Driving people to in-person events is an essential skill in marketing, and it’s one of the most challenging to master. Since March 2020, Zoom and online events have taken the world by storm and there is a digital alternative to every potential in-person event imaginable.
One expert in the space of marketing who is keeping in-person events alive is Henry Gavilanez, and he has suggestions for marketers and event holders worldwide: in-person events are here to stay and people are still willing to attend them.
It was in the planning for Sirona’s Cerec 25th event that aimed to recruit doctors and dentists from all over the country to one of the most popular dental seminar events of the year that Gavilanez was given the opportunity to hone his skills in event promotion.
“That’s where I developed my love of marketing and noticed that I had the ability to drive people to events quite easily,” says Henry Gavilanez.
Now a seasoned marketing professional, Henry Gavilanez says cold calling was instrumental in his success driving people to the dental seminar event.
He says it doesn’t matter the industry or the event you’re promoting, the key is to reach out to the right people and make sure they see the right creative at the right time.
“I contributed to the fulfillment of promotional literature such as brochures and faxes,” says Henry Gavilanez.
He went on to say that creating graphics is only a single piece of the puzzle when it comes to marketing and driving people to events.
“You have to pick up the phone and dial,” says Gavilanez.
He goes on to say that research played a pivotal role in learning about the demographics that would be best suited to the event. He analyzed the editorial calendars and media kits of different dental publications to gather data in order to determine relevant topics in the dental industry.
He then analyzed the information to provide insight into the types of audiences and locations with the highest percentage of readers, and rates charged for advertising.
That helped Gavilanez determine the exact locations he could contact people and launch advertisements to get people to attend the event.
From social media to email marketing, there are a variety of other factors that can be used to drive people to in-person events. Henry Gavilanez says the latter is effective if you have a list of already engaged people ready to interact with your content.
If you don’t have an email list to work with, however, there is no need to worry. With enough lead time to an event, you can ensure people attend your event by promoting to them in an effective and meaningful way.
Social media advertising is a great way to reach new audiences because you can reach them anywhere in the world, and you can specify the exact demographic you’d like to target. For example, you can narrow down the demographic to dentists who make $100,000 per year in a specific town and are also interested in in-person events.
“Targeted advertising gets so specific and it’s a superpower of any modern age advertising specialist. Once you get started with ads, you learn the techniques that work and you can rinse and repeat to create results.”
Gavilanez goes on to say that influencer marketing and user generated content (UGC) is becoming more popular than ever, and while it’s often used by global brands pushing for online sales, it can also be used to drive ticket purchases.
“Having popular social media figures make videos about your event can play a key role in getting people to attend.”
Gavilanez says the particular event that he was marketing at this time targeted doctors and dentists, so UGC and influencer marketing wasn’t specifically relevant, but it would have been possible if for example he had recruited a dentist to make a promotional video.
“Sometimes you have to think outside the box and do the unexpected.”
One principle Gavilanez likes to employ in marketing is event listing websites.
Event listing websites such as Eventbrite, Meetup, and Eventful are popular places for people to list and discover events happening around them. You can list your event on these sites to reach more people and get more ticket sales.
“Ensure that your event details are accurate and provide a compelling description that encourages people to attend,” says Gavilanez.
Overall, it’s important for any marketing professional to have some degree of passion for the event itself, or at least for the success of the event.
Henry Gavilanez says that events rely on momentum, which is why it’s important for a promoter to enjoy seeing results like ticket sales, more RSVPs and positive feedback about attending the event.
“By tracking these metrics and focusing on the overall result, you’ll ensure your success in promoting events.”
