more/more/more in the bottom right hand
corner of the sheet. Do not split a paragraph over two pages. Number your pages and staple
them together.
At the end of the main body of your release type 30 this is newsroom shorthand for the
end.
After the 30 list the name and phone numbers for contact people. These individuals should
be able to provide clarification and additional information. It is important that the contact
people be familiar with the content of the press release.
You may want to provide the media with some additional information: backgrounders, technical
data, biographies, photos, etc. Provide this information in a two-pocket presentation file. The
press release goes in the right hand pocket and the background information in the left. This
packet of information is known as the Press Kit.

Sample Press Release
Downloadable
General News Release basic news release
Evergreen News Release ( A storytelling release)
Content Marketing Release to build buzz, and likely used to drive engagement, demand
and leads
e) Holding a Press Conference
A press conference is a meeting where reporters are invited to listen to your announcement, ask
questions, receive a press kit, tape some clips for broadcast and/or take a few photos. If you are smart,
you will also feed them. Gossip has it that reporters cannot resist free food. If you are holding a press
conference, do not send your press releases out. Immediately after your press conference, fax or deliver
press releases to media outlets that were not present. This is an event and should be treated as such.
Deciding to hold a press conference should be based on the following criteria:
Hold a press conference only when the announcement will have a significant impact on the
community. (Be careful with the interpretation of significant if you cry wolf you will reduce
your credibility with the press and damage future media relations).
Call a press conference when a celebrity personality is involved. (Again, be careful with
interpretation of celebrity the local high school principal may be a celebrity in their community
but the press may not be as enthralled).
Press conferences work well when a visual is involved that makes good a video or photo
opportunity. If you are presenting a key to the Lucky Lotto Home winner, or unveiling a new
model of a roadway expansion, a press conference will work well.
When you have determined to hold a press conference and have established a time and place, send out
written media advisories to the people on your target list. Time these to arrive several days before your
press conference and follow up with telephone confirmation. Keep the details of your conference secret
until the actual announcement; however, you may need to provide reporters with some ideas of the
significance of this conference. Dont be bullied into revealing your big announcement.

If possible, hand-deliver your media advisories, and press release. Remember you are an event planner
and you may want to consider using your creative flair in packaging the press release to ensure it gets
noticed.
f) Hosting a Media Event
A Media Event is a mini event that is designed specifically to give media a snapshot of the of the real
event experience. Media Events can be held days before, or the morning of an event, depending on the
scope and logistics involved with the large event. A date and time frame is chosen and the media are
invited to interview stakeholders or celebrities that will appear at the event, photo opportunities,
receive press kits and often a sampling of the entertainment or specialty food that will be served, right
in the venue where the event will take place.
There are many advantages of hosting a media event:
Media have the opportunity to cover an event they can conduct interviews, take photos and
get footage without disrupting the event itself, which is often of benefit to the event planner
and the media.
Having all the media, in one area, on a set schedule, allows for more consistency and control
over the message that gets out about the event.
Media tend to come to a Media Event because it makes their job easier they do not have to
chase down stakeholders or celebrities to interview on their own or wait hours to get just the
right shot for a story. Also, they enjoy being treated as a guest to a mini event.
Media Events are much more practical and realistic for most events than having an
announcement that would warrant a Press Conference.
Stunts
Publicity stunts are an excellent way to spend your way into getting exposure that would otherwise take
years to establish your brand and/or event. Some of the greatest stunts that grabbed the most
attention in recent years include:
Red Bull: Stratos Space Jump the jump in 2012 that attempted to have the first person break
the sound barrier by falling 23 miles. All produced, directed and broadcast by Red Bull
Calendar Girls in 1999 a group of 11 members of the Womens Institute of York stripped down
to nothing and posed for a calendar to raise money for charity and ended up selling over
800,000 copies and inspired a Hollywood movie.
Virgin Atlantic London Eye when British Airlines couldnt erect the London Eye fast enough,
during the press conference, Virgin Atlantic floated over the scene in a giant blimp carrying the
message BA Cant Get It Up.

Greenpeace Scales Christ the Redeemer - in 2002, Greenpeace climbed to the top of Christ the
Redeemer statue in Rio to send a message to the World Summit on sustainability with a sign stating
The Future of our Planet is in Your Hands.
Sex Sells
When developing public relations campaigns and stunts, it is extremely important to keep in mind WHO
the intended audience is. Ribald humour and sexually explicit materials usually attract media attention.
If you decide to use this format, you must be very sure your intended audience will appreciate the
efforts. Public relations campaigns take place for the most part in the public domain; your viewing
audience can be very large. Can your event afford to offend large segments of the population? Ask
yourself these questions as you consider how your campaign will proceed. In the case study just
mentioned, the event has a long-standing reputation for being on the edge, pushing boundaries and
unnerving some people. This group was not concerned about whom it might offend because they knew
those who were offended would not attend the event in any case.
Celebrity Attractions
Selecting Big Name Draws

Celebrities attract people. We all want to rub shoulders with the rich and famous we want to get a
chance to talk with the powerful. Celebrity attractions can include politicians, film and television
personalities, local media personalities, business leaders, speakers, sports stars, writers and musicians. A
celebrity draw is defined by the organizers and the intended audience. The definition of celebrity is not
confined to people. Disneyland has been using animated characters successfully as celebrity draws for
decades. Mickey Mouse continues to be a huge attraction, as does Ronald McDonald, and as does
Harvey the Hound for the Calgary Flames.
If you are using a celebrity to attract interest in your event, it is important to have the agreement with
the celebrity in place and confirmed before any advertisement occurs. Advertising a celebrity before the
arrangement is confirmed is a dangerous practice. Celebrities resent it and become reluctant to
participate. Can you blame them?
Cost of Celebrity Involvement

Depending on the nature of your event and the type and profile of the celebrity you are hoping to
attract, a celebrity personality can be a major additional expense to the event budget. It is not unusual
that, along with paying the fees necessary to guarantee the speaker, or sports star or musician, you are
also responsible for paying their expenses. For big name draws coming from out of town this includes
airfare, hotels, ground transportation, all meals, sometimes additional entertainment, and any
additional costs.
For many celebrities, security must also be included in the associated costs. This becomes a major
expenditure as celebrities do not fly on seat sales and do not stay in cheap hotel rooms. In addition,
the cost of many celebrities is significantly higher than initially quoted. Many of the high-profile

individuals that attract people to events are American. This means their fees are in American dollars and
the figure quoted must be converted to Canadian dollars for your budget.
Im a Star Im Special
The cost of working with celebrities goes beyond the monetary value associated with their attendance.
Anyone that has booked entertainment and read the rider that frequently accompanies the
entertainment contract understands that stars sometimes have unusual demands associated with the
agreement to appear. They can also be hugely complex and significantly impact the costs of the event.
Why the Celebrity Participates

Know as much about the celebrities, entertainers, political personalities, musicians and sports figures
you attach to your event as you can. The reason these individuals participate in events is about
marketing. They are using your event to market their profession, teams, services or personal causes.
Being familiar with who they are and what they are about will prevent any embarrassing situations.
Booking a celebrity who is also the president of the local Gun Control Lobby in California to represent
the Outdoor Sportsman Show could prove to be detrimental to your event.
When booking or using professional speakers you need to be especially careful. Many speakers present
infomercials for their personal consulting businesses. Some of them are excellent resources and
incredible speakers; some of them are not. All of them will provide you with demo-tapes, books, and list
of testimonials and references. The only way to judge the quality of a professional speaker is to hear
them in person. For smaller events this is not always a viable option. For larger events that are prepared
to pay in excess of $10,000 U.S. for a speaker, it is worth the time and expense to travel to hear this
individual speak. Once again, it is important to know who your audience will be and what their needs,
wants and desires are when selecting celebrity speakers.
Why use Celebrities

Celebrities are often used to bring attention to events because they are certain to increase media
coverage both locally, and in some cases, nationally and internationally. To be truly effective and
credible to the event participant, the celebrity must have believable credentials. Susan Sarandon
speaking to a group of parents with children who have learning disabilities is far less credible than Cher
or Tom Cruise, both of whom have publicly declared their diagnosed learning disabilities.
Regardless of who the celebrity is and how far reaching their influence may be, they bring to your event
both rewards and risks. Choosing to use celebritys needs to be carefully measured and planned,
addressing all of the potential benefits and hazards associated. Contingency planning is necessary and
equally important is budgeting for the costs that are associated with the use of high profile names.
Communication and/or Public Relations Campaign or Plan

Identify the main spokesperson
Identify the stakeholders
Key messages: Summarize the important points and messages that you want anyone involved
with the event as well as the key personnel to portray if they are talking to guests, media or

encouraging others to attend. These messages will be consistent throughout all your materials.
Key messages should be kept to a maximum of five points
Target media
Schedule for news release, PSAs, press conference
Items to include in press kit (if you have specific photos or audio and/or video)
Choose the media contact for the event

MODULE 7: Sales
Figure 22 iStock
People Buy from PeoplePassion
Whether we like it or not we are salespeople. Even more importantly, as event managers we need to be
good salespeople. We need to sell our events to our stakeholders, guests, sponsors, volunteers and
very often our professional superiors.
Confidence sells the buyer on you, the salesperson. Most people dont know your company or your
product, and how it is different from every other special event on the calendar. The question becomes,
can YOU sell the event and/or your company or service? If you cant inform your customer about your
company, service, event or the benefits, the issue always comes down to price. Typically, price is not the
overriding concern unless your customer is ill-informed. Service is the issue.
MODULE 7: Sales Page 79

1. Describe how important the role of salesperson is within event management.

2. List the types of sales approaches.
3. Illustrate the six steps of the collaborative sales process.
a) Sales
Think about the event industry. Basically, you do the same things and offer the same product or service
as your competitors. What makes yours different is you? Its all about experience: the experience of the
client, guest, stakeholder, volunteer or sponsor the emotion you evoke and their response to that
emotion.
Think about the last time you ate out. If your meal was average but the surroundings were nice and
service was excellent did you leave a good tip? Did you walk away feeling good about your
experience? Will you go back again? Will you refer other people to the restaurant? What will you
remember from this experience average food, or excellent service?
Take this analogy a little further what are the qualities of an excellent waitperson? Are they confident
enough to make suggestions as to what you might enjoy? Do they know the menu? Can they tell you
about the meals that are on the menu? Do they check in throughout the course of your meal to see if
everything is okay? Do they notice when your drink or coffee needs to be refreshed? Do they apologize
when a mistake is made? Do they complain about their colleagues, the chef and the owner? Do you
sense that they enjoy their job and are serious about being good at what they do?
Is your job any different? Are you confident enough in your knowledge of your company and product to
distinguish it from your competitors? Can you answer questions honestly and accurately? Do you check
in with your customers to make sure everything is going as planned? Do you notice when they might
have unmet needs and offer solutions? Do you offer assistance and options when problems arise or
mistakes have been made? Do you take responsibility?
Highly successful people translate or interpret failure or disappointment into a lesson learned. They
learn from their mistakes and resolve to do things differently in the future. They are committed to
personal success and are willing to work hard to achieve it.
"Its fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."
- Bill Gates
Page 80 MODULE 7: Sales

b) Collaborative Selling
The world of business has changed and continues to change dramatically and rapidly. Markets have
grown from local to provincial to national to global. Differentiating yourself, your company and your
event enables you to get the buyers attention and sell effectively against the competition. Providing
quality products and services and backing them up with exceptional customer service are keys to
maintaining those customer relationships.
Collaborative selling is a process in which the sales professional becomes a partner with the customer.
This requires spending more time in the beginning of the sales cycle building a foundation for a long-
term relationship. The sales professional takes the time to learn, really learn, who the customer is and
what they need. Customers now see you, not as one more salesperson, out to make the next sale, but as
an expert consultant working on their behalf.
The Traditional Sales Approach

The traditional sales approach was largely developed after World War II, when there was a high demand
for consumer goods by primarily unsophisticated buyers. Selling techniques revolved around a typical
scenario which still exists today. Traditional salespeople paid little attention to targeting their markets or
planning their sales calls. They approached it as a numbers game, delivering a scripted pitch to as
many prospects as possible in the shortest amount of time. Usually, a great scripted opening describing
the features of the product and a strong close were enough to win the sale. The more sophisticated
traditional salesperson breaks the ice with small talk (equating small talk to relationship building) and
then delivers the razzle-dazzle to a hopefully receptive prospect, followed by NEXT. The salesperson
doesnt take the time to understand the customer and his/her needs. The customer is forced to learn
about the salespersons event or service and then decide whether it fits their needs.
Traditional selling creates tension and can be construed as adversarial, creating an us against them
positioning for the customer, leaving them to wonder, Am I getting a good product or am I getting a
good sales pitch. This approach to selling is becoming outdated as it does not foster referrals,
references, repeat business, word-of-mouth advertising, customer satisfaction or retention, or good will.
Collaborative Selling
Welcome to the brave new world. Customers are smarter, they expect more information and expertise,
and they are aware of and can see through the aggressive sales tactics used in the past. Todays
customers have learned to shop around, and they can do it from the comfort of their living room.
Customers know they have lots of similar options to choose from. Customers are no longer shopping for
product. They are looking for long-term relationships with their suppliers and their salesperson, to
whom they can turn when they have problems, questions or when their needs change.
Collaborative selling begins with a different mindset. It requires a commitment to the long term. Just as
todays customers are buying differently, sales professionals must sell differently. Urgency is less of an
issue for customers. Good deals, good salespeople, and good companies abound. Price has become less
of an issue as a selling feature. Check three or four companies offering computers and see the price

differences between them. Count the number of companies currently offering price guarantees. They
make these guarantees because they know the price for the same product is almost identical from
company to company. Buyers are no longer attracted just by great deals; they want great relationships.
This desire for relationships is evident in the words and phrases used to describe modern buying
relationships: strategic alliances, sustaining resources, single sources, values and ethics.
Collaborative selling means handling every aspect of the sales process with a degree of professionalism.
The sales professional takes the time up front to build a sincere, committed relationship by investing
time to learn about the customers needs. The environment is co-operative, respecting the fact that the
customer best understands what their needs and wants are. They need an opportunity to explore these,
not to be told what they are.
Six Steps of the Collaborative Sales Process
Figure 23 MRU
1. Target
The first step is a marketing necessity: understand exactly what your product/service is and
identify the specific markets that can best use this service or event. It takes some time, but
careful planning focuses your efforts and provides a greater return on the time and money
invested. Collaborative sales professionals understand they must concentrate on prospects that
have a high probability of buying. This includes identifying and targeting your top 20% of buyers.
2. Contacting Prospects

The next step is to contact the market you identified in Step 1 in a cost-efficient and professional
way. This could be a combination of telephone, electronic or personal contact. The right
combination of contacting strategies ensures that collaborative sales professionals create high
perceived value when they call on their prospects. When contact is made, collaborative sales
professionals set the stage for a cooperative working relationship. They convey the importance
of exploring needs and opportunities. At the same time, they are building credibility and trust,
expressing their sincere desire to be of service and they make their competitive advantages
known without jumping into a presentation.
3. Explore
In this stage of the collaborative sales process, sales professionals convey the message, Lets
explore your situation to see if there are needs to be met or opportunities to capitalize on.
During the exploring stage, collaborative salespeople conduct research, meet with their
prospects frequently and do whatever it takes to become an expert on their part of the
business. Ideally a reciprocal relationship develops that sets the stage for in-depth exploration
of options that may culminate in a sale. Collaborative sales professionals make it clear that they
want to help, not just make a sale. Through information gathering during this stage, the event
planner may find that their service/event may not be appropriate for their prospects (although
this is unlikely because of their focus on targeting their market). They forego the sale, but have
made a tremendous referral source.
It is at this stage that effective questioning and effective listening skills become an absolute
must. Probing open-ended questions that are used as the benchmark for the next question help
the event planner remain in control of the conversation and start to formulate solutions or
opportunities for the customer.
4. Collaborate
It is at this point, after an in-depth exploration of a prospects situation is completed, that
collaborative sales professionals talk about their products and services. Naturally these are
discussed in the context of the customers needs, wants and desires.
Event planners never dictate solutions to their prospects. Rather, they form partnerships in
which prospects play an active role in the discovery of the best solution. The collaborate phase
of the sale is conducted in the spirit of lets work together on the solutions and together build a
commitment to its successful implementation. This team approach to problem solving ensures
that stakeholders/clients will be committed to the solutions. They have already made an
emotional investment. By making customers equal partners in problem solving, collaborative
selling reduces or eliminates the risk that is inherent in the customers decision-making process.
5. Confirm
Throughout the sales process, you and the client have established communication. Even with
this communication, you still need to confirm the sale. According to (Alessandra, 2016), the best
approach is to watch your client's interest level and buying signals. If, during the presentation,
your client is acting and speaking in ways that indicate they are ready to place an order, you

should stop the presentation and do just that - confirm the sale. Summarize your pitch and the
benefits of the sale and proceed to the order. It is also a great idea to confirm all of the benefits
of the sale in writing and site down and present to the client/customer. By doing this, there is
not confusion of expectations resulting from the sale.
If however, your client is still not committed, you can ask simple questions such as "Where do
we go from here?" or "How would you like to proceed?," or "What's is our next step in the
process. Building that relationship does not make you pushy or overly assertive but rather the
client is a willing collaborator in the sales process.
(Alessandra, T (nd) Collaborative Sales process. Retrieved from http://www.alessandra.com/)
6. Assure
This phase of the collaborative sales process begins immediately after the sale has been
confirmed. Collaborative salespeople keep in touch after the sale. They communicate regularly
about delivery dates, installations, inspections and other relevant matters. They make sure their
customers are comfortable and satisfied with their purchases.
On a micro level, collaborative selling is the key to differentiation. It represents obsession with quality
and customer satisfaction. A high degree of professionalism is emphasized, with a focus on relationships
rather than transactions, since collaborative selling is clearly a win-win situation. Customers receive the
products and services they want and sales professionals receive large loyal customer bases that
generate future sales and provide referrals.
Sales Plan
Figure 24 MRU

Some questions you and your committee or organization may ask about your ticket sales plan are:
When should they go on sale

Who will monitor the process?
Who will distribute the tickets?
How will they be distributed (paper tickets or online sales, distribution centers in the
community, Kiosk at event location?)
Should our board sell tickets, volunteers, friends?
Maximizing ticket sales to the event can be challenging, especially if sales may have been a bit lack luster
in the past. If you understand your audience and have employed the internet marketing and sales
techniques mentioned in this section, you are half way there. Selling tickets is not just about marketing
the event but also about knowing your event audience.
Some ideas to create more excitement around your ticket sales approach may include.
Creating a completion this could promote the event, get the Word of mouth out about the
event and generate excitement. Possibly give away a prize to the committee member,
community member, staff member or even event attendee who can generate the MOST ticket
sales through the WOM and referral process. This can easily be done through your use of social
media and the enthusiasm of the contest will balloon the interest of your event online.
Create and nurture a LinkedIn Group or Instagram page - Creating a group for your event on
LinkedIn or Instagram can increase ticket sales organically. Allowing for a collaborative group
discussion can generate conversation surrounding your event and that conversation can
generate sales. Another idea is the create a Call to Action this can be done on Facebook and
direct would be guests to your event website and/or your ticket sales location. All by a click of
the finger.
Create different types of tickets and discounts If you choose to sell your tickets online, choose
a site that will allow you to offer different tickets (like early bird or VIP tickets). According to
(Mendelson, 2015) multiple ticket types allow you to accommodate a larger audience, and that
means you can increase event ticket sales. Also, offering discounted tickets to groups is also a
great tip for selling more tickets.
Your website should include a link to your ticket sales online platform to encourage ticket
purchasing.
Use your celebrity or speaker or band attending the event as another source of promotion to
sell tickets. Encourage them to mention the event on their social media and direct their
followers to your website and/or ticket sales locations.

Keep the event in the face of past attendees - Send social media updates, emails, newsletters to
former attendees announcing the ticket sales, the platform and/or a contest. Keep your guests
engaged year-round.
Module 7 References
Mendelson, D. ( 2015). Increase event ticket sales with 10 creative marketing tips. BlogPost. 17th, April,
2015. Retrieved from http://blog.bizzabo.com/increase-event-ticket-sales-with-10-creative-
marketing-tips

MODULE 8: Sponsorship
Figure 25 iStock
There are few areas more important to events, or more complex, than sponsorship. Sponsorship and
event marketing go hand-in-hand, as sponsors are utilizing the event in order to market their product or
service. Marketing in this sense includes not only the marketing of a product or service but also
marketing the company itself to the community.
In Calgary, major oil and gas companies sponsor a variety of things in order to be seen as supporting the
community and generating good public relations for their companies.
EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts

Talisman Sports Centre (formerly named Lindsay Park)
Scotiabank Saddledome (originally known as Olympic Saddledome)
MODULE 8: Sponsorship Page 87

1. Summarize the importance of WHO, WHAT, WHERE and WHEN.

2. Describe how to manage your needs as the event planner with the needs of the sponsor.
3. List some of the incentives sponsors may receive for their investment.
4. Explain why sponsorship is increasingly being viewed as a business transaction.
5. Determine what components should be considered within the sponsorship plan.
a) Sponsorship
Many events rely on corporate sponsorship in order to exist. Sponsorship in its simplest form is the
provision of funds or in-kind contributions to the host organization of an event and in return receiving
consideration in the form of logo usage and identity with the event. Logo usage in smaller events
typically refers to the use of the event materials to display the sponsors logo. In larger events, like the
Olympics, sponsors want to use the event logo as part of the sponsorship package.
Sponsorship has been around probably as long as events themselves. For years it was all about being a
good corporate citizen. Now, its about how ROI, marketing objectives and engagement of new
customers. The tin up philosophy is no longer useful in the conversation. Two critical errors that most
events make is to (a) focus on what they need rather than how they can benefit the sponsor and (b) fail
to engage the sponsor post event. In order to avoid such mistakes, below is a list of trends that are
happening in sponsorship to give a more in-depth perspective of the changes.
1. Sponsorship allows brands to express themselves in a framework that offers a connection to the
brand. Its not only about impressions but also about engaging the customer in the event, or the
story about the event which can, in turn, get picked up by social media users.
2. Sponsorship agreements can create programs that no only engage customers but also their own
employees - which in turn, have the potential to become brand ambassadors.
3. Social engagement is an opportunity for social responsibility. Some savvy companies use their
sponsorship to promote various causes, such as fighting against, hunger and racism or
promoting images of world peace and prosperity. These good messages benefit the company as
a good global corporate citizen. And remember that people who benefit from a brands kind
philanthropic gesture become their greatest advocates. One example: O2 telecommunications
company gave its name to the O2 Arena in London. The company harnesses its members
passion for music and gives them the benefits of ticket priority and exclusive on premises
locations.
The Importance of WHO, WHAT, WHEN AND WHERE

Who: Knowing WHO the intended audience for your event is influences who you approach for
sponsorship and ultimately, who will decide to spend their marketing and/or advertising dollars at the
event. Understanding the profile of the audience allows the event planner to assist the potential
Page 88 MODULE 8: Sponsorship

sponsor in appreciating the value of the marketing opportunity. The event attendees need to be
compatible with the target market of the sponsors.
What: WHAT the event activity is also helps establish who should be approached for sponsorship. Can
you tie their product to the event, will participants recognize the product and how it may benefit them?
Sponsors need to fit the event and its image.
When: The date of the event (WHEN) can also influence the decision to participate as a sponsor of an
event. Although this is less of an issue, it is wise to determine what other events and/or marketing
activities a preferred sponsor especially a title sponsor may be involved in. To provide a premier
sponsorship opportunity it cannot conflict with other corporate priorities.
Where: Events, and especially event marketing (sponsorship), are about image. The location of the
event (WHERE) influences the desirability of the potential sponsor to be involved. A national company
that does not have a presence in Alberta may be reluctant to sponsor an event that draws only local
attention. This is especially true of those organizations that wish to be seen as good corporate citizens
rather than promoting a specific product.
The pre-existing sponsors or exclusive relationships suppliers have with a venue will dictate who may or
may not sponsor an event. Coke and Pepsi very often have exclusive clauses in their agreements with
venues. It is important to know what these are before sponsorship agreements are sought. It is hard
enough to gain sponsorship support; it is even harder to have formed an agreement that must be
broken due to a pre-existing relationship the event venue has with a sponsors competitor.
It cannot be stated too often or too strongly the importance of completing the initial event research
process as this information is used consistently throughout all phases of event planning.
Blending the Information and Diversifying the Sponsors

Once the initial work around Who, What, Where and When is completed, experienced event planners
look for a broad range of sponsors, based on the information they have available to them about the
needs, wants and desires of their participants. The road race organizers noted above understood their
participants on every level. This understanding led them to approach a variety of non-competing
sponsors and still meet the needs of all of the sponsors. Knowing that the participants were primarily
under the age of 45, had mid to high-level incomes, were educated beyond high school and serious
about running, the event planners approached the following potential sponsors: pain relief companies,
power snack and power drink companies, bottled water companies, computer companies, Internet
providers, high-end sporting equipment companies and retailers, health clubs, car manufacturers and
dealerships, shoe and sport companies, etc. Sponsors this group avoided included children and baby
needs companies, high-end clothing stores, cosmetic companies, etc.
As individual sponsors are secured, it is important to clarify whether or not competitors can be
approached for sponsorship. In most cases, sponsors insist on an exclusive relationship and are
purchasing the opportunity to market to a select group of people without competitor presence. Car
dealerships, soft drink companies and banks are a few examples. Knowing this, once a sponsor is

secured, it is the event planners responsibility to let competing companies know of this and stop further
negotiations for sponsorship.
Events are about image; this is a cardinal rule that must not be broken. As you blend all of the research
information and identify target sponsors, you need to know what the needs, wants and desires of your
potential sponsors are.
Understanding Sponsor Needs

Sponsorship is not about charity or benevolence. Sponsorship is about providing the sponsor with a
viable opportunity to meet their corporate needs. The question then becomes how you find out what
their needs are. Typically, in Calgary, the same companies are repeatedly approached for sponsorship.
Calgary is bigger than the oil and gas industry and successful promoters look beyond this single source of
revenue. Before you approach any company for sponsor support, do your research. Ask some basic
questions and then go find the answers.
What does this company already sponsor?

What are the criteria for sponsorship (do they focus on the arts, sports, charities, etc.)
Who is their target market?
How much can they likely afford to sponsor?
What does the business plan for this company look like?
Does my event fit their image?
There are various ways in which you can source out this information. The easiest and most obvious is
through web searches. Many companies have web pages that provide you with much of this
information. It is not unusual for a company to have a web page specifically dedicated to sponsorships,
in which they provide you with the criteria they use for sponsorship as well as the manner in which they
would like to be contacted.
Take a look at annual general reports. The letter from the president or CEO almost always indicates the
direction in which the company will be moving in the next three to five years. If a company historically
responds to the needs of an older demographic but speaks about expanding their market and
developing a more contemporary profile, a pitch to this company to sponsor snowboarding, mountain
biking or freestyle skiing events may find success. All of these sports are attractive to young
professionals and through sponsorship the company can begin to establish a new image with a new
demographic.
As we discussed earlier, the one-to-one approach or relationship marketing is a successful tool. As you
target potential sponsors, find out as much about the company as you can. Start with people that you
know that work there. You might be surprised at how much useful information the junior account
executive that lives next door may be able to provide. Be cautious; dont make your pitch too soon or to
the wrong person. Once you receive a no it will probably stand no matter how much further up the
ladder you are able to climb. Always make sure you are speaking to the decision maker. Ask your
volunteers and planning committee who they know, who they have established relationships with. Good
event planners understand they do not have to make the request for sponsorship. The job of a good

event planner is to ensure that the event and sponsors are well matched, the sponsorship package is
well put together, the sponsorship request is scripted and the appropriate people are making the
request.
Sponsorship requests need to be monitored and tracked very carefully everyone involved needs to
have the same information and a complete understanding of what is being offered and who is being
targeted for sponsorship. Having two or three requests from different people to the same company,
offering different incentives, is a sure way to demonstrate your event is not in a position to meet the
sponsor needs.
Determining Your Needs

The first step in developing a good sponsorship package is determining what your needs are. Do you
need an infusion of dollars? Will gifts-in-kind be beneficial? Do you require products or services to be
used as giveaways? Do you require specific sponsors for different elements of your event? How much
sponsorship do you require in order for the event to go ahead? These are tough questions and need to
be given serious consideration.
Understand what your specific needs are. In the case study above the event planner needed to
determine exactly how much money was needed to support this additional element of the event. Then
the job was one of seeking out one or more sponsors to support this element.
What Do Sponsors Get

Sponsors provide financial support to the event, and increasingly often, this comes from their
marketing/advertising budgets. What do sponsors get in return for their investment? At one-time
sponsorship was rewarded with a few free tickets, logo recognition on signage and print materials, as
well as a public thank you primarily through print media.
As the value of marketing through events is increasing, sponsorship packages are changing. Sponsor
reward can include:
Figure 26 MRU
Free event tickets

Logo recognition on signage and print materials

Public thank you acknowledgement
Private hospitality spaces (special entertainment)
Opportunity to provide product samplings
Enhanced event incentives (special jackets, frequently of a higher quality than participant
jackets)
Preferred ticket packages (can include VIP status, preferred parking and seating)
Event title or name recognition for the premier sponsor
The rewards for sponsorship are limitless and should be designed to meet the needs of the sponsor. Be
creative and listen to what the needs, wants and desires of your potential sponsor.
Levels of Sponsorship
Many events provide a series of sponsorship levels that give potential sponsors the opportunity to buy
into the event at a variety of financial commitments. Each level offers specific rewards for sponsorship.
In developing the package of opportunities, make the reward levels different enough from each other
that increased sponsorship brings with it increased rewards. As you identify and target potential
sponsors, determine a realistic expectation of what each company can and will afford to offer in support
of this event. After this is completed and the appropriate individual identified for the approach, offer
only one level of sponsorship at a time, identifying the benefits of the sponsorship and the rewards
associated with that level; in other words, customize your offer to the sponsors ability to support the
event.
Further, go the extra mile and tailor the sponsorship package to the targeted sponsors guidelines. For
instance, if its a car dealership (whose primary goal is to sell cars), make one of the benefits driving
traffic to the dealership for a test drive and get a discount on an admission ticket. Its all about it being a
win-win with the sponsor.
Sponsorship is a Business Transaction

Sponsorship has for so long been confused with a benevolent charitable donation that event planners
tend to approach it in the same way. Approaching companies with a hat-in-hand attitude hoping for
the best, event planners have struggled to secure sponsorships because they failed to address the needs
of the company.
Develop a marketing plan for the potential sponsor that outlines how they will benefit from involvement
with the event. Event marketing is not new, but it is also not fully understood, and companies are
pleased when a full plan is given to them for consideration. The plan needs to include how they can
measure success. Help the company understand how they can measure Return on Investment (ROI) for
each level of sponsorship.
When sponsorship agreements are developed, they are often represented through a contract format.
Carefully read the contract before you sign it. Usually they represent the verbal agreements, however
occasionally they may have an additional component that the sponsoring company assumes in every
sponsorship agreement but may not have been mentioned by the event planner.

Sponsorship is a business transaction. Many events struggle to secure enough sponsors early in the
event planning process, and they continue to hold out for that one sponsor that has not yet committed
but is showing some interest. Like any business arrangement, provide deadlines for commitment and
then stick to them. If the sponsor of choice cannot make a firm commitment, waiting and waiting before
finding an alternate sponsor, or deciding to cancel or alter event components, places the event itself at
risk.
Follow Through
Whatever the event or level of involvement of the sponsor, event planners must ensure that they
deliver what they promise. Promising 15 print media advertisements and then delivering only two
because the media sponsor changed their mind is a sure way to prevent sponsors from supporting
future events. Sponsorship agreements are legally, morally and ethically binding contracts and should be
treated as such. Sponsors do not want to be embarrassed or inconvenienced; you must be in a position
to follow through with all of your promises and assurances.
Who Benefits
As you develop your sponsorship packages and agreements, make sure everyone involved is benefiting.
Some sponsorships, unless carefully considered, can actually cost the event money. Keep in mind that
every time complimentary tickets, incentive gifts, hospitality suites and exclusive arrangements are
provided, they represent an expense to the event. Budget your event expenses and your sponsorship
revenues carefully. This is especially true with smaller, specifically-designated sponsorship agreements.
Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Not signing the contract Always sign your sponsorship agreement. Contracts should be so you
have something to fall back on if either party doesnt hold up to their end of the deal.
2. Your sponsor presentation should be comprehensive and detail nearly everything about your
organization. The who/what/where/when/why/how of your organization.
3. Provide solid metrics to the sponsor otherwise why would they sponsor you? Who is your
audience, what is your attendance and what is the target market? These facts help to bolster
your appeal to the sponsor.
Developing a Sponsorship Package

As you identify potential sponsors and move toward requesting support, a sponsorship package or
proposal is necessary. This package should include:
A brief history of the event: how many years has the event been produced, last years results.
A capability statement about the event organizers resources whether you have the expertise,
manpower and technical support necessary to produce the event.
Testimonials and references from other sponsors Securing the first sponsor is very important,
as others will follow in order to be seen as supporters of the event and be recognized in a good
light by the title sponsor. Having a major oil and gas company as your title sponsor often

encourages subsidiary oil and gas companies to participate because they want to be associated
with the larger companies.
Detail the benefits of sponsorship Detail each specific opportunity that results from
sponsorship.
Itemize all financial responsibilities of the sponsor. This can include providing manpower and
personnel to staff exhibits, etc.
Describe any additional responsibilities the sponsor may have e.g., presenting awards,
introducing speakers, providing incentive items.
Time and date for acceptance of the offer Be specific.
Provision for renewal of sponsorship.
Include an arbitration clause in case of disagreement.
Outline how sponsorship ROI will be measured.
Beyond the Obvious

Above all else, remember these key essentials to sponsorship
1. Understand what you have to offer

2. Contact the person who can say Yes
3. Know how to track and measure success.
4. Ascertain the value of the sponsorship what can YOU do for THEM
b) Sponsorship Plan
Target list / prospect list

Including media and graphic designers for ad campaign
Including other in-kind sponsors, such as printers for tickets, brochures, etc.
Sponsorship package
Including levels and breakdowns
Approach
Who will approach board members, committee members, volunteers
Follow-up plan how will sponsors be serviced after the event
Opportunities
Identify sponsorship opportunities, such as inclusion of name in the program or anything unique
to the event, such as a performer wearing a hat or shirt with the sponsors name on it. Keep the

opportunities realistic and step into the sponsors shoes and evaluate what would be a valuable
tool for them.
Prospects
A preliminary list or idea of areas of business to approach for sponsorship
Approach
Describe the strategy that will be implemented to obtain sponsors.

NOTES

MODULE 9: Ethics in
Event Marketing
Figure 27 iStock
The ethical cost of doing business and of event marketing is a topic that will be covered several times
throughout this certificate program. Ethics in marketing and/or event marketing plays an important role
in the planning and implementation of the overall plan.
1. Describe the importance of understanding confidentiality, proprietary information and copyright

when event planning.
2. Explain the pros and cons of gifts.
MODULE 9: Ethics in Event Marketing/Marketing Page 97

a) Confidentiality, Proprietary Information and Copyright
As an event planner you are entrusted with an abundant amount of personal, professional and
intellectual property information. It is your job to maintain the confidence of everyone involved. This
means protecting the information and maintaining a professional approach to all business dealings.
You will get quotes from suppliers (ad agencies, printers, graphic designers, signage companies, gifting
companies, media partners, etc.). These are confidential agreements; if you break the trust, word will
circulate and no one will want to deal with you as you have proven be untrustworthy.
You will be in a position to review proposals, quite possibly your direct competitors proposals. You must
remember that their ideas belong to them. Ideas are owned by the company that produces them and
cannot be replicated, reproduced or reflected in your event. This is very important if your competitor
has developed and pitched a good theme, tag line or positioning statement for the event. Do yourself
a favor and refuse to look at the proposal.
Often event themes are created from ideas expressed in literature, movies, television shows, magazine
articles and advertising campaigns. Again, it is important to remember these ideas are the intellectual
property of someone else. Very often you can use these ideas but it will require a copyright release.
Understand the copyright laws; ask permission to use someone elses work. This demonstration of
respect is exactly what you would expect if the work belonged to you.
b) Gifts
Building relationships with sponsors and suppliers is one thing, but gifting can become a problem if not
carefully handled and thought through. Dont confuse industry perks with industry bribes. Know
where the line is and when you are in danger of crossing it. Understand that gifts exchange hands all the
time. Very often you produce these gifts for the event itself. Incentive items are used as a marketing
tool, and the more extravagant the incentive item, the more likely it will remain a long term-item and a
long-term marketing tool. As an event planner, this is what you want to have happen. Perhaps you
recommend spending more money on the logo pen than was originally budgeted because you know it
will last longer and be used by the guests. This is good event management. However, if you are
recommending the client spend more money on the pen because the incentive company will provide
you with a leather jacket once your annual orders exceed a specified amount, ethics come into play.
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to ethics. What is important is to be aware of the
decisions that get made and why they get made. Make conscious decisions and be prepared to explain
them if you are asked.
Page 98 MODULE 9: Ethics in Event Marketing/Marketing

Additional Resources
Arens, W. F. (2006). Contemporary advertising. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Event Marketing: How to Successfully Promote Events, Festivals, Conventions, and Expositions, 2nd
Edition. (2012). Wiley.
Fox, J. J. (2000). How to become a rainmaker: The people who get and keep customers. New York:
Hyperion.
Gladwell, M. (2000). The tipping point: How little things can make a big difference. Boston: Little, Brown.
Home. (2015). Retrieved August 31, 2016, from http://www.socialmediaforevents.com/
Ingram, S. (n.d.). Making rain with events: Engage your tribe, create raving fans, and deliver bottom line
results with event marketing.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things
happen in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Lee, S., Boshnakova, D., & Goldblatt, J. J. (n.d.). The 21st century meeting and event technologies:
Powerful tools for better planning, marketing, and evaluation.
Peters, T. (2003). A Passion for excellence: The Leadership Difference. Norwalk, CT: Easton Press.
Reilley, D. (1991). The Canadian news release handbook. Victoria, B.C.: Integrate Pub.
Robinette, S., Brand, C., & Lenz, V. (2001). Emotion marketing: The Hallmark way of winning customers
for life. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Saget, A. (2006). The event marketing handbook: Beyond logistics & planning. Chicago, IL: Dearborn
Trade Pub.
Salmon, C. (2010). Storytelling: Bewitching the modern mind. London: Verso.
Social Media for Beginners and Advanced Social Media ... (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2016, from
hhttp://www.slideshare.net/integratePR/social-media-for-beginners-and-advanced-social-
Page 97 Additional Resources

media-interactive-marketing-summit-dec-3-2010?qid=04c04636-1f75-4b8d-a81b-
9144df870673&v=&b=&from_search=3
SOLD OUT! Top 10 Tips To Sell Out Your Event or Venue ... (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2016, from
http://www.slideshare.net/MannixMarketing/sold-out-top-10-tips-for-selling-out-your-event-
using-social-media
Special Events: Best Practices in Modern Event Management. (n.d.). Retrieved August 31, 2016, from
http://www.alibris.com/Special-Events-Best-Practices-in-Modern-Event-Management-Joe-Jeff-
Goldblatt/book/6251992
Additional Resources Page 100

Glossary
Advertising - Advertising is the structured and composed communication of information, usually

persuasive in nature. It can take many forms including: television, radio, newspaper, magazine,
billboards and other street signage, posters and direct mail campaigns. Advertising supports
and enhances the public relations efforts regarding image.
Blueline This is a proof that is created to show any obvious errors before your item goes on the press.
It is your responsibility to check this carefully, watch for images that are reversed, spelling and
grammatical errors. The blue line is usually trimmed, folded and stapled, as the final product
would be. You will be asked to sign off on this and any future errors will be your responsibility.
Branding Refers to the identification of products and services, and differentiates them from others.
Cost of Attending the Event The cost or price of event attendance is measured in several ways
including: financial, social, psychological and time.
Demographics - The statistical data related to a population and/or a particular group of people.
Determining Value - The customer or event participant determines the definition of value not the event
organizer, sponsor or producer. Value is a perception and customers only purchase what is
perceived to be valuable.
Die-cuts These take the shape of the image rather than straight edges.
Donation - Financial or in-kind contribution to the event without the desire for public recognition. A
donation is a benevolent act and is rewarded with a tax receipt but not marketing opportunities.
Event - An event brings people together for a specific purpose resulting in celebration, reunion,
marketing and/or education.
Event Marketing The process of planning and executing the concept, pricing, and promotion of ideas,
to facilitate exchange that satisfies the perceived needs, wants and desires of individuals and
organizations.
Event Purpose - Event purpose is establishing the answer to Why is this event being held? Frequently
this is presented in terms of goals and objectives. Due to the multiple industries in which events
Page 97 Glossary
are held the terms goals and objectives have been replaced with the concept of purpose to
provide clarity and consistency to event planning as an industry.
Financial Philosophy - The financial philosophy of the event refers to whether the event is a cost
recovery event, revenue-generating event, fundraising event or hosted event.
Finishing Once all the pieces are printed, the ink must dry. Then the excess paper is cut away. Talk
with your sales rep about maximizing the use of the paper (it will keep your costs down) by
being flexible about the size of the finished product. Finishing can also include embossing, die-
cuts, binding, stapling and folding.
Four-Colour Process This is a process that allows you to print in full colour. This is achieved by
combining the four primary colours to create almost any colour. The primary colours are cyan
(blue), magenta (red), yellow and black. Each printed piece is actually printed four times, once in
each colour.
Four Ps of Marketing Often referred to as the marketing mix the 4 Ps of marketing include product,
price, packaging/public relations and placement.
In Kind Contribution An in-kind contribution is the provision of goods or services that will support the
event rather than the provision of funds.
Invitation - The official offer to participate in the event.
Marketing - Marketing refers to the human activities, which facilitate exchange of value. Marketing is
the business function whose primary role is to attract revenues. Marketing is vital to the
success of any product, service or company.
Media Event - A mini event held just before the real event exclusively for media to get interviews,
photo opportunities and footage.
Positioning Statement - The development of a short script that provides all of the stakeholders with a
language that provides everyone involved with the opportunity to speak about the event in the
same way.
Press Conference - An event where invited reporters are brought together to listen to your
announcement, ask questions, receive a press kit, tape some clips for broadcast and take
photos.
Press Kit - A package of additional information for the media, it may include background information,
photos, biographies, technical data, etc. The press kit supports the information contained in the
press release
Press Release - A story for the media that you write yourself and forward to specific media outlets.
Glossary Page 102

Proofing (or proofreading) Before your materials go to a full print run you will be asked to proof the
copy. Check this carefully for spelling and grammatical errors. More importantly, check to make
sure all the pertinent information is present. Dates, times, costs, telephone numbers, etc. all
need to be carefully reviewed. Thousands of brochures with the wrong telephone number on
them are an expensive oops.
Quantative Research ph. 23
ROI Return on Investment - A process in which an event planner can assist an investor in recognizing
the value achieved through involvement with the event.
Social Media Marketing A social media platform used to improve brand presence and attract new
customers while building consumer trust. Reviews can also be posted by customers on different
sites.
Sponsorship The provision of funds or in-kind contributions in exchange for public recognition at, or
through, the event.
Stakeholders - Stakeholders refers to anyone that has an investment in the success of the event.
Stakeholders are generally classified into two categories internal and external.
Stunts Publicity stunts are events or situations staged specifically to attract media attention.
Target Audience The specific group of people who the event is designed to attract and appeal to.
Frequently, the target audience and the target market are the same. Sometimes, as in the case
of childrens events, the target audience is different than the target market, as parents will
purchase the event tickets.
Target Market The specific group of people who will purchase the event ticket.
Word of Mouth Marketing - Real people having conversations about brands or products and helping
them spread the word using social media tool.
Page 97 Glossary

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Event Management Extension Certificate

Revised: September 1, 2016

Published in 2016 by:

Introduction to Event Marketing ..................................................................................................................... vii

MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing ..............................................................................9

MODULE 2: Marketing Components ............................................................................................. 17

MODULE 3: Event Marketing Plan ................................................................................................ 23

MODULE 5: Word of Mouth Marketing ........................................................................................ 53

MODULE 6: Communications/ Public Relations ....................................................................... 61

Structuring Your Press Release ........................................................................................................ 73

MODULE 7: Sales .................................................................................................................................. 79

MODULE 8: Sponsorship ................................................................................................................... 87

MODULE 9: Ethics in Event Marketing ........................................................................................ 97

Additional Resources ......................................................................................................................... 99

Glossary ............................................................................................................................... 101

Introduction to Event Marketing

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Identify the key components of an event marketing campaign

4. Identify and develop sponsorship needs and opportunities

5. Develop a comprehensive marketing plan for an event

Page viii Course Introduction

XEVT 20004 Event Marketing

Module 1 Learning Objectives

MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing Page 9

Defining Event Marketing

b) A Brief History of Events and Event Marketing

Page 10 MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing

Special event marketing is understood on several levels.

MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing Page 11

c) The Four Ps of Marketing

Page 12 MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing

MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing Page 13

1. What is the financial philosophy of the event? Is it a cost-recovery event, a fundraiser, a

Page 14 MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing

4. Placement (Distribution Channels)

MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing Page 15

Page 16 MODULE 1: Introduction to Event Marketing

XEVT 20004 Event Marketing

Module 2 Learning Objectives

1. Describe major components of event marketing.

MODULE 2: Marketing Components Page 17

1. Set realistic and targeted goals

2. Incorporate creativity and a strong theme

3. Include a MIX in your promotional activities

4. Target your audience and target your reach

Page 18 MODULE 2: Marketing Components

5. Include Social Media

Creating behind the scenes footage of the event

Incorporate a location based Geofilter

Provide a look from the planners point of view

6. Follow-up with attendees and non-attendees alike

MODULE 2: Marketing Components Page 19

An event is identified as an opportunity to bring people together resulting in celebration, education,

c) Communications / Public Relations

Page 20 MODULE 2: Marketing Components

raise brand awareness and create preference

create positive PR and raise awareness of the organisation as a whole

provide attractive content for a range of products and services

build brand positioning through associative imagery

support a sales promotion campaign

create internal emotional commitment to the brand

act as corporate hospitality that promotes good relations with clients.

MODULE 2: Marketing Components Page 21

Advertising and Public Relations