events

WHY YOU NEED SOCIAL ADS TO SELL OUT YOUR EVENT

David Gater is the founder and lead strategist of Brown + Blonde Social, a social-media-first ad agency for ticketing and events. With a background in creating branded content for over 15 years, David helps event companies across the world build digital ad campaigns that sell.

If you’re organizing an event, online exposure is critical to sell admission and get people through the door. Social media has quickly emerged as the single most crucial factor in online digital marketing campaigns, with Facebook and Instagram leading the way. While organic social media has been an important force over the years, the potential reach of organic campaigns is often much lower than people think. In order to make a real impact, it’s more important than ever to focus on the paid side of social media. 

Organic growth seems to be diminishing before our eyes, with Facebook recording 16 percent growth in 2012 and just 2.27 percent in 2015. Making waves on Instagram with organic marketing alone is also getting much harder due to multiple algorithm and structural changes. As the platform is tweaked to preference its commercial income, events relying on organic results alone are often left out in the cold. 

According to Gary Vaynerchuk, “Instagram’s organic reach is finished. So just as we figured it out, it’s over.”

Types of Paid Media Ads 

Organic and paid social media campaigns are often easily distinguished, but that doesn’t mean all paid ads are the same. Event organizers can benefit from multiple options across platforms, with each campaign strategy benefiting from an expansive and considered approach. Social platforms often appeal to very different demographics, so it’s important to choose a platform and ad type capable of meeting your target demographic. 

For example, while 37 percent of U.S. adults use Instagram on a regular basis, this number almost doubles to 67 percent in the 18-29 age group, and more than doubles to 75 percent in the 18-24 age group. In this demographic, Instagram is practically as popular as Facebook, which enjoys 76 percent coverage among the 18-24 age group and a much higher reach among all adults at 69 percent. 

Overall, there are 2.41 billion active monthly Facebook users, with Instagram hitting the 1 billion mark earlier this year. 

It’s not all about reach and age brackets, however, with different platforms also offering different ad types, customization options and pricing structures. 

Photo Ads 

Image-based ads are the cornerstone of both Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook, you can include 125 characters of text plus a headline and link description in addition to the image. Facebook also includes Boosted posts, which is adding spend behind an already highly engaged organic post, but doesn’t allow for additional customization. Instagram in feed photo ads look just like regular posts, only with the “Sponsored” text in the top right corner. 

Video Ads 

Video ads can be incredibly effective for events because they allow you to showcase past iterations of your event or highlight future assets and artists. Facebook video ads come in all shapes and sizes, from small snippets to huge 240-minute promotional videos. While video ads can be effective on Instagram, the image-based nature of the platform does lead itself to still images in some situations. 

Mixed Ads 

Both Facebook and Instagram include various options that mix and match images with video content. On Facebook, Slideshow ads create videos from several images, Carousel ads combine up to 10 photos or videos with separate links and Collection ads highlight various products directly in your Facebook feed beneath a cover image. Instagram also includes Carousel and Collection ads, with the carousel swiped through by the user and the collection allowing up to 90 characters of text, and multiple pieces of content which allow for authentic storytelling. 

Create stories and make memories 

When organizing an ad campaign for your event, it’s important to create stories for your audience in order to make memories and inspire action. While image and video-based ads can be highly effective, both Facebook and Instagram also include a Stories feature for a more immersive experience. Rather than being specifically selected, Facebook Stories are an option under Automatic Placements. Instagram Stories function in a similar way, with photos or videos up to 120 seconds long displayed between people’s organic stories. 

The trick here is to create highly native, authentic content that looks as if it’s a “friend,” as the consumer is viewing multiple stories rather than over-produced or repurposed content that seems “ad-like.”

Get Personal With Messenger 

In the age of social media, advertising is not all about reach, it’s also about creating conversations and building authentic relationships. Facebook Messenger continues to make waves as a promotional tool, especially for event organizers. With Messenger, you can interact with your audience in real-time, utilize chatbots and answer questions about the event. This allows you to reach out to people on a personal level without the negative associations of some advertising forms. 

People are 3.5 times more likely to open a Facebook message than a regular marketing email, with more conversations leading to greater community engagement and more ticket sales. 

Running a successful event requires a forward-thinking and multi-pronged approach. While organic social marketing and various other avenues can still be highly effective, the paid end of social media is fast becoming a major player. In order to create a real buzz around your event and get more people through the door, it’s important to add social media ads to your arsenal and integrate them carefully with your wider event ecosystem.

BEST DISPLAYS’ MOST SUCCESSFUL TRADE SHOW BOOTHS FROM 2019

Best Displays’ Most Successful Trade Show Booths From 2019

Another year has passed, and that means reflecting on the work we do.  Even with our decades working in the trade show industry, we’re still learning and growing with every new piece of design work we do.  New Year’s is the perfect time to pause and look back at our accomplishments and to see how we can do even better in the year to come!

So, like we did last year, let’s take a look at the three booths we think were most successful – both in terms of their own artistic design, but also in terms of meeting all of the clients’ needs.

The Three Most Successful Trade Show Booths We Created In 2019

I. Keyence

Keyence is a major scientific and automation supplier – so it seems appropriate that their booth would be a significant engineering challenge!

They wanted a trade show booth that would stand out and be visually distinct, with a strong lighting element to attract attention.  The difficulty was that the products they wanted to display were heavy. Every kiosk had to hold up monitors and scientific equipment, while still being easily moved around, and that called for custom counter work.  

They needed a design that could be easily re-arranged to fit different venues, that also included significant storage space – enough to house a small break room for the staff.  However, we pulled it off, and they loved how well our design allowed easy traffic flow through the demonstration areas.

II.  Synnapex

Synnapex – a local IT firm – presented a much different challenge.  They were on an extremely tight budget, yet still wanted a booth that would attract attention.  So, we couldn’t afford to have too many separate elements, and those elements had to pop.  Fortunately, we excel at stretching budgets as far as possible.

We focused on the backdrop, adding several acrylic hexagonal stand-offs, using attachment points from our versatile T3 framing to create a nice dimensionality and texture to the presentation.  We highlighted these acrylic hexagons with a nice blue backlight (matching the client’s colors) to make the backdrop truly pop.   

We met their requirements and more, with a display easy to install and dismantle that will provide a great ROI for a long time to come.

III. York Region Pavilion 

This was easily our most ambitious project of the year – a full regional pavilion featuring 11 companies, three innovation partners (two of which featured two companies of their own) and three local municipal partners.  Keeping everyone happy was a major concern!

Ultimately, we succeeded. Providing full turnkey services, from original design work, to setup and teardown.  We even found room for the sit-down retro Pong tables they wanted to include.  We think the design speaks for itself.

And their reaction?  That we “went above and beyond,” and the pavilion was an “outstanding success.”  We couldn’t be prouder.

CHOOSING YOUR NEXT TRADE SHOW RENTAL FROM BEST DISPLAYS & GRAPHICS

Choosing Your Next Trade Show Rental from Best Displays & Graphics

The trade show booth rental options at Best Displays & Graphics include an array of professional display technology and equipment that stands out in any trade show hall. Whether you want to temporarily add to your display inventory for a large event or you do not want to transport your regular booth equipment to a particular site, our rental and shipping services may be the perfect option for you.

Below we have described a few of our most popular rental offerings and how to implement them into your trade show booth.

TRADE SHOW BOOTH RENTAL OPTIONS FROM BEST DISPLAYS & GRAPHICS

FURNITURE

The Best Displays & Graphics rental furniture selection features a range of stylish options, allowing business owners to create a welcoming trade show booth that best represents their business. Rental furniture can transform a two-dimensional trade booth into an interactive space for prospective customers to engage with your employees and gain a full understanding of your products and services. For a sleek and trendy look, business owners can rent our white leather bar stools to pair with one of our Pop Up counters available in our rental catalogue.

POP UP DISPLAYS

Pop up displays and banner stands are great additions to any exhibitor’s display inventory, however, if you are attending a trade show that offers additional booth space, you may not have large enough display or accessories to adequately fill your booth. An inexpensive way to fill extra trade show booth space and increase advertising power at a large-scale event is to rent additional pop up displays from Best Displays & Graphics.

BLUEPRINT & FABFRAME DISPLAYS

The team at Best Displays & Graphics offers a unique approach to modular booth design with blueprint display technology. These displays can be easily customized with vinyl or fabric graphics to fit your company’s style and paired with numerous trade booth accessories. We offer a wide range of frames and display hardware for you to display your graphic designs in a way that suits your branding strategy.

CARPET AND FLOORING

The trade show booths that draw the most interest from passersby are often those that appear to be sectioned off from the rest of the venue and feature a variety of welcoming elements. One of the best ways to truly claim your space at a large-scale event is to incorporate carpet or flooring into your trade show booth. This creates a unique feel that makes a statement and shows prospective customers that you want to give them a full, interactive experience. Although the major addition to your trade show booth may seem intimidating, our installation and dismantling services will ensure that your booth appears polished and professional.

ONTARIO’S BEST TRADE SHOW RENTAL COMPANY

At Best Displays & Graphics, we strive to make your trade show experience as successful and stress-free as possible. Make a statement with your business at your next event by taking advantage of our diverse, affordable display options. Exhibitors can browse our excellent rental options in our online rental catalogue and contact us today to request a quote.

Trade Show Follow-Up Strategies

Trade Show Follow-Up Strategies

Trade shows are one of the best and thriving face-to-face marketing strategies. There is nothing that replaces meeting face-to-face. That’s why trade shows and events are still one of the strongest forms of marketing. Although an expensive way to market, the return on investment can be tremendous. As an exhibitor, you feel a sense of relief and accomplishment once you have a successful trade show. However, it’s important to understand that once the trade show is over, your work has only just begun. The power is in the trade show follow-up.

With your goals/objectives in mind, you should have a concrete way of determining success. Here are some tips for your trade show follow-up strategy.

Reach Out

Make it a priority to email & call booth visitors so that you can follow-up and provide them with what was promised. But by doing so, add leads and notes to your CRM and continue the conversation had on the show floor. The more detailed information that can be added about each lead into your CRM database will make your follow-up more effective and your sales team more successful.

Prioritize Leads

Hot, warm or cold. Typically, you will want to send a follow-up email within two days of the trade show. This is a best practice for trade show follow-up The earlier the better, as your lead will have a better chance of remembering who you are and the conversation had. The really ‘hot’ leads should receive a call as soon as possible from the sales team to chase the opportunity presented at the show. Warm leads should also be called after the email is sent.

Follow-Up Campaign

As you are creating your follow-up email campaign, keep in mind that your interactions should be relevant, personalized, consistent and provide quality content. It’s important to nurture your leads and not attempt to sell them right away. Keep your emails short, sweet and to the point.

a. Email 1: In this first trade show follow-up message, it’s important to thank them for visiting your booth. Send a photo or video of your booth to remind them of who you are.  Give them an offer or special price for a Thank You.

b. Email 2: This email should be scheduled one to two days after the first initial email was sent. In this email, a clear call-to-action can and should be included. Perhaps asking the visitor to complete a survey on their booth experience, downloading a white paper, watching a video about your company, signing up for a webinar, etc. It’s important not to try to hard sell anything yet. Doing so can be a big turn-off of any possibility of doing business with your company. Continue to simply provide relevant, quality content. Consider what type of challenges they may be facing and how your company can help them solve those challenges.

c. Email 3 and on: Continue to provide quality content with clear calls to action, such as visiting your website, scheduling a demo, download content, etc. This should be a weekly or monthly email sent to keep your company top of mind to them when the need arises for your product or service.

Sales Emails/Calls

In addition to the regular email newsletter they will now be receiving, it’s important to analyze their interactions and engagements with the emails you have sent thus far and begin to prioritize those leads that should be contacted by sales. Perhaps they have downloaded several of your white papers, or showed interest in scheduling a demo, it’s a prime-time for your sales team to begin building a relationship to attempt to gain their business. Any calls or emails at this stage should be hyper-personalized. This should not be part of an email campaign, but rather an actual, lively email or call.

Be Social

Connect with your leads on social media. Like, comment, follow and engage with their pages and posts. Do this immediately following the trade show and you increase your brand’s chance at being remembered.

Planning ahead and creating your trade show follow-up strategy in advance of the trade show will help make post-show follow-up a breeze. Take the above tips into consideration prior to your next trade show to be sure you’re equipped with a well thought out follow-up strategy for the best ROI possible.

3 Color Trends to Consider for Your Next Event

https://www.thetradeshownetwork.com/trade-show-blog/3-color-trends-to-consider-for-your-next-event

Looking for ways to keep your events fresh and vibrant? Styling with furniture and décor that follow the latest color trends of the year, such as berry hues, soothing greens and earth tones, are sure to take your event to the next level. To successfully leverage on-trend color schemes and styles, follow these three tips:

Add a Retro Flare with Earth Tones 

Try incorporating organic, natural shades for a throwback event ambiance. Mid-century and Danish modern seating that features soft velvet fabrics in rust orange or coffee-brown offer a comfortable spot for guests to relax in style. Throw in more texture with contrasting patterned and velvet accent pillows, and the end result is an updated twist on the ‘70s era that your attendees will recognize. 

Chill Out with Cool Pastels  

Green hues in all shades are trending neutrals when it comes to color. If you’re looking to create a Zen outdoor indoor or outdoor event space, you’ll want to incorporate comfortable furnishings in various shades from moss to sage to forest green into your design. Furnishings in green tones create a calming palette that pairs seamlessly with a wide range of warm tone colors – a great starting point for any indoor or outdoor event. Coordinate with accessories in metal and organic materials such as marble and granite for a contrasting look. 

Go Bold with Berry Hues 

Introduce berry hues into your event designs to make a vibrant statement. In 2019, daring and bright colors and patterns are on the rise in all elements of design, especially furniture. A cranberry red sofa or a purple chair or bench ottoman is sure to appeal to your guests and create a memorable first impression. Accessorize with white shag rugs and faux greenery such as palm trees or boxwood hedges to balance the look and lend sophistication. 

Whether you’re looking to experiment with daring colors or present a retro-inspired design, make your next event a unique experience with these fresh and exciting color trends.