J. Michael BrowningAs a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience, I am thrilled we covered event marketing this month. Event marketing is one of my favorite areas because it allows companies to connect with their customers more personally and meaningfully. In addition, through face-to-face interactions, event marketing can help to build trust and strengthen customer relationships.
However, to ensure teaching event marketing is truly effective, it is essential for courses at the graduate level to focus on more than just the basics. In today's fast-paced and highly competitive business environment, event marketers must be well-versed in various skills and strategies to succeed. This includes not only the fundamentals of event planning and execution but also an understanding of data and analytics, technology, social media, influencer marketing, and other emerging trends and techniques.
Here are a few areas that I believe would benefit future students taking a course in event marketing and production:
Technology: As technology advances, event marketers can use it to engage and connect with their audiences. This might include using virtual and augmented reality and other cutting-edge technologies to create more immersive and interactive experiences for attendees.
Personalization: Event marketers will likely use data to create more personalized experiences for attendees. This might include tailored messaging and content, as well as customized recommendations and offers based on each individual's interests and preferences.
Experiential marketing: Experiential marketing, which involves creating immersive, hands-on experiences for attendees, is likely to become an increasingly important part of event marketing. This might include interactive displays, live demonstrations, and other engaging activities allowing attendees to experience a company's products or services directly.
Influencers: Influencer marketing, in which companies partner with social media influencers to promote their products or services, is likely to become an even more significant part of event marketing. This might include inviting influencers to attend events and create content and partnering with them to host their own events or activations.
Building community: In the future, event marketers will likely emphasize building a sense of community among attendees. This might include creating more networking and collaboration opportunities and providing attendees with tools and resources to connect with one another before, during, and after the event.
Social media: Social media is likely to play an even more significant role in event marketing in the future, as companies use it to promote their events and engage with attendees in real-time. This might include using social media to live-stream events, share updates and highlights, and provide attendees with a virtual platform for connecting with one another.
Interactive and immersive experiences: As consumers become more accustomed to technology and expect more from their experiences, event marketers will likely focus on creating more interactive and immersive experiences for attendees. This might include using virtual and augmented reality and other cutting-edge technologies to create engaging and memorable experiences that are both informative and entertaining.
Data and analytics: As event marketers collect more data about their audiences and behaviors, they will likely use it to improve their events and create more personalized experiences for attendees.
As marketing and public relations professionals, we must not settle for current trends but push against the status quo. The creative world is constantly changing, and we must be forward-thinking and innovative to stay ahead of the curve. By anticipating and embracing new technologies, trends, and customer expectations, we can help our clients to remain competitive and relevant. This requires a willingness to experiment, take risks, and challenge everything to create new and exciting opportunities for growth and success.