RECN 344: Event Management

1. RECN 344: Event Management Week 8 Lecture 1: Event marketing & positioning

2. Week 8 Lecture 1: Overview • Introduction to event marketing • Strategic event marketing process • Environmental analysis • Competitor analysis • Marketing mix • Positioning your event

3. Lecture 8.1: Reading • Learn: Allen, J., O’Toole, W., Harris R. & McDonnell, I. (2010). Marketing planning for events. Festival and special event management (5th ed.) (pp. 257-306). Milton, QLD: Wiley. • Getz, D, (2013). Ch.5: Creating and marketing events as tourist attractions. In Event tourism: concepts, international case studies, and research (pp. 165-210), New York: Cognizant Communication Corporation. • NB: Every introductory Event Management textbook has a chapter on this topic

4. Introduction to event marketing • “Marketing is concerned with satisfying consumer needs and wants by exchanging goods, services or ideas for something of value” (Allen et al., 2011, p. 258) • Something of value includes money, but also time, effort etc • What is purchased at an event is an experience

5. Introduction to event marketing • Event marketing: “the process by which event managers and marketers gain an understanding of their potential consumers’ characteristics and needs in order to produce, price, promote and distribute an event experience” • Meets social and financial objectives of event managers and attendees’ needs

6. Introduction to event marketing • Events vary in their marketing focus • Mega events, destination events, major events: marketing critical • Destination event: created for the specific purpose of attracting tourists; travel decisions based on the attractiveness of the destination (and the setting)(Getz, 2013, p. 166)

7. Strategic event marketing process • Broad overall direction • Long term, rather than short term focus • Involves careful analysis of internal resources and external environment • Image from: Allen et al., 2011, p. 261

8. Strategic event marketing • Marketing provides a range of benefits for all events: • Provides a framework for decision making • Identify a target market, their needs and wants, to better design a satisfying event experience • Research competing events (location, benefits, timing etc) and identify unique selling proposition

9. Strategic event marketing • Marketing provides a range of benefits for all events: • Predict attendance and prepare for demand • Establish pricing strategy/price point • Decide on promotional and media strategy • Establish the metrics to judge the success of the event

10. Event marketing: environmental analysis • Marketers need to understand the context in which events occur via an environmental analysis (see L2.1) • Events, like tourism, operate in an ‘open system’ • Image from: Allen et al., 2011, p. 267

11. Event marketing: competitor analysis • Identify gaps and opportunities in the market • Keep pace with developments • Avoid repetition or ‘sameness’ • Avoid the mistakes of competitors

12. The marketing mix • Experiential elements • Product:- generic/targeted benefits, UVP, quality • Place:- location, setting, destination attractiveness • People:- host/guest relations, service, communitas • Programming:- style linked to theme, opportunities for co-creation • Facilitating elements • Packaging:- value adding, combination of elements • Price:- as positioning strategy, cost-oriented • Partnerships:- relationships crucial, joint marketing, sponsorship etc • Promotion:- advertising, PR, social media, media management

13. Positioning the event • “Positioning” means using all the marketing mix elements to manage how an event (or destination) is viewed and understood to specific target market segments, relative to other events (see Getz, 2013, p.173f) • Two situations • Branding and positioning an event • Role of events in destination branding

14. Positioning the event • Event positioning can take many forms: • Using existing reputation/image of an event • e.g. Olympics • Linking to the charisma of leader/organiser • e.g. Robin Judkins, Coast to Coast • Focus on complete event programme

15. Positioning the event • Event positioning can take many forms: • Focus on the performers • e.g. music festival • Emphasis on location/setting • e.g. Wimbledon, Rhythm & Vines • Focus on the fans • e.g. ‘Barmy Army’, Wellington Sevens

16. Positioning the event • Event positioning can take many forms: • Use a pricing strategy to position the event • Purpose of the event (e.g. Fashion week) • The event category or type (e.g. concerts, food and wine) • Need market research to assess success of positioning in eyes of target market Source: Allen et al. (2011, p. 280)

17. Important brand values • The brand reflects the event’s identity and core values • Getz (2013, p.171) believe the brand values of most importance to event tourists are: • Uniqueness of experiences • Authenticity • Quality • Reliability • Value for money

18. Conclusions • Events differ in the level of strategy they bring to marketing efforts • Community events, some cultural events focus on promotion alone • A coherent marketing strategy should ensure sustainability of events