130 Chapter 6 Marketing Corporate Meetings, Products, Services, and Events
Many in event marketing find themselves in a position to market
both association and corporate events. Often, independent event
and production companies provide marketing expertise for their
clients, and it is common for nonprofit association marketing ex-
ecutives to make the transition to a for-profit corporation to pro-
mote their events and vice versa. Consequently, it is essential that
you, as a marketer, innately understand the significant differences
between the two “cultures” and profiles: nonprofit associations
and societies (discussed in Chapter 5) and for-profit corporations.
The differences from a marketing perspective may be subtle, but
they are nonetheless significant. Understanding both will broaden
your marketing skills to attract a broader scope of potential clients.
Many of the principles of event marketing are similar for asso-
ciation and corporate activities. But the markets to which those ef-
forts are targeted are markedly different in many respects. These
distinctions are fundamental to you as an event marketing profes-
sional with a broad appeal to both types of institutions.Differences Between Corporate and Association Events
Corporate Association
Most events are discretionary. Most events are mandatory.
Decision making is Decision making is
centralized. decentralized.
Budget is fixed. Budget is variable.
Attendance is mandatory. Attendance is voluntary.
Function participation is Function participation is
mandatory. voluntary.
Purpose of attendance is Purpose of attendance is
consistent. variable.
Hotel “booking” lead times Hotel “booking” lead times
may be short. are longer.
Usually geographically Often geographically
unrestricted. restricted.Defining the Differences
Most corporate meetings and events are discretionary; that is, they
are subject to the decisions of management. For example, incen-
tive trips and events may not be held if employees have fallen
short of quotas, or if the company is performing below expecta-