EPMS

Event Promotion
In the world of marketing 'promotion' generally refers to a one-off event
that provides a stimulus for the public to buy a service or product. A special
event can be part of a more general promotion campaign of a company wanting to draw attention
to their product. The Absolut Vodka venue at the Opera House during the Sydney Festival was
an example of this. A local council may create a festival as a way of promoting their region.

As used by the event industry the word promotion has come the full circle. It uses all the
marketing techniques. As it is project based it has a definite life span.

The risks involved in one off or first time events mean that the event manager has to be acutely
aware of the tools of promotion. The audience does not have a reference point for the event other
than that created by the promotion. With repeat events and festivals the audience and suppliers
have at least an idea of the type of event, venue and scale. For special one off events, the
promotion is strongly linked to the reputation of the organising company, sponsors and other
stakeholders as well as the actual program or event content.

As with all areas of event management, event promotion must be dynamic and able to respond to
opportunities as they arise. Other areas of the event planning should also be able to respond to
the unforeseen products of promotion. As stressed throughout the EPMS - it is a system and the
parts are interconnected. A good bit of PR can result in a surge of interest in the event and the
event company needs to be able turn the response to the advantage of the event.

The promotion schedule is only a tool to assist the planning of the event - not the event's
master.

Tools of Promotion

These tools are:

 Advertising
 Public Relations
 Direct marketing
 Word of mouth
 Hospitality

Advertising

Advertising is the controlled method of communicating the message. The event manager can
manipulate the message.

It includes:
  Give-aways: leaflets, posters, brochures
 Radio: commercial, community, national
 Internet : web sites, radio
 Television: cable, free to air, satellite
 Press:newspapers, magazines
 Non media alternatives: outdoor advertising, street banners, aerial, innovative

It can be done by the event manager or, if the event and promotional campaign is too big, by an
appointed Advertising Agency.

Public Relations

Often it is part of the event manager's job to gain maximum exposure for the event. PR is
different from advertising in that it is not self praise but carries the strength of disinterested
credibility. It communicates a more complex message than advertising. It is free but the event
manager looses control over the result. It can be publicity can be positive or negative. To this end
it is important that the event manager maintains control over as much of the public relations as
possible. A thorough knowledge of the media's requirements and beneficial interaction with the
media personnel are sensible methods. Although PR is mostly proactive, it is important for an
event to have a reactive PR strategy as part of the event risk management. Who will make public
statements to the press when there is an emergency? The PR campaign is a plan to gain
maximum positive publicity for the event. For an entrepreneurial event it would include:

A. Data collection :

 preparing a media list of suitable targeted media

 preparing a contact list and club list such as politicians, interested people and opinion
leaders - often called media talent - who can be called on to make suitable comments or
actions which promote the event.

B. List ideas for continuous exposure such as interesting media ready stories, competitions,
public appearances, stunts, speeches, feeding the chooks.

When these lists are prepared, the ideas prioritised and the story angles determined , the
journalist, editor or producer is contacted to ascertain the exposure potential of the item. These
publicity items are then placed into an overall promotion schedule. The critical path is
ascertained to ensure continual and growing interest in the event. Milestones such as important
editorials at critical times can also be established. Specialist magazines and newsletters with their
highly targeted audience such as in-flight magazines, business magazines, trade publications and
association newsletters, need to be included in the lists. This process is shown graphically below
(figure 1).

Depending on the size and complexity of the event, the PR strategy can range from organising a
media launch and handing out a press kit to just sending a out a one page media release to
selected media. News releases can be staggered over the planning period to generate increased
interest in the event.
Tips on writing a news release

 Make sure it is released at the right time for it to be picked up by the media.
 Make it clear and concise with the main features at the very beginning of the release.
 Put who, what, when, why and where in it.
 Have all contact details in it and the date.
 Use liftable quotes.
 Pitch it at the correct level : who will write the story and who will read it.
 Identify any media talent associated with the event and give their contact details.
 Make sure all the spelling is correct – particularly sponsors and main participants.

The media launch is used by most large festivals, although it can be used by 'boutique' events
that target a specific audience. If the launch takes place in an interesting area, it can be used as an
opportunity to take photos and record interviews. Television requires special facilities such as
access, power and transmission links.

What is the Media Kit?

 Press release including the 5 Ws

 Press ready photos or video footage
 Event program
 Sponsor information
 Interview possibilities, times and contact details of any ‘stars’
 Press gifts such as complimentary tickets, invitations or smart hooks

Although PR involves the event's relation to the public, it is the relations that the event manager
develop with the media that can create interest in the event. It implies developing a rapport with
the media - finding out what they want and how best to supply it. Networking is possibly the best
way to develop this rapport.

If the manager does not have time or the inclination to do this then the event organisation should
consider hiring a PR company.

Direct Marketing

This is delivering the promotional message straight to the interested individual. The basis of
direct marketing is the establishment of a data bank and a strategy to best reach those
individuals. The mail out is the most common traditional method. The database can be created
from previous events through competitions, guest books, inquiries, point of sale information or
just by asking the participants if they would like to receive information on other similar events.

The effectiveness of direct marketing can be seen in the Port Fairy Festival in southern Victoria.
The Festival has an overall budget of half a million and only spends $6,000 on their promotion.
Each person who comes to the festival is given the first rights to buy a ticket. The tickets are sold
out five months before the festival begins.
Word of Mouth

Bill Hauritz of the Woodford Festival in Southern Queensland estimates their advertising budget
at less than $1000. The ticket sales generate over one million dollars. Their promotion strategy is
just word of mouth. An annual event, they have concentrated on the quality of their program and
site. This has built up a loyal following.

Hospitality

As part of the promotion tool kit, hospitality can be powerful. The special event or festival has to
promote itself to the sponsors. The diner for sponsors, for example, can be an inexpensive way to
promote the event. A tour of the site can be an effective way of promoting the event.

Web sites

The latest and increasingly popular method of promoting an event is to create a web site. The
advantage is that the site can also capture enquiries and be a point of sale for tickets. The current
movement towards virtual reality sites can give the potential attendee a view of the event. The
site can give real information, such as the program and map. Used in conjunction with a other
elements of the PR campaign , a web site can be used to distribute photos and press releases. It
transfers the some of the cost to the customer. More information on the use of web sites is found
on this web site.

The Promotion Schedule

Once the various elements of a promotions campaign have been considered they must be
prioritised. The priority of each element is determined by:

 Target market - its efficiency in reaching them

 Resources needed:
o Human- who is responsible for the task?, is specialist knowledge needed?
o Financial - how much will it cost and what are the opportunity costs?
o Equipment
 Timeline - deadlines and clashes

The lead time for each of the promotion elements needs to be established. Glossy magazines may
need at least 6 months lead-time for a story. There may also be the best time to release a story.
For example on a soft news day -Sunday.

Schedule

This is similar to any aspect of an event needing timelines and critical paths. Also there needs to
be buffer areas and contingency plans. What happens if the news doesn't pick up a story? What
happens if there is a more news worthy event?
As with all controllable elements of event management, the promotion campaign needs to
be targeted, integrated and thoroughly planned.

Figure 1: Planning a Promotion Campaign for an Event.

Note : It is just a smaller ( fractal) version of the overall Event Project Management System
(EPMS).