SECRETS OF

MARKETINGEVENT

Whether this is your first time hosting an event or the

1000th time running the show, you’re likely aware that

events don’t promote themselves. To sell tickets you need

to, at the very least, let others know that the event is going

on. Word of mouth, physical & digital invitations, social

media, and advertising campaigns are all great ways to

spread the word.

INTRO

Jacques Perreault, Lead Event Marketing Consultant

CO-HOSTING 101For those of us who have attempted to put on events or

anticipate doing so, the time and effort to assemble all the pieces

together might appear unachievable. Those components

are typically finding the right venue, entertainment, food &

beverages, theme, and most importantly, guests. So, for one

person to coordinate everything can be overwhelming.

As the saying goes, the show must go on; but how can you

create an event that will generate a crowd, and become a great

outing as you might have pictured it unfold in your mind. At Coho

Events, we believe in expanding the “co-hosting” philosophy

in order to make it easier and more efficient to pull off events in

grand style.

CO-HOSTING 101So, what exactly is co-hosting? The definition is “a joint host”.

Airbnb has fabricated their own definition of a co-host,

which they unveiled on the Airbnb platform in 2016. They define

co-hosting as “A simple way to allow family members or trusted

friends to help with some of the hosting responsibilities from

their own account, without giving someone access to your

personal account, personal details, or payment information.”

Let that sink in and think about how that may influence

event management.

This is a powerful

concept which has been a major part of the event industry, but

not stressed enough. Even in the recent past we still see event planners still using a

primitive event management system (Excel files or sharing Google sheets), while leading

a host committee or event management team the old fashioned way. We are now seeing new

technology that has come into play to allow hosts, and co-hosts to improve

collaboration efforts to create a simple way to coordinate.

Many nonprofits have leaned on Facebook,

which has been extraordinarily helpful and has

been using the hosts and co-hosts concept

for a number of years on its platform to quickly

promote events. A host creates an event, adds

co-hosts, and everyone has the ability to invite

their friends and network. Therefore, an event

can spread quite rapidly through word of mouth,

but even faster through social media platforms

like Facebook. Recently, Facebook has limited

the number of co-hosts as well as the amount of

invitations you can send to friends, thus, making

it harder to promote events, unless you pay to

sponsor an ad.

If you consider LinkedIn’s platform and the role “connections” (1st, 2nd, 3rd) play, one person has the ability to connect

with or have content shared with many people outside one’s inner circle. If someone shares content on LinkedIn, their “1st

connections” will see it. They’ll be able to comment or share, then their “1st connections” and the original person who posted,

(it could be their “2nd, or 3rd, or maybe they have no connection”) can see and share as well. So, in that sense, good content

can have a ripple effect but not many people know how to harness this skill.

3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd

2nd

3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd

2nd

3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd

2nd

1st

Hosts should have a vague idea on how

to employ these promotional tactics,

but when is the appropriate time to take

action? Timelines will change as the big day

approaches, but it’s important to prepare

properly in order to maximize the awareness

and branding of your event. The information

potential party-goers sets expectations

about the upcoming event; it’s important to

have the proper strategic plan in order to

help patrons envision themselves having the

time of their lives at your get-down!

YOUR TEAM

TO HELP YOU THINK THROUGH CRAFTING YOUR EVENT’S TIMELINE, TAKE SOME CUES FROM THIS EXAMPLE

SAVE THE DATE

6-8 Months Out

OFFICIAL LAUNCH4-6 Months Out

Early Bird Tickets

EVENT REMINDER

3-4 Months Out Entertainment/Sponsors

SEE YOU SOON!1 Week Out

Reiterate Mission Statement

BUILD EXCITEMENT

1 Month Out Influencers/

Thought Leaders/Partners

FLASH SALE

2-3 Months Out If Needed

FINAL REMINDER

1 Day Out Check-in Process

Transportation Last Minute Changes

EXCITED TO SEE YOU!

Day of Event Reiterate Final Reminder

THANK YOU!

Day After Event Thank Your Guests

Get Ready for Next Year

Have your event page ready, or build an evolving landing page that you can make improvements to as more details come together

Choose appropriate social media platforms for your launch announcements

First impressions are crucial when getting the word out!

Create a blog post or article that can also be shared, and which clearly highlights the “WHY” of your gathering, and why you are passionate about this event – What’s your mission statement?

You must get partners and influencers on board – A MUST!

Leverage your partner’s existing networks – create an incentive that works for you and your partner/influencer

Get big names on board first – then go for in-kind and monetary sponsors who want to align with your event and your partners/influencers

SAVE THE DATE – email blast

Blast out to your current network

PRE-EVENT LAUNCH

Create tickets – Whether you go the physical or digital route, create incentives for people to purchase tickets early: early bird, packages, discounts to influencers, discounts to groups, etc.

This is an important time to plug and promote your entertainment, VIP partners, and influencers

Create a press release and use it to amplify your social media promotions

Push more content on your blog, using the event as a catalyst for awareness of your mission statement

Seek more partnerships and sponsors!

OFFICIAL LAUNCH – email

An email blast to your extended network, including your partners and influencers

Again, leverage your connections – grow organically and create a ripple effect

EVENT LAUNCH

Employ targeted ads from created content on appropriate channels like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.

To amplify visibility, have your event partners and sponsors promote the event on their most active channels

First impressions are crucial, promote the sponsors and partners who are involved with your event

Leverage thought leaders and other individuals who have credibility in your industry

Continue email marketing campaign to stay top of mind (and top of inbox) for potential guests

People become more and more aware of the event as the date gets closer

EVENT REMINDER, FLASH SALE, BUILD EXCITEMENT – emails

LEADING UP TO EVENT

1-3 MONTHS

Final email blast to networks – create “last chance” social media or blog post

Include an incentive to push attendee referrals or to have guests promote the event as well

Speak with your influencers and partners individually to make one last effort to sell out

Tickets

SEE YOU SOON, FINAL REMINDERS – Emails

LAST CALL1 WEEK TO 1 MONTH

t

EXCITED TO SEE YOU – email and social media posts

Create hashtag or engagement incentive to facilitate real-time picture, video, and general text social media posts from the event

Showtime!

DAY OF EVENT

THANK YOU – email, event recap blog post including media collected on-site, recap photo collections and posts via your various social media channels

On to the next one...

POST-EVENT

We all know that if you want to screw something in you need to use a screwdriver, right? Well... Do you need a phillips head or a flat head? Do you have one screw to screw in or are there 100. If you have 100 screws of varying sizes and shapes wouldn’t a drill with multiple attachments be a better choice. That’s what Coho Events is to the event world. No matter what an event throws at you, Coho has the right tool in it’s box, all in one place, to get the job done quickly, easily, and right the first time.

USE THE RIGHT

TOOL FOR THE JOB

OUR TEAM IS ALWAYS

WORKING ON NEW INNOVATIONS IN EVENT TECHNOLOGY

Event Page Builder

Ticket Sales

Email Marketing

Live and Silent Auction

Sponsorship Package Builder

Co-Host Management

Guest Check-in with Ticket Scanner App

OUR CURRENT SUITE INCLUDES

We can also build custom software and produce high-end custom media for your events.

These are some of the methods professional event

marketers will charge you thousands of dollars to implement.

Please reach out for a demo or more information on how an

event marketing email campaign can impact your next event at

jp@cohoevents.com.

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HELP GOOD PEOPLE DO GREAT THINGS