How To Create Memorable Event Branding
What is Event Branding?
Event branding is a about developing the face and personality of an event. From the name and colors to the messaging and symbols used, event branding creates a unique identity for your event.
The goal of event branding is twofold: Not only do you want your event to stand out amongst the crowd, but you also want those who attend to remember that your brand is the one making it all happen.
Additionally, event branding doesn’t only apply to events being held in-person. You can use the same strategies to advertise for virtual events, which have exponentially increased in popularity since early 2020.
All in all, event branding provides a face and personality for the event itself as well as your company.
Why Event Branding Is Important
When you’re holding an event, branding is the main way to tailor your audience’s expectations. Are you holding a fun, family-friendly celebration outside in the sunshine, or are you planning something more serious like a lecture or art showing?
Your branding can help communicate the tone of the event without ever using a word.
Event branding can also help you spread the word about your business and its core mission. Any event you hold should tie back to your brand’s mission in some way, whether you’re trying to promote inclusion, raise awareness for a cause, or celebrate an accomplishment.
An effective event (and its branding campaign) will not only connect with audiences, but it will also solidify the main goals behind your brand itself.
One of the most crucial aspects of event branding is coherency. We’ll discuss this concept more deeply in a bit, but keeping your branding elements consistent throughout your campaign is vital.
You’ll not only be advertising your event more effectively, but you’ll also keep your brand and its mission front of mind for everyone who sees your campaign.
The Key Elements of Event Branding
To pull off an effective event branding campaign, there are several key elements to consider.
First, you’ll want to think about the visual elements related to your campaign. The event’s name, logo, colors, typography, graphics, slogan, and fonts will all be representative of the event as well as your overall brand. Using these elements in conjunction will help create a more cohesive identity that your audience will relate to and, more importantly, remember.
Although elements like color may seem unimportant, they play a big role in developing a memorable brand. In fact, using a signature color increased brand recognition by 80% (Reboot, 2018). Every part of your messaging and design influences customer impression and decision.
Another important element of your event is its website. Your audience will likely head straight to your event website to get all the most important information about the day, so it’s vital that your website is aesthetically pleasing, easy to navigate, and informative. Additionally, web design influences how customers perceive and remember your brand. First Impressions matter, the better your website design the higher perceived quality you demonstrate to customers.
Your brand’s social media channels will also play an important role in event branding. More than ever, people are finding out about events on social media. In fact, over 80% of concert goers reported learning about live events on social media. Developing a strong brand presence on your social media helps event goers find, learn about, and attend your events.
This also enables you to turn your social media into a sales funnel. As your presence grows on social media, you build trust and authenticity with current and future audiences. Eventually, if you choose to run social ads, your built up presence will make those campaigns more effective, as new visitors will be able to trust your offering.
When the big day comes, you’ll want to have some physical elements that keep your brand story going. A few important brand elements in this case would include signage, maps of the venue, food and drink stops, photo booths, and more. Each of these elements should be consistent with the branding you’ve already been putting forth, so your audience never forgets what event they’re attending or who’s putting it on.
5 Event Branding Tips for Your Next Event
There’s no doubt that it takes a lot of time and energy to pull off an event. But by integrating a few of these tips, you can ensure your efforts aren’t going to waste. Your audience is more likely to remember the event (and your company) in a positive light, helping you spread the word about your company and stand out from the competition.
1) Brainstorm Unique Touches
There’s a good chance that, whatever type of event you’re planning to hold, someone else has already gone down the same path. To set your event apart from the rest, brainstorm some unique elements that your audience is sure to remember.
When you attend a 5K, for instance, you’re probably given a branded T-shirt and perhaps some other branded swag. These gifts serve both as “thank you” presents as well as reminders to look out for the event next year.
Swag bags are great for enhancing the audience experience; try to think of cost-effective yet useful elements to add, like a water bottle, fan, or notebook. Scavenger hunts, event passports, or trivia games could be other fun ways to thank your audience and start subtly promoting next year’s event.
2) Consider Video Marketing
Video marketing is seemingly becoming more important every day, especially when tailored toward mobile devices. You can use the power of video marketing to encourage audiences to get excited about your event.
Create a short teaser video before or shortly after your event is announced, giving your audience a taste of what to expect. You might also consider filming quick “behind the scenes” videos to show your audience how you’re preparing for the big day.
Video marketing can even come in handy on the day of the event. Go live on social media or film a quick video with a keynote speaker to keep your digital audience involved. Then, when the event is done, those videos will still be around for your audience to enjoy and to reminisce on the great time they had.
3) Create One-of-a-Kind Graphics
Visual elements are far more memorable than a wall of text, so use them to your advantage. Putting together a schedule of events or a series of pictures of your keynote speakers can be incredibly effective in promoting your event.
Of course, when you create these graphics, be sure to include the same color scheme and typography that you’ve been using for other branding elements. Feel free to use stock images, but make sure they’re high-quality and in line with the overall tone of the event.
4) Go Digital (Even if You’re In Person)
Sometimes, brands holding events will skip the digital elements for fear of losing the audience’s attention. But in truth, integrating digital elements into your in-person event can be a great way to add a unique flair and keep your audience engaged.
You may consider creating an event app that contains important information like a map of the venue, a list of vendors, or an event schedule. That way, you’re not only saving paper on a physical handout, but you’re providing your audience with all the information they need, right at their fingertips.
QR codes may also be effective. Consider asking vendors to create QR codes to post at their booths, allowing audiences to directly connect to their websites. Or, you could create codes for your own brand to post around the event. These codes could then lead audiences to additional information or hidden “fun facts” about the topic at hand.
5) Stay Consistent
We’ve talked about consistency a lot, but it’s worth repeating. To ensure your event sticks with your audience long after the proverbial curtain has closed, consistent branding is a must. When your messaging and advertisements stay consistent, you’ll solidify your brand and your event in the minds of your audience.
Every element of your branding campaign, from the social media posts leading up to the big day to the notebooks and pens you’ll hand out on the day of, should be consistent. That’s why it’s critical to choose a tone and look early on in your planning period. Once you’ve settled on something, stick with it.
Final Thoughts
Your event branding will permeate every element of your big day, so take the time to do it right. Being intentional and consistent in your efforts will pay off tenfold, both in terms of audience experience and success for your company. With a lot of planning and a little bit of luck, you can put together an event that sticks in the minds of attendees for years to come and, hopefully, leads to many more successful events in the future.
