language of the students and the teachers. Hands in the air were
good. Heads on the table were bad. After a few informal exit in-
terviews, I took my notes.
This was not rocket science, but it was an incredible asset
when selecting topics, teachers, and room sizes the following year,
making the adjustments mandated by my notes and marketing a
more memorable event next time. This was the observation/par-
ticipation technique at its most basic and most effective level.Conducting Case Studies
An evaluation of comparable events that have preceded your pro-
ject may provide unique insight into the marketing approach to an
event. Investigation should include only similar types of events or
products that have been produced by others and should delve into
the relative success or failure and reasons why for each. Inter-
views, whether personally or electronically conducted, may pro-
vide clues to the strengths and weaknesses of the enterprise, de-
termine whether or not it is competitive, and reveal those elements
that should be emulated or avoided.
Key to this approach is comparability. The project, event, or
product being examined must fit the mold of the one being con-
sidered so that the comparisons are valid. The researcher must be
sensitive not only to the current success of the event being re-
searched, but also to the historical data and trends in growth, com-
position, and participant demographics of that event. This will re-
veal the target markets and marketing techniques to be approached,
or perhaps even rejected.Summary
In this chapter, we have learned much from the pioneers of the
event industry and their approaches to marketing. Many of their
ideas are innovative even in today’s modern markets. They knew
the principles of the three Es and five Ps, and they knew what their
markets wanted—perhaps even before their markets knew it. They
took failed ideas in stride, exemplifying the old adage that “no op-26 Chapter 1 Introduction to Event Marketing