Creating a marketing plan for an event involves several key steps to ensure that the event is well-promoted and achieves its goals.   After all the time you spend on getting the stand design to look great, don’t forget that your marketing plan is just as important as ensuring you gain the visitors you need.

We’ve put together the ultimate guide for creating an event marketing plan, so you don’t miss anything out and planning for your exhibition remains a smooth, stress-free process.

Your step-by-step marketing plan guide for any event

  1. Define event goals and objectives

Before racing off to an event and assuming it’ll be a success. You need to know why you are there and what you want to achieve.

  • Identify the purpose: Clarify why the event is being held. Is it to increase brand awareness, generate leads, launch a product, or raise funds?
  • Set SMART goals: Ensure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, “Increase event attendance by 20% compared to last year.”
  1. Identify your target audience

Certain events will attract specific audiences, could you be in the right place but at the wrong time? Or maybe it’s the right time for a product launch or brand awareness campaign but you are heading to an event for an audience that isn’t relevant to you! With that in mind take into account the following:

  • Demographics: Age, gender, location, income, education level.
  • Psychographics: Interests, hobbies, values, lifestyle.
  • Behavioural factors: Purchase behaviour, event attendance history, brand loyalty.
  1. Conduct market research

It pays to know whether such events have worked in the past or not. This can be hard of course if you haven’t done it before. So, instead, look at your competition and garner information from your customers. This will help you frame your event into what it should be.

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  • Analyse competitors: Look at similar events and understand what works and what doesn’t.
  • Gather insights: Use surveys, focus groups, and social media polls to gather insights from your target audience.
  1. Develop your event branding

Factor your branding into your marketing plan as you’ll need to know how you want to look, sound and feel to those visiting you. You could stick with your brand colours which may already be memorable, but if the event is in a specific theme, you may want to consider combining the theme with your logo.

  • Create a theme: Choose a theme that resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand.
  • Design visual elements: Develop a logo, colour scheme, and other visual elements that will be used across all marketing materials. From exhibition display stands to flyers and from banners to hanging displays, think of the ways you can draw attention and make your brand the one that stands out.
  1. Craft Your messaging

You want your brand to be memorable and depending on how well established you are, you may already resonate with people and remain fixed in their minds. However, in an ever-evolving world, you may not always be able to rely on the same messaging. Especially if you are hosting the event rather than just attending. You don’t want to appear stale and repetitive!

  • Key messages: Develop clear and compelling messages that highlight the value and unique aspects of your event.
  • Tagline: Create a catchy tagline that encapsulates the event’s essence.
  1. Choose marketing channels

Within your marketing plan, consider which channels you will use to promote your exhibition before the event but also think about the brand and the attendees. In this digital world, social media holds a lot of power, but only use the channels you know you’ll gain engagement from. Spending a fortune of Facebook ads or crafting Facebook posts is fine but it can be a waste if the majority of your audience are found on other platforms. When using online channels, also consider the use of relevant hashtags, trending image and video styles and incorporating links to your own site within the posts.

  • Online channels: Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn), email marketing, website, blogs.
  • Offline channels: Print media, posters, flyers, radio, TV.
  • Partnerships: Collaborate with influencers, sponsors, and media partners.
  1. Develop a content plan

Content is king and that doesn’t just apply to the content on your site. Within your plan you should look to devise a content plan that outlines the types of content you will publish, where it will be published and how frequently. Leaning too much one way could see you miss out on great opportunities. Opt for balance and don’t forget the power of local and national media. A well-crafted press release could land you far more coverage than a social media post.

  • Content calendar: Schedule when and where each piece of content will be posted leading up to the event.
  • Content types: Blog posts, social media updates, videos, infographics, press releases.
  1. Budgeting

Within your event marketing plan, think about the cost for all aspects of what is to come. By allocating a trackable budget to each area that incurs a cost, you’ll have a clearer understanding of whether you are keeping things affordable. This also means that should you be significantly under budget in one area, you may be able to spend extra elsewhere should some areas be not going to plan. Making your exhibition budget go further is never a bad thing!

  • Estimate costs: Allocate funds for each marketing activity, including advertising, design, printing, and promotions.
  • Monitor the spend: Keep track of your expenses to ensure you stay within budget.
  1. Implement the plan

A smooth execution of all aspects of your plan should help deliver you results but don’t do it alone. Engaging with your audience is a free way to expand your marketing efforts! Word of mouth travels fast as they say and if you can spend time in person and online responding to people and assisting them, the brand reputation can grow rapidly.

  • Execute marketing tactics: Follow your content calendar and post regularly on all chosen channels.
  • Engage with your audience: Respond to comments, messages, and feedback promptly.
  1. Monitor and adjust

It is of course, all down to results. Measurement of them is essential to help you judge whether the event was a success or a failure. You can then learn to enhance it for next time. Factor how results will be recorded into your event marketing plan and what tools you will use to do this.

  • Track performance: Use analytics tools to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Key metrics might include website traffic, social media engagement, and registration numbers. You could look at attendees, leads generated, sales and so much more. Each piece of data helping craft what you do next.
  • Adjust strategies: Based on performance data, tweak your strategies to improve outcomes.
  1. Post-event activities

All marketing plans need a little look back on what you have achieved and what you could do better. This helps you refine your next event and perhaps make it much better!

  • Follow-Up: Send thank-you emails to attendees, sponsors, and partners.
  • Survey: Collect feedback from participants to understand what worked well and what could be improved.
  • Analyse results: Review your goals and assess whether they were met. Use this information to plan future events.

Example marketing plan outline

  1. Executive summary
  • Brief overview of the event and its objectives.
  1. Market research
  • Analysis of the market, target audience, and competitors.
  1. Marketing goals
  • Specific, measurable goals for the event promotion.
  1. Target audience
  • Detailed description of the ideal event attendees.
  1. Marketing strategies
  • Branding: Theme, logo, visual elements.
  • Messaging: Key messages and tagline.
  • Channels: Online and offline marketing channels.
  1. Content plan
  • Content calendar and types of content to be produced.
  1. Budget
  • Estimated costs for all marketing activities.
  1. Implementation timeline
  • Timeline of marketing activities leading up to the event.
  1. Measurement and evaluation
  • Key metrics and methods for tracking the success of the marketing efforts.
  1. Post-Event review
  • Plan for follow-up activities and analysis of event success.

By following these steps, you can create a comprehensive marketing plan that effectively promotes your event and helps you achieve your objectives.

Do you need an exhibition stand that will draw the crowds?  Speak to our team today about a free exhibition stand design to provide you with ideas to make the most of your brand.  At Starlight we offer sustainable exhibition stands that are modular and can be reused.  We also offer a full range of exhibition services to provide our clients with a stress-free experience.