What is event marketing and why does it work better than a campaign?

An event can fulfil three communicative roles. Effective event marketing starts with knowing which role you want to play.

Role 1: Activation. The event gets people moving. A kick-off that sends staff into the new year with energy and direction. A client event that wakes up dormant relationships. A campaign launch that activates a commercial team to start selling a new product. Activation is the most direct role: after the event, something shifts in behaviour or attitude.

Role 2: Connection. The event strengthens the bond between people, and between people and the organisation. The bond with the brand grows tighter too. Connection is harder to measure directly than activation, but has a longer afterlife. A good client event changes the tone of every conversation that follows.

Role 3: Positioning. The event communicates who you are. What you show counts for more than what you say. An organisation that invites its clients to a dull drinks reception in an anonymous hotel communicates something about itself, whether it means to or not. So does an organisation that hosts a remarkable evening aligned with its values. Live communications is always a brand expression — even when you don't consciously plan it.

The most powerful event marketing audience is the audience most companies take least seriously: their own staff.

Internal live communications has a higher return than almost any other internal channel. A well-directed kick-off achieves in a single day what a year of newsletters can't: a sense of direction, energy and community.

What makes internal event marketing effective? We'd name three things. Anchor it to one clear central message. The set-up has to fit that: a strategic message calls for a different programme than a celebration moment. On top of that, treat the day as a communications moment, not as an ‘HR activity’.

Organisations that treat their events as a by-product of the annual cycle miss the power of live communications. Think of the kick-off that always runs the same way, or the staff party that ‘just has to happen’. Organisations that deploy their events as a deliberate strategic communications moment notice the difference straight away — in engagement and in performance.

Also read: how to organise a kick-off that activates your team → and how to build effective staff communications →

External event marketing uses the event to deepen client relationships. It reaches new audiences and positions the brand in the market.

The strongest form of external event marketing is the client event. Not the generic relations day everyone has to show up to, but a remarkable experience that fits the guest's world. An event that people don't experience as 'work' but as a gift. That's event marketing at its best. The client leaves the day feeling better about your organisation than when they arrived.

Product launches are a second powerful form. A well-directed launch does more than show a product: it creates a moment. A story. An experience that journalists, partners and clients pass on to their network. A launch that gets remembered has organic reach no advertising budget can buy.

Then there's the trade fair or your own conference: the event as a platform for authority. Organisations that host their own events around themes relevant to their clients build authority. They become the place people turn to when they want to know something. That's the slowest but strongest form of event marketing.

Also read: how to organise a client event that really makes an impact → and the complete guide to a product launch →

Measuring event marketing is harder than measuring a digital campaign. No click-through rate, no conversion per euro. But that doesn't mean it can't be measured.

There are three levels at which you can measure the return of event marketing.

Level 1: Direct results. How many people showed up? On top of that, count the Net Promoter Score afterwards and the number of direct contacts that came out of the event. These are hard numbers you can collect immediately after the event.

Level 2: Behaviour change. Have staff become more active after the kick-off? On top of that, you'll see rising engagement and deepened client relationships leading to new business. This you measure over a horizon of three to six months.

Level 3: Brand perception. How does your organisation position itself in the market? It's about the extent to which you're seen as an authority and your events get recommended. This is the slowest effect of event marketing, but also the most lasting.

The mistake many organisations make: only measuring return at Level 1. They write the event off as 'nice but expensive' when the direct result disappoints. A kick-off still being referenced in conversations six months later has more than proven its return — even without a direct measurement attached.

We're not a logistics agency. We're a live communications agency.

That difference sounds subtle, but it's fundamental. A logistics agency makes sure the chairs are in place and the food is on time. We make sure the message lands. That the event activates and connects, and positions the brand the right way.

We start every collaboration with a question few agencies ask. What does this event need to shift or grow? From that answer we design the concept, the programme, the communications line and the aftercare.

In 25 years we've put event marketing to work for companies from 30 employees to 10,000. For internal audiences and external. For one-off moments and recurring programming. The common thread: live communications that works doesn't start with the venue or the entertainment. It starts with the message.

Also read: how to organise a corporate event that sticks → and how a strong event concept comes to life →

Live communications is the most powerful communication channel you have. Most organisations use it just once or twice a year, without consciously deploying it as a strategy.

That can be better. And we can help. From a first conversation about the role of events in your communications plan to the delivery of the day itself.

Call 085 401 40 14 or email hello@live-impact.nl. Or send a brief via /briefing.

Seriously fun.