152 Chapter 7 Marketing Festivals, Fairs, and Other Special Events
Marketing Festivals and Fairs
Today’s festivals and fairs are more varied and sophisticated than
ever before. Marketing these unique types of events requires unique
and innovative tactics. In other words, the success of an event may
not depend on the type of event, the star attraction, or the cause
of the event, but on how well a marketer takes advantage of cer-
tain factors of the event. These factors include location, competi-
tion, weather, cost, and entertainment.LOCATION
The selection and marketing of the location has a significant im-
pact on attendance and the resulting success of an event. Is it cen-
trally located or in a distant suburb? Is there easy road access from
interstate highways or is there a subway stop within walking dis-
tance? Promoting easy access, a central location, or a new venue
can contribute to greater attendance at your event. In addition,
marketing the convenience of the location can increase acceptance
of the event, and combining the historic or resort attributes can ex-
cite the potential attendees.
For years, the Baltimore Orioles baseball team played its home
games at Memorial Stadium, an outdated stadium located in a
rough neighborhood. When a new stadium was built in the reju-
venated Inner Harbor area of Baltimore and was designed to look
like the ballfields of yesteryear, the stadium and its location be-
came a bigger attraction than the team itself. The team sold out
most of its home games the first year not because of a winning
team, but because of the buzz created by the new stadium and its
location. In the promotional messaging the ballclub used in sell-
ing tickets, one of the key marketing messages was for Oriole fans
and nonfans to come out and visit this new masterpiece. The lo-
cation was such a success that other Major League Baseball teams
such as the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers copied the Ori-
oles’ marketing strategy with the same success.COMPETITION
Promoting your event as unique, different, and better than the
competitors’ can be as important as the event itself. A marketer
needs to advertise and promote the advantages of the event by