eager to accomplish several objectives at once, not given to good
people skills, and in relationships with casual acquaintances. And
they tend to be highly impatient and somewhat skeptical. They ex-
hibit a desire to make each minute count at work and play. The
marketer must be aware that they do not trust a newspaper article
or promotional piece simply because they see something in print
“so it must be true.” The challenge to convince this market is
great.
Thus, the one-stop shopping syndrome permeates our market-
places to a growing degree. Whether it is shopping at a megastore
or attending an educational or social event, the time must be well
spent and beneficial. “What will I learn?” “Who will I meet?”
“How will I benefit?” For the marketer, these are key issuesto ad-
dress in promotion. And the keywordis “I.”
Event marketers have the same issues with which to deal. Are
attendance trends at the annual Veteran’s Day parade up, down, or
stagnant? Are sponsorships in demand or declining? Which com-
munity precincts are conspicuous by their representation? Which
are not? The marketing executive responsible for the annual com-
munity awards and recognition gala must be equally investigative.
Is attendance growing? Are essentially the same people coming
each year? If so, are they growing older, retiring, becoming less in-
fluential than in years before? Are our newer markets being over-
looked, both as attendees and as honorees?
Many marketers have found, too late and to their dismay, that
by catering to old standbys and ignoring emerging markets they
were “ringing the tree” (an old saying that, when you cut a small
ring around the base of a tree’s bark, nutrients will be blocked
from the roots and in time the tree will wither and die). Many
events have faded away because new markets were not segmented,
identified, and embraced to supply continuing nutrition and
support.
As a marketer, you should not pursue new markets until you
have identified and analyzed the markets you currently attract and
the trends that create the ebb and flow of the buyers and attendees
you seek. Using the qualitative and quantitative research tech-
niques already described in this text, market segmentation begins
with identifying, qualifying, and prioritizing the consumers you
serve. In others words, “who is coming to your party?”
In addition to the standard demographics such as age, gender,180 Chapter 8 Trends in Event Marketing