Regardless of the nature of the event, its success will depend
on the recognition by the event marketer that the five Psof mar-
keting will play an essential role.The Five Ps of Event Marketing
- Product
- Price
- Place
- Public Relations
- Positioning
1. PRODUCT
The successful event marketer is at first the consummate student
of his or her product. The product may be an educational program,
a county fair, or a full-fledged convention. It may be a reunion for
a fraternal organization or a corporate product launch. If you
are marketing the event, there are essential elements as shown in
Figure 1-4 that you must know and questions you must ask of the
event sponsor.- What Is the History of the Event?Many veteran marketers
will attract participation because they can sell the celebratory
essence of the event. “The 50th Annual Conference” proclaims the
success and venerability of an organization, as well as the pride
that goes with being part of it. But even if there is no history, there
is the opportunity to be historical. For example, “The 1st Annual
Conference” will have no history, but can be portrayed as an op-
portunity to get in on the ground floor of a “happening” that par-
ticipants can infer will be an ongoing event, turning into a tradi-
tion and developing long-term loyalty. The greatest part of event
marketing is the opportunity to create history, by attracting people
into a synergistic activity that can define the organization and its
goals.
A major association recently celebrated its 10th Annual Edu-
cational Conference. The event marketer positioned his promotion
with the theme “The Power of 10.” Te nmajor prizes were to be
awarded. The 10 top-ranking speakers from previous years were to
be invited back to present seminars and to be honored at a general
session.Te n lucky attendees would be presented with compli-
12 Chapter 1 Introduction to Event Marketing