It’s no surprise that graphic design plays a big role in the world of event marketing. And yet, it’s sometimes easy to forget to make truly intentional design choices.
Are you using graphics to create a great user experience? These days, you can’t afford not to.
There are a wide range of deliverables you can get creative with and use to maximize your impact. Between your digital assets, physical signage, and on-stage presentations, take inventory of what’s working and what’s not. The most common pitfall event marketers make: not being consistent.
Create an immersive experience with your graphic design
Your graphics have the power to create an immersive and cohesive experience for your attendees. In fact, that’s kind of their purpose. “Promotional graphics are ultimately meant to encourage your desired attendees to take a very specific action, which is to buy a ticket, RSVP, show up to the event, and then commit once they’re there.” —Yanique DaCosta, Event Marketing Redefined, Episode 23
Ask yourself: Do the promotional graphics create an experience that will flow seamlessly into the event? Make sure all graphics reflect and reinforce the event’s branding and theme to take full advantage of the immersion. Our best advice? Plan ahead and stay flexible.
Creating a cohesive and immersive experience for attendees requires careful planning and coordination of all graphic design elements. This may involve adapting design elements based on the type of event and its location to ensure that graphics reflect and reinforce the event’s branding and theme. However, designers must always be prepared to handle last-minute changes such as signage that may change or updates to stage presentations that may occur on the fly. Creating a user experience that sets the scene, from promotional materials to the event itself, is essential to creating a successful event that resonates with attendees. Ultimately, event graphics are an important tool for creating memorable and impactful events that leave a lasting impression on attendees.
Write smart copy
Writing effective event copy is essential to attract and engage attendees. For copy to be compelling, it needs to be engaging, solution-oriented, and tailored to the target audience.
Your event marketing copy should make them think – really think – and offer them a solution to a problem they’re having. Our top tip: Use your unique selling proposition (USP) in your copy. Your USP is that little bit of magic that differentiates you from your competitors and sets you apart as a business. One way to do this is to address your target audience’s pain points and create emotionally compelling copy that resonates and drives greater event attendance. If you’re clever in your copy – rather than just funny – you create a stronger connection with your audience.
Effective event copy should focus on your proposed solutions to a problem or compelling idea, guiding attendees to what makes your event unique and how it can benefit them. Ultimately, writing effective event copy requires careful consideration of your target audience, their needs and wants, and how your event can provide value and meet their expectations.
Encouraging Behavior Through Visual Storytelling
Designing an event space that is both functional and visually appealing requires careful planning and attention to detail. A crucial aspect of this process is understanding the layout of the event space, including entrances, exits, and focal points. This can help guide design choices and create a more engaging and visually appealing atmosphere, which is essential for visual storytelling. Filter every decision you make through the lens of how your desired attendees will experience the event. Think about every aspect of the environment—the lighting, the scents, the ground beneath their feet, etc.—and then align all of your graphic elements to create cohesion and tie back to the overall goals of the event. This can help guide decisions about space allocation, seating arrangements, and other design elements.
By taking a thoughtful and strategic approach to event design, planners can create a memorable and impactful experience for attendees that meets their expectations and exceeds their goals. Let these goals guide your graphics and everything you do for the event experience. Make it easy for attendees to understand and do what you want them to do. (And at the end of your event, don’t forget to review your data (to help inform your future event decisions and goals.)
Adjust your future events accordingly
It’s clear that graphic and text elements are extremely important in the world of event marketing. These design elements are the building blocks of the experience you create at your booth. Telling a story with sleek graphics and clever text is one thing, but when you can pivot and adjust your graphic design to stay consistent with specific events or pop-ups, that’s where the magic happens.