2020 – The year of interactive event marketing 

“Interactivity” and “engagement” are buzz words nowadays. Most of the time they revolve around outwitting some algorithms on social networks, putting on VR glasses and making everything a little bigger. But in fact, events are the most natural form of interactivity, aren’t they? People gather to interact and communicate with others.

But for some reason, the interactive vein of many companies is sinking especially at events. And so the ordinary and boring procedure sneaks through the event day. Therefore, we gathered some ideas how you can effectively enrich your future event marketing – whether at a trade fair or private event.

Gamification

As humans, we are competitive by nature. Games, especially in the form of contests, awaken our inner drive to win and are therefore very popular. That is why Gamification offers a high level of interactivity for any event or exhibition stand. The best and most interactive ideas are also often the simplest, such as a quiz that tests the audience’s knowledge of a product or industry.

A quiz can be made easily accessible to everyone in the form of an IPAD Station. If you don’t have the budget available, you can also easily integrate online games that any user can access on their smartphone.

In this case, however, participation must be as attractive as possible. Because clicking voluntarily on an online link is an imposition for most of us. Also make sure that the games are relevant for your product, brand and target group. A Playstation with Formula 1 racing may sound exciting to some – but will seem confusing to others if your core product is a hairspray.

Depending on the product and target group as well as the type of game, you can determine the winners on the basis of correct answers, the fastest time, maximum points or even consolation prizes for participation.

Interactive user interfaces

Following the previous point, but a little further on, would be interactive user interfaces.  Here, for example, visitors can click their way through a certain topic within the framework of interactive infographics and acquire individually adapted expertise. This way a multitude of information can be accommodated without being overwhelming or even obtrusive. Interactive interfaces also make it possible to keep the interest of the target group when all employees are already in a conversation.

Make sure that the appropriate format and design fit the target group and corporate image and guarantee maximum usability. The last thing you want is a confusing handling that raises many questions among the visitors and therefore requires a constant presence of the employees. Depending on the budget, so-called “smart displays” can be set up, for example, which can be used very easily via touch screen.

Live Graphic Recordings

You want your event to be remembered for a long time – without hocus-pocus machines, glittering rain and jugglers? Then Graphic Recordings could be a good option! Graphic Recordings allow a visual presentation of the information in real time to encourage user engagement and at the same time provide a visual summary of the event to all those who did not have the opportunity to attend the event.

Graphic Recordings are particularly suitable for live events, as visual processes are processed up to 75% faster by our brain. And this also means that this information is better stored in long-term memory. Furthermore, drawings tell stories and thus arouse emotions and positive associations for your company and the event.

Social Photo Booth and Hashtag actions

In the age of Instagram and Co, it is almost a crime not to include some form of selfie-based elements and compulsory “stories” in the event. Sure, the ultimate fun factor of the event has to be communicated to the outside world! Okay, sarcasm aside! Photo booths are indeed a powerful and entertaining tool for any event to promote the commitment of the target group and to strengthen the “word of mouth” in the online community after the event.

For example, you can set up photo booths with different green screens relevant to the event and brand, as well as integrate an individual hashtag to motivate users to upload pictures. A photo contest would also be particularly effective, in which, for example, the user with the most likes can win a product.

But even if you don’t have the option to place Disney costumes and Hawaii backgrounds at the event, it is recommendable to advertise with a specific social media hashtag to strengthen the building of an online community.

Immersive Experiences

This refers to the immersion in the contents of a medium. Thanks to modern technologies, it is possible to attract attention at an event and immerse visitors in the brand world. There are the following options:

In virtual reality (VR) the viewer enters a completely closed digital environment that replaces the real environment. The virtual world is made even more tangible through special tools such as VR glasses, so that we become part of this three-dimensional experience and can interact directly with the environment.

In augmented reality, the real environment is expanded with the help of digital objects. This can be created at an event, e.g. through special green screens. Another option are 360-degree videos in which the user is a silent viewer, but can choose the perspective himself and thus explore the environment from a preferred angle.

(Interactive) food stands

Let’s face it, the best thing about any event is the free food. Probably also the main reason why I would actually consider making a long day even longer.  Free BBQ and Lava Cake? Sounds good!

Just kidding! But food and drinks are a wonderful way to encourage a little interaction with the target group. And no, you don’t have to sell cookbooks or be a manufacturer of revolutionary kitchen utensils to offer food on your stand. A little bit of snacks and “morsels” is suitable for all brands and niches. How about branded cupcakes, for example? Or a nice brand logo on the cappuccino foam? Most of the time, this also helps to achieve active sharing on social networks. Because aesthetically pleasing and at the same time delicious, one likes to share with friends and followers. #foodporn

Live demonstrations

“Show – dont tell”- that’s the motto we live for at Cleverclip. After all, the goal of an event or trade fair is to convince people of the product or company. And that is exactly what you should do. Not with words and pictures but with a live demonstration and application of the product and its advantages.

If you sell make-up, hire professional make-up artists for the customers. For kitchen utensils, simply have a celebrity chef demonstrate the products “live in action”. For care products you can offer them in the form of dispensers for testing.

Ideally, product demonstrations should be packaged in a vivid show with a portion of storytelling – this way you can inspire the target group and emphasize the added value of the product without being perceived as obtrusive advertising.

Individual Goodie Bags

We all love gifts and rarely say “no” to free goodies. However, hand on heart, most of the goodie bags we accept contain pointless products that nobody needs. Thus, they stay in this little bag until we finally decide to throw them away at the next spring cleaning. Badly for the respective company, because in fact goodie bags could (and should) arouse the desire for more and bind customers to the brand in the long run. So why not offer the customer what he wants?

For this reason one should consider goodie stations where the visitor can create his own little goodie bag with preferred products. This is also the ideal time to get in touch with the event visitors, encourage their own initiative and be remembered even after the event.

An interactive design

In order to convince with our products or with the brand, we must first be perceived. Sounds simple, but believe me, the stimulus satiation has hit us all so hard that we stroll around like slowworms and leave everything unnoticed on both sides.

So, standing out from the crowd is the motto of the 21st century! That’s why you should give free rein to your creative spirit, especially when it comes to design and ambience. Far too often (especially in the B2B sector) we adhere to rigid social norms and therefore risk monotony and well… a lot of boredom. An exhibition stand in Jungle Design? Well, why not…?

Colourful accents and light plays also arouse emotions and thus provide a much higher resonance. Pay attention to the target message and choose colours and lights carefully. Changing shades of red might be good for a brothel, but not exactly for a stand with “Kinder Schokolade”.  Interactive floors also offer a creative option, for example by using footprints to present further product information. On a smaller budget, it is also possible to have texts and visual elements projected.

QR codes

With the help of digitisation towards sustainability and at the same time towards user engagement! Modern QR codes at events enable you to communicate more about a specific product without burdening the environment with unnecessary flyers.

On the one hand, you can show event participants your sense of responsibility with regard to sustainable action and conserving resources, but also motivate the audience to deal with a specific product in more detail. At this point it is important to arouse curiosity with a captivating lettering. For example, you can also design it as part of a contest and let the audience search for specific answers.

By the way, these QR Codes are also an excellent alternative to conventional event tickets, on the one hand to relieve the employees and on the other hand to save some trees from the death penalty.

Mindfulness and Wellness

This interactive form is less suitable for a trade fair stand, but rather as part of a separate event. Unless of course you have made aromatherapy the core service of your company.

But at events, workshops on the subject of wellness and mindfulness can be integrated in almost all industries. Because especially in the hectic business world we quickly forget to relax, take a deep breath and simply listen to our body. But how could we? Even if you have finally taken 5 minutes on Youtube to watch a meditation video, suddenly, out of nowhere, an advertisement appears in which some Wannabe business man advertises “with 5 steps towards the digital nomad”. And this at a volume that results in an ENT appointment.

With a small relaxation session as part of an event, you show the visitors that well-being and health are always in focus. It also offers a wonderful opportunity to interact with the audience on a very personal level and to build an emotional bond.

Of course, such a wellness session can be integrated sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the target group and the actual product. But in the context of a short break, you can certainly include some “time for yourself”, regardless of the industry.

Interactive event marketing with Cleverclip

To keep our credibility, we take you on a little journey now through our very own event marketing projects:

Interactive content for the Cancer League

Using a walk-in colon model, the Swiss Cancer League provides information on the subject of colorectal cancer. We were faced with the exciting task of developing several products simultaneously. The result is an interactive quiz in which the user can choose for himself on which topic he would like to receive additional information. At the same time, there was a fact-based navigation, where personally relevant questions could be selected by the user. And last but not least, a few explainer videos should provide more information. Check out our use case for more information.

TPL booth

At the Fach Pack 2019 in Nuremberg TPL presented sustainable PET films as an innovative solution for the future. Our task was to create an appealing exhibition stand as well as the appropriate explainer video. The result was a modern lounge, an elaborate information graphic as a wall design and PET bottles that interactively illustrate the recycling process. The accompanying explainer video leads through the entire process and is therefore easy to understand. Check out our use case for more details.

Graphic Recording for Roche

For an internal employee event for about 150 people we created a live drawing on the topic of strategic direction. The participants were divided into smaller groups and each group was supported by one of our PMs. The goal was to define the ACTUAL + TARGET state and then analyse exactly how this goal is being achieved. The results of the individual groups were presented on posters and then recorded on a poster by our graphic recorder.

Digital festival

The Digialfestival was a two-day event with various presentations on the topic of digitisation. Different graphic recordings were created, all of which capture the topic individually:

AdNovum

Nadine from Cleverclip also spiced up AdNovum’s annual company party with exciting graphic recordings. On a “Wishwall” – participants could record their wishes and suggestions. These were recorded visually.

Circular Economy

In recent years, a large number of projects in the field of recycling management have been developed in Switzerland. Many companies integrate sustainable and innovative processes with the aim of making the Swiss economy more circular. And so companies participating in a festival were allowed to stop by at our graphic recorder Nadine to be recorded on a card. See the final result here:

Event marketing during Corona times

Of course we hope that the virus can be further contained and that regular events can be held in near future – eventually with additional protection and hygiene measures. Events are important to establish personal contacts and to share products and services directly with the audience, and above all to build up this direct emotional bond. But even during corona times it is possible to do effective event marketing to remain your brand in the consumer’s mind.

Event marketing during corona times means digital event marketing. Online presentations, online workshops, online discussions and product demonstrations. And this is also extremely important to build up an online community, to create brand awareness and create higher engagement. But online events also pose new challenges, as keeping the audience’s attention when there is even an interface in between, is really not easy.

Many of the previously discussed methods can also be well integrated in virtual events, e.g. hashtag actions, quizzes or other playful elements and live demonstrations. Graphic Recordings can also be filmed in advance or even draw live online. As always, the technical requirements should be met for all online events to avoid unwanted delays. Which further elements have to be considered for an interactive presentation can be read in this article.

Conclusion

To inspire and satisfy a large crowd of people is not always easy. In order to get the message across in the best possible way, it is therefore important to actively involve the audience in what is happening.

Interactive elements help you to stand out from the competition and win over the audience in an entertaining and personal way. Regardless of the format, you should make sure that it is both cost-effective for you and adds value for the target audience. If you consider these points, nothing stands in the way of your event!

Still need some support? Then feel free to contact us – let’s find an awesome solution together!