It’s not a revelation that graphic design plays an important role in the event marketing world. And yet, sometimes it’s easy to forget to be really intentional with our design choices.
Are you using graphics to create a great user experience? In this day and age, you can’t afford not to.
There is a wide range of deliverables to get creative with and utilize to maximize your impact. Between your digital materials, physical signage, and stage presentations, take inventory of what’s working and what isn’t. The most prominent pitfall event marketers make: not staying 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 whole purpose. “The promotional graphics at the end of the day are meant to encourage those desired attendees to take a very specific action, which is to purchase a ticket, RSVP, show up to the event, and then be engaged when they get there.” —Yanique DaCosta, Event Marketing Redefined, Episode 23
Ask yourself: Are the promotional graphics creating an experience that will lead seamlessly into the actual event experience? Make sure all graphics reflect and reinforce the brand image and event theme to truly capitalize on being immersive. Our best advice? Plan ahead and also remain flexible.
Creating a cohesive and immersive experience for attendees requires careful planning and coordination across all graphic design elements. This may involve adapting design elements based on the type of event and its location to ensure that the graphics reflect and reinforce the brand image and event theme. However, designers still need to be prepared to manage last-minute changes such as signage that may change, or updates to stage presentations that can occur on the fly. Creating a user experience that sets up the environment from promotional material to the actual event itself is key 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.
Crafting Clever Copy
Writing effective event copy is crucial for attracting and engaging attendees. For copy to be compelling, it should be thought-provoking, solution-oriented, and tailored to the target audience.
Your event marketing copy needs to make them think–really think– and propose a solution to a problem they have. Our best advice: use your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) in your copy. Your USP is that bit of magic that differentiates you from your competitors and what sets you apart as a company. One way to achieve this is by addressing the pain points of your target audience and creating emotionally compelling copy that resonates and leads to better event attendance. If you are clever in your copy–rather than just funny–you create a stronger connection with your audience.
Effective event copy should focus on the solutions you provide based on a problem or thought-provoking idea, guiding attendees toward what sets your event apart and how it can benefit them. Ultimately, writing effective event copy requires careful consideration of your target audience, their needs, and desires, and how your event can provide value and meet their expectations.
Foster Behavior Through Visual Storytelling
Designing an event space that is both functional and visually appealing requires careful planning and attention to detail. One crucial aspect of this process is understanding the event space layout, including entrances, exits, and focal points. Doing so can help guide design choices and create a more engaging and visually appealing atmosphere, which is key to visual storytelling. Put every decision you make through a filter of how your desired attendee will experience the event. Think about all aspects of the environment: lighting, smells, the ground underneath their feet, etc. and then align all of your graphics to create cohesion and connect back to the overall event objectives. This can help guide decisions regarding 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 those goals drive your graphics and everything else 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 visual graphics and text are wildly important in the event marketing world. These design elements are the building blocks of the experience you create in your booth. Telling a story with sleek graphics and clever copy is one thing, but when you can pivot and adjust your graphic design to stay consistent for specific events or pop-ups, that’s where the magic happens.