Marketing Events

Are you holding an event? Do you want lots of people to come along? If so, check out some ideas to get the masses out of their houses and where you want them.

More people at your event means:

• more ticket or product sales
• more press coverage
• a greater likelihood of attracting sponsorship in future years

So it is worth putting a little time, money, and effort into marketing your event.

Step number one is to START EARLY so you can get the message to the masses many times and in a number of ways. A first port of call should be Destination Manawatu as they will be able to list your event in their quarterly events guide. If it is an arts event it will also appear on the MOSAIC website.

Remember the FIVE W's (and the one H!). Your information needs to include:

• Who is putting the event on and Who does it feature and Who is it for e.g. the general public, or a specific age group
• What the event is
• Where the event is and Where can people buy tickets from
• When - the Time and Date of the event
• Why - e.g. if the event is to support a charity or to celebrate something
• How can people get hold of tickets and How much are tickets

Whatever your budget there are lots of good ways to market your event:

Four FREE ways to spread the word:

• Listings in the gig guides on local radio stations and newspapers - just ring up and they'll help you with the rest. This will reach lots of people but may not be enough info to get them to come along.
• Prepare a press release - pick an interesting fact or angle about your event and send it in article format to the radio station and newspapers for them to print it as a feature article. This is a good way to capture the interest of readers or listeners. You can even send in one a week each week before your event!
• Word of mouth - a good way to turn awareness into ticket sales or attendances. The best way to get the word out is to work collectively and involve other artists (who will have different friends and contacts) and community groups in your events.
• Newsletters - send notices to clubs, businesses and schools for them to include in newsletters to their members, staff, and pupils.

For more information have a look at http://www.artsmarketing.org