How to Make a Branded Event Feel Personal

Every brand wants to connect with its fans and potential customers. Wendy’s has mastered the snarky Twitter repartee by replying and connecting directly with fans. Dove focused its campaign around real women by speaking more honestly and authentically about beauty and the industry.  How do you change your branded event from another cookie-cutter pop-up or trade show booth stand among a sea of booths into something more personalized and connected?

Whether you’re running a large conference, have a single booth, or are touring a branded product launch, answer these three questions to help make the experience more personal, more memorable, and more successful: Who, where, and why.

Who?

Everyone attempts to determine their targeted demographic, but you can, and should, go further. Be very specific. This isn’t just about to whom this should be marketed, e.g. new mothers from age 22-to-30 or outdoor enthusiasts with higher incomes. It’s about what’s meaningful and personal to a young mother. Instead of offering generic candy in your booth, offer healthy energy bars you know a mother would need during a hectic day juggling work and kids. A handy massage chair would offer welcome relief, give her time to chat more about your booth’s offerings, or even read over some of your material. She might really fall head over heels for you. 

Where?

Where is this event taking place? From the area and city, to the physical location of the event itself, all offer personalization opportunities. Use  locally-sourced food or beverages to impress and make your guests feel you understand their community. Is there regional slang you could incorporate into your materials in a fun and personal way? Learn some history of the surrounding area or the building in which your event is taking place and include those trivia points into your design or collateral. Perhaps a local sports hero could swing by and greet some fans. That could knock your event out of the park, as they say.

Why?

This time the question focuses on you. Why should your event attendees care about you? You need to differentiate yourself and make things more personal. They want to feel you understand them on a human level. Share your reasons for being there to help create connections. If you don’t have time for one-on-ones with everyone, create a takeaway for the guests to help them immerse them in your brand or product. If you are sharing information about your new canine chew toy, create a brochure which appears to have been the victim of a chew toy-less dog. This speaks directly and personally to the attendee and their pain of being a dog lover, with damaged personal items and nowhere to turn. They’ll be howling for more.

Mastering the who, where, and why of your event will help you make real connections that leave lasting impressions. Start asking your team these questions now to get a jump on your event planning.

About the Author

Amy is the Global Digital Content Marketing Editor at GES. With a strong background in content marketing, social media, and communications, she is a passionate writer and self-confessed word geek. She is also the founder of a non-profit and a health and wellness online community.

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