Plan Your Meetings

What is branding, and how does it relate to events?

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Should you brand your event? The answer is almost always yes. The larger your audience, the more important it is to brand your event, especially if it will be marketed to a large group of people who work for different companies. A great brand is a company’s most valuable asset, and when event planners consistently use branding, it can help you reach your event attendance goals, create competitive advantages and maximize earnings. Branding your events will help attendees understand what your event is, why they need to come, and why they should be excited about it.Create a brand identity by naming your event, and having a graphic designer create a logo for your event and a tagline that communicates the event’s focus. A good brand creates an emotional response in the viewer, so think about what you want to communicate: Is this an upscale event, a fun event for adults or something that is for children? After your brand identity is finalized, apply for a trademark to protect it. Getting a trademark is especially important if you expect to use the branding again. For example, some exhibitors may make and sell cups with your event branding. If there is no trademark, the exhibitors could sell several hundred cups before your company takes action. It can be even more harmful if an exhibitor distorts, modifies or displays your brand in a negative way.

After you have the brand identity, brand everything created for your event. Items may include:

• Badges
• Billboards
• Binder covers
• Brochures (electronic & hard copy)
• Direct mail
• E-mail communications
• Evaluation forms
• Flyers
• Handouts
• Internet ads
• Invitations
• Print ads
• Programs
• Public service announcements
• Radio ads
• Registration bags
• Signage
• Specialty promotional items
• Television ads
• Tickets
• Web sites

Consistent branding helps your message stand out from the amount of mail and e-mail attendees receive on a daily basis. If your attendees don’t always respond before RSVP deadlines, it might be because they don’t recognize your brand.

– Jackie Thornton, M.S., CMP

Jackie Thornton, M.S., CMP, is President of Global Marketing and PR Inc., which offers event planning, marketing and public relations services. She also has taught event planning certificate courses.