I have this friend in the event marketing industry. She is one of the most positive, uplifting people I know. Everything she does is full of life, and vibrance, and positive emotional energy. In fact, I don’t think there has ever been a photo posted of her where she’s not smiling excitedly at the camera. And, she brings this positive energy to her business. I am fortunate to have spoken along her side, shared ideas with her, and watched her business grow. She is an inspiration, and the inspiration behind this post.
When it comes to building a powerful brand, there is one key ingredient that can make or break your success: positive energy. A survey conducted by Hubspot found that companies that consistently produce positive content are 67% more likely to generate leads than companies that don’t. Additionally, A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that positive emotions can lead to increased sales.
This is especially relevant for event marketing, experiential marketing, or building a strong brand experience. After all, the main reason companies invest in events is to ultimately drive commerce. But what does positive energy really mean for event marketers?
First of all, everything you do should be about creating an enjoyable experience. This starts long before the event occurs by building a positive team environment – a community, and ensuring processes are not just designed to eliminate friction, but contribute to an overall positive operating environment. Beyond building a positive working relationships and environments, here are some ideas on bringing the positive energy into the event experience.
Pre-Event Communications
For the event landing page, calls for speakers, pre-event emails, social media posts, and advertising, use visuals that evoke energy and emotion – vibrant colors, motion, attendees, speakers, and staff having a good time. Authenticity is key. Use real people who have attended your event in the past wherever possible. Also using upbeat language is critical. Break out the thesaurus and use some fun adjectives and adverbs. Not everything is “very”. Remember, this thread of positive energy should be woven through promotions, registration, attendance assurance, and check in. Don’t forget about speaker management and sponsor programs. The same positive energy should be evoked throughout every relationship and every facet of the event.
Positive Energy During the Event
It’s important to create an atmosphere that leaves people feeling energized and excited about being part of the experience. This can be done by:
- Using upbeat music during registration, receptions, brand experiences, keynotes, etc.
- Providing fun games and activities for everyone to participate in throughout the event
- Creating exciting, immersive environments through positive imagery, video, copy, and architecture
- Facilitating as many opportunities as possible for attendees to engage with each other, the event content, speakers, experts, and brands that participate in the event
- Surprising and delighting attendees with unexpected experiences that add whimsy and value to their day
- Using interactive brand experiences wherever possible to entice attendees to learn, engage, and become a part of the story
- Creating space in the agenda (over-programmed events can be stressful)
- Including wellness activities as part of the event experience – anything that gets people to move
- Inspiring sharing through brand activations like photo, video, and other engaging content so attendees spread their joy all over social media – #hashtags are a must
- Using the event app to distribute joy through gamification, positive messaging, and facilitating engagement and interaction
Don’t forget to capture all these positive moments in photos, videos, stories, posts for next year!
For speakers and sponsors, keep them engaged throughout the event as well. Support them, visit their booths, attend their sessions, send attendees their way, make introductions, give them kudos, and celebrate their participation and success.
Training for Positivity
It’s the people who make or break an event. I’m not just talking about the keynote speaker. Look for positive personality attributes for talent in every role, from speakers, to brand ambassadors, to F&B staff, to bus drivers, to registration desk staff. Insist on the same from sponsors. Consider including training on evoking positive energy, like being more proactive in engagement, smiling, and having fun working the event. Encourage staffers to let their personalities shine, joke around, laugh, and dance.
Post Event
Exude the same level of positive emotional energy at the event close. Yep, everyone is exhausted, but it’s critical to end the event with an indelible experience. This will be the last thing they remember as they travel home. Leave them singing, dancing, educated, entertained, and energized. As my manager told me when I was training how to be a grill cook in high school, “No one wants the last bite of their sandwich to be just bread.” Bring your attendees joy from end-to-end.
In post-event communications, keep the positivity train rolling. Apply the same focus to energetic and emotional visuals and upbeat language. Recap what made the event great. Underscore the highlights. Celebrate the attendees. Motivate them to come back and bring their friends. And above all, be grateful for their participation. Not only will this increase email and social engagement rates, but it will impact long-term event (and community) success.
The importance of positive energy for event marketing cannot be overstated. According to a study conducted by Eventbrite, events that have a positive energy are more likely to have higher attendee satisfaction and event ROI. Beyond this the business impact is real. Statista reports, businesses with positive energy outperformed their competitors by as much as 33 percent in yearly sales revenue. So don’t be afraid to go all in on positivity. Not only will it ‘positively’ impact your event experience, but your bottom line as well.