Ten years ago, this phrase meant jotting down a date in your calendar and meeting up at a local Starbucks to discuss potential business opportunities and ideas. Today, this phrase has become synonymous with a new way of networking. As we become a more tech savvy generation, the growing popularity of social networking rises right along with it, presenting a hosts of benefits for organizations across every industry, especially in events and hospitality. Today, there are numerous opportunities to incorporate social media into your next event, adding value to your planning process from start to finish.
Primarily focusing on marketing and communications, the three top social media networks – Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn – have built a great platform for distributing and sharing event information. While you may have already identified these as great concepts for event marketing and driving attendance, let’s identify several other ways that social media can aid in creating and planning a successful event.
Don’t neglect to utilize social media in the pre-planning stages of your event. Survey links sent via Facebook or Twitter can prove valuable, offering you the opportunity to poll your attendees on potential locations, themes and entertainment. Guests feel connected from day one and it results in increased attendance. Additionally, sites such as Pinterest allow you to connect with other planners and vendors, gathering information on the latest décor and culinary trends.
Benefits have been identified with registration as well. Social media can be used to provide guests with initial details of your event in a “Save the Date”, to broadcast when your event registration goes live or to keep guests updated with other major details and reminders along the way.
Creating your event brand is as simple as an event hashtag that can be used in the marketing of your event. Developing a hashtag allows guests to easily follow the action from the pre-planning to the event execution. They can help tease the event by sharing photos, flyers and more. This buzz generates excitement that could potentially result in a trending topic allowing you to communicate with guests beyond your target market. #BestEventEver
On the event day, you can have a dedicated resource to serve “live on location” so that folks who aren’t present still feel part of your experience. Whether they are tweeting soundbites from the speaker or posting celebrities who are present, any fun, differentiating update is always appreciated. Décor companies are offering more creative décor elements, such as Twitter walls, that can be designed to boost engagement by encouraging guests to use social media during your event. Event organizers are finding the residual benefits of event social media garner attention for both the company and future events. Social media should also be incorporated into your debrief and future planning strategies. These avenues can provide a great way to gather feedback from attendees and participants, not to mention a speedy and cost effective way to thank the wonderful team (sponsors, vendors, etc.) who helped make the event a success by acknowledging them in an open forum. This is what you call “being a good partner.”
The magic of social media continues to make its mark on the event planning industry, so when planning your next event, let’s get connected. For more information on how to incorporate these techniques and more into your next event, follow us on Twitter @PlanIt7 or Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/7PointePlanning.
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