Future Event Marketing Methods
As a direct result of the influencers shown in Figure 8-1, event
marketers must begin to employ new techniques to reach event at-
tendees in a cost-effective, high-impact way. To generate the great-
est return on event marketing (ROEM), event marketers and their
stakeholders must use different methods to reach individual event
markets as shown in Figure 8-2.
Therefore, whether you are marketing a social event or the
Olympic Games, your paradigm is about to change. This change
will occur as you carefully research your target market and then
carefully and thoughtfully, as well as skillfully, develop and im-
plement your marketing strategy. While it is possible to borrow
marketing methods from one type of event and use them within the
context of another, each type of event generally requires a precise
marketing strategy that enables you to rapidly capture the attention
of your target market, quickly and thoroughly provide them with
enough information to make a positive decision, and then effort-
lessly influence them to invest in your event. It is essential that you
become an expert in the type of event that you are about to market
just as an auto mechanic specializes in specific vehicles and a doc-
tor specializes in specific maladies. As a professional event mar-
keter in the 21st century, you must not only be a generalist, but also
a knowledgeable specialist in your event field.
How to Determine the Best Future
Practices in Reaching Your Target Market
As you contemplate your future marketing plans, you must ask
three important questions: (1) How can I reduce the length of time
from event development to market success? (2) How can I cut
through the marketing clutter to differentiate my event product?
(3) How can I reduce the cost of making each sale? The reason you
must ask these questions is because your employer, stakeholders,
supervisors, and others are asking these questions before you even
consider writing the event marketing plan. They want to know
how you will market this event faster, better, and more profitably.
Whether you are a for-profit or a not-for-profit organization, the
demands remain the same. To be competitive, you must pose and
How to Determine the Best Future Practices in Reaching Your Target Market 175