The real challenge in organizing an event is in the days before it happens. Every event manager knows how promoting an upcoming event takes as much effort as the event itself. Conference marketing planning means having the right approach and strategies to spread the word about the event successfully. The team has to reach the right audiences, spark interest, and ensure sales. It can be tricky, but an event planning checklist of promotion and marketing activities is the key.
Conference Planning & Promotion Timeline
Conferences require much planning, so organizers must have a timeline that covers every detail right down to the last minute. Here are the marketing activities an event manager should include in the event timeline:
Pre Event Promotion
- Email Campaigns. Reach audiences with event announcements through emails.
- Blog Posts. Publish related information on event blogs and websites.
- Social Media Advertising. Leverage social media channels to increase event visibility.
- Co-Marketing with Sponsors. Develop joint event campaigns with event sponsors.
- Print Materials. Create event promotions to distribute at physical locations.
- Partnerships. Connect with influencers and partners for additional event exposure.
Engage Attendees During the Event
- Live Interactions. Hold live streaming and other real-time activities with audiences.
- Social Media Updates. Post event updates on event social media accounts.
- Email Campaigns. Send event updates and relevant information to event audiences.
- Real-Time Surveys. Manage surveys and ask event attendees about their experiences.
- Event App Interactions. Hold real-time tracking and answer event questions through event apps.
- Interviews. Capture event highlights and guest interviews for event updates.
- Videos and Photos. Capture event visuals for event updates.
Post Event Communication
- Thank You Emails. Send event attendees thank you emails for their participation.
- Event Visuals Management. Collect event visuals and photos for event updates.
- Wrap-Up Materials. Develop event wrap-up materials for event reporting, website, and event blog.
- Surveys. Collect event feedback through event surveys.
Conference Promotion Checklist
A checklist will help event organizers keep track of the necessary event marketing activities to complete before, during, and after the event. We have listed 20 items event planners should consider for event promotion and marketing, starting with:
Event Brief
The event marketing planning starts with an event brief. When an organizer knows the event objectives and details, it will be easier to develop event marketing strategies. The event agenda will dictate what event marketing activities a team should prioritize.
Event Timeline
After finalizing the event brief, event planners must create a timeline with event marketing activities. This timeline will serve as the event manager’s guide to event planning promotion and ensure all event activities are completed on time. The event timeline should include all activities that will also impact the promotion. Complete local government requirements, finalize schedules and locations, secure budget, and establish sponsorships.
Marketing Plan
Event planners won’t be able to determine event marketing strategies and communication channels without a marketing plan. The event marketing plan must include event objectives, target audiences, objectives, goals, budget, messaging, visuals, and branding. Build a strategy for event promotion and leverage event marketing assets.
Form Building Tools
Once an event manager has the event brief and timeline, the event promotion development should start. To collect event registration information, create event forms such as event registration and ticket purchasing. These tools will help event organizers manage event registration data and make event promotion easier.
Communication Tools
Besides event forms, event organizers should use communication tools for event marketing. Keep event staff informed about event updates and tasks by having a platform for event communication. Should there be guest speakers or volunteers, event organizers can use the communication tool to keep everyone on the same page
Task Management
Tools Use task management tools to assign tasks and keep everyone accountable for event promotion. These tools allow event managers to track event progress and ensure event promotion goals are achieved.
Data Analytics Tools
Analyze event promotion data to understand event attendee behavior and measure event success. Use event analytics tools to track event registrations and ticket sales, website visits, email opens and clicks, app downloads, and other event activities.
Marketing Automation Tools
Another vital tool for event marketing planning is event automation. It’s crucial for collecting event attendee data and sending event emails, notifications, reminders, and updates. Automation tools make promotion tasks easier and event management more efficient.
Email Marketing Tools
Email marketing is an event manager’s best friend. Use an email tool to send event newsletters, promotional emails, event updates, and post-event follow-ups. Segmentation and personalization are essential when creating event emails to ensure event messages reach the right people.
Touchpoint Map
To make event promotion more effective, event planners must identify the event’s touchpoints. A touchpoint map will show event managers where attendees have encountered event content and how event attendees move through event marketing channels.
Promotional Materials
Having event promotional materials will help event organizers spread the word and reach event objectives. Create event flyers, banners, posters, postcards, brochures, websites, apps, registration pages, and other event marketing materials. Speaker profiles and event scheduling and programs can also help event promotion. Use various marketing channels to distribute event promotional materials.
Website
Create a website for event promotion. Event planners must ensure the event website is optimized for mobile and desktop devices and has event visuals, information, registration, ticketing, sponsors, and FAQs. A website for an event will make event promotion easier and registration more efficient. Potential attendees will have one place to get the event information they need.
Social Media Platforms
Promote event updates on social media platforms to reach event attendees. Develop event hashtags to create event conversations and build event communities. Some of the most influential event promotion channels are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Event planners should advertise event updates and information wherever the target audience is.
Social Listening Tools
Monitor event conversations, mentions, and feedback on event social media channels. Use event listening tools to measure event engagement on social media platforms.
While there’s a dedicated event marketing planning team, other departments must also work on realizing other event goals. Loop in the permits and licenses required for event operations and regulations, contractors, risk management, security plan, waste and traffic management, and site preparation and plans.
Conferences may also need to prepare for essential services, food vendors, volunteers and staff, scripts and run sheets, and awards and certificates. When everything is ready, the event marketing planning team can prepare for marketing activities during the event.
Live Streaming Tools
Live streaming event programs and activities can help event organizers generate interest and increase event engagement. Use event streaming tools to capture event moments in real-time.
Real-Time Posting and Tracking
Social media event promotion during an event should be a priority. Post event updates in real-time. Use social media event monitoring tools to track event reach, hashtag performance, sentiment analysis, and more. Monitoring conversations on social media platforms can also increase event engagement.
Photos and Videos
Take event photos and videos to capture event moments. Event organizers can post content on websites, blogs, and social media accounts.
Marketing continues after event promotion. After the event, event planners must analyze event data and measure event success. Here are the last three things to include in the event planning checklist:
Thank You Letters and Presentations
Send event thank you letters to event attendees and sponsors. Present event data and insights to stakeholders, partners, sponsors, and attendees. This activity is still part of event marketing, as event organizers still connect with audiences and staff.
Post-Event Surveys
Organizers can send event post-event surveys to event attendees and sponsors. This activity will help event planners measure event success, track event performance, and get event feedback. Should there be future conferences, event planners can review event survey results to improve event planning.
Evaluation
Lastly, event organizers must evaluate event results. Compare event objectives to event performance and outcomes. Evaluate event data, feedback, insights, and budgeting to measure event success.
Benefits of Having a Marketing & Promotion Checklist
It’s not micro-managing. Event planners simply need to be organized and prepared. Some may think an event planning checklist only adds to the event planning process but it’s actually the most beneficial event planning tool.
A comprehensive event marketing and promotion checklist ensures event organizers have everything they need to market an event successfully. Moreover, it benefits not only the organizers but also the staff, sponsors, and attendees. What are the advantages of building and having an event planning checklist?
Reduces Task Overload
Event planners can break event marketing tasks into smaller chunks. A checklist helps event planners manage event task overload, ensuring nothing is missed in event planning. Moreover, managers can eliminate unnecessary event tasks, and event personnel can focus on integral goals.
Saves Time and Resources
With a checklist, event organizers can quickly identify tasks, assign responsibilities, and reduce event planning time. It also helps in monitoring event resources, which event organizers may need to set aside for event preparation.
Helps With Budgeting
An event checklist helps organizers manage event expenses, materials, and supplies. It allows event planners to stick to event budgets and review expenses accordingly. It can be easy to forget the budget when things start to pick up, but the checklist can help event planners stay on track.
Simplifies the Processes
A checklist simplifies event processes and event marketing activities. Event planners can use templates, tools, and software to help them manage event planning tasks. And because processes are easier to follow, event planners and staff can prevent mistakes.
Guarantees a Stress-Free Conference
Stress levels reduce as event planners don’t forget event tasks. Remember, missing a detail can lead to misunderstandings, miscommunication, and failure. An event checklist makes event planners more efficient and organized, allowing for event success.
Ensures Event Success
The event checklist helps event organizers achieve event objectives on time. All event activities are adequately monitored, tracked, and reported on — allowing event organizers to check event completion and success.
Guides Pre-Event, During-Event, and Post-Event Activities
An event planning checklist guides all parts of event marketing and success. Event planners can easily follow the event schedule and ensure event objectives are met for pre-event, during-event, and post-event activities.
Event organizers will have a plan to follow, and event staff can stay on track. The event marketing checklist allows event planners to review event progress, budgeting, timing, tasks, and outcomes. Outlining tasks makes event planning easier and more organized!
Keep Your Conference Checklists and Plans Organized with Attendee Interactive
You may plan the most organized and exciting conference, but without people hearing about it, event success will remain unlikely. Event marketing is a massive part of event planning. It goes hand-in-hand with event planning, resources, budgeting, and overall success!
Attendee Interactive empowers event planners with technologies and solutions that make event planning, marketing, and execution smooth and stress-free. Event organizers can trust our comprehensive platform, robust capabilities, thoughtful configuration, and dependable support. When you partner with us, we guarantee you stay on top of event planning and marketing tasks.
