Planning the Perfect Brand/Marketing Event

Feature Image: Oxygen Event Services

As a brand, building relationships takes time, innovation, and commitment — oh, and a few great parties to celebrate your achievements. 

In a cultural climate brimming with unique marketing experiences and events, making a significant impact on your event’s attendees is harder than ever before. Rather than the tried and tested methods of promotion, marketing, and networking, brands must apply all of their creative willpower to designing and pulling-off an event that will truly go down in history, and be remembered long after the final taxi has pulled away. 

Check out our guide to creating a unique experience for your attendees, sourcing the right event suppliers, and giving your brand the recognition it deserves. 

Begin with a Clear Objective

Of course, your brand or product launch should lie at the centre of your theme; consider the lasting impression you wish to leave on your guests, and weave that into each detail. If the production does not harmonise with the objective, then your attendees will be left confused or unaffected by 

All creative decisions must be countered by logic. Before confirming any plans, ensure that you also have a clear (and realistic) budget, and that each detail — from the venue and production to music and drinks — is made with both your creative and financial objectives in mind. 

Join Forces with a Party Stylist

More than mere spectators, your attendees should feel as though they were an integral part of an important moment in your brand’s history. A genuine experience will leave a lasting impact, and alter your attendee’s perception of your brand to hold personal meaning, familiarity, and loyalty.

Event marketing is one of the most valuable tools of the trade, but creating an unforgettable experience is nowhere near as simple as it may once have been. These days, the race to make an unprecedented impact on the public is continuously gaining momentum, and in the world of brand and marketing events, everything just keeps getting bigger, better, and increasingly unexpected. 

Fortuitously, event planners exist at the center of it all, and a collaboration will enable you to break new ground with your brand. From the practicalities of budgeting, organisation event suppliers and scheduling, to blazing new trails with set design, production, and launch party ideas, they will understand how to bring about a celebration for your brand that continues long after the final glass of champagne has been poured.

Event Venues

From Southbank’s stylish heights to exclusive subterranean vaults, the right venue will be one that speaks to your event’s objective. 

A remarkable experience is the total sum of its parts, and one of your primary aims should be to secure a venue capable of making a strong impact on your attendees before they have even set foot in the door.

Marketing event venues needn’t be the same outmoded selection of conference spaces and ‘blank canvas’ rooms. Consider landmark locations, from renowned museums and clubs to historic monuments. Alternatively, make your attendees feel part of an exclusive group within a more isolated space; urban warehouses, rooftops, and underground venues hold a chic, sequestered air perfect for generating excitement.

Step outside of the usual corporate box, and invite your guests to view the world from a new perspective as they discover more about your brand. 

If you are hosting within your own store, then talk to your party stylist about enhancing it with décor, fresh designs from your florist, and lighting to change the vibe from ‘everyday’ to ‘once in a lifetime’. 

Work with a High Quality Production Company

• Lighting
  Professional lighting holds inimitable power over the ambience of a space. Whether it plays with the architecture to evoke a particular atmosphere, or is designed to generate a sense of theatrical wonder, expertly crafted lighting solutions are capable of transforming a space into an impactful and immersive environment. Personalise the the space by projecting your corporate logo onto the walls, ceiling, or floor.
• Sound
  Live performances are infinitely more impactful than a pre-recorded soundtrack, but they can be let down by poorly designed or insufficient technical equipment. Speaking with your sound technician ahead of time, and giving them an opportunity to investigate the space and design an ideal set-up for your event will spell the difference between an amateur performance and a polished, professional production. 

Consider your event objective, and the feelings you wish to instill in your attendees, and have your production company draw up a bespoke design for your venue. 

Be Creative with your Food and Drink

• The Bar
  Hiring a pop-up bar will allow you to tailor your drinks menu to the event. Create a signature cocktail to represent your brand, or choose a selection of champagnes and spirits to keep your attendees in good spirits. 
• The Catering
  As with your drinks, work with your caterers to create a unique selection of canapes and miniature desserts to be served throughout the event. Find creative ways of infusing your brand’s identity into the menu; for instance, if sustainability and environmental awareness lies at the heart of your philosophy, focus on using organic, locally sourced and seasonal produce to showcase your commitment.  

Make it Personal

Collaborating with your event suppliers on creating a few bespoke elements will guarantee that your event makes a genuine impact on your attendees. Make it loud, proud and memorable with unique decor and entertainment that celebrates your brand’s successes on your behalf. 

Decor

Collaborate with your event suppliers and create bespoke props and decor that reflect your brand. This event is a celebration of your distinct identity, and integrating that singularity within the props, furnishings, lighting, and centrepieces will allow your guests to share in your passion. 

Design a press board with your branding, and make sure that it is the first place guests reach when they arrive at your venue; depending on your budget, this can be a Step and Repeat with your branding, a flower wall, or a hedge – just as long your branding takes pride of place.

GIF and Photo Booth

Guests gravitate towards interactive experiences. Make exposure a part of the entertainment with a custom photo booth that celebrates the unique identity of your brand, and finds its way onto the socials organically. Set aside plenty of space, or ask your event suppliers to create a ‘photo room’ for guests to visit in groups and generate GIFs and photos with your brand at the centre. 

Live Event Artist

This is a very popular option for events. Hire a live artist to create unique portraits of your guests on paper featuring your branding. Not only is it a fantastic source of entertainment, but it leaves guests with a great souvenir to take home with them at the end of the night.

Projection Mapping

Say it loud and proud with a unique digital performance illuminating the very face of your venue. Collaborate with talented digital artists to create a four-dimensional exhibition for your brand, and create a temporary, awe-inspiring landmark with colour, light, and video.  

Goodie Bags

Send your guests home with a fitting ‘Thank You’ for their support. Gift them with a few of your products to take home and enjoy, or include a selection of treats that feature your branding. 

A Final Tip from HOPP

Planning an event for your brand is an opportunity to make a lasting impression on the lives of your guests, and to And no detail should be overlooked. Take time to ensure that every canape and cocktail is instagrammable, that every photo opportunity exhibits your branding, and that — at every opportunity — you are pulling all the stops to wow your guests.