They say you only have a matter of seconds to make a good first impression. Well, the same goes for your event, and this is where event branding comes in. When it comes to attracting your desired attendees, event marketing and branding go hand in hand. You might be using a mix of marketing methods, but if your event doesn’t have strong, clear, and attractive branding, you could miss out on building a loyal and engaged following. Every aspect of your marketing strategy, including social media, emails, and flyers, is an opportunity to show your event off in its best light.

What is event branding?

Creating a strong brand for your event isn’t just about a logo. Event branding involves putting across the core values of your event and your wider business. For instance, think of Glastonbury. The festival has become one of the most well-known across the globe, thanks to its inclusive line-up announcements that tailor for everyone from diehard music fans to families. Wimbledon is another memorable occasion. Once strictly perceived as a formal event for the privileged, the tennis tournament has refreshed its image to cater for an increasingly progressive audience. So while traditions like strawberries and cream are still a mainstay in Wimbledon’s marketing, you’ll also find contemporary adverts centred on female empowerment. As you can see, these established events don’t just rely on their reputation to draw in new audiences, but are constantly using branded assets to make a statement.

These assets are the tangible and intangible elements that demonstrate an event’s characteristics. From a billboard poster to an interactive app, they can vary depending on the type of event you’re holding. Signage is important at in-person events, whereas you might want to look into custom branding for webinars for virtual events. However, whether you’re hosting a virtual, hybrid, or in-person event, it’s the branding of your assets that will make it stand out and initially draw your audience in.

It’s an easy way to build a loyal following

Creating clear and consistent branding is the first step to building a relationship with your attendees. If you use the same colours and fonts for each of your events, your followers will start to recognise your brand. The more familiar it becomes, the more likely it is that people will engage with it. It’s vital that they understand your brand’s values, regardless of whether they’ve been following your marketing activity for a while, attended a previous event, or recently discovered you on Eventbrite. Your event’s themes or topics might change, but you should aim to keep the branding the same for an improved attendee experience and stronger event promotion.

It can create a more memorable experience

When coming up with creative branding ideas for events, broaden your horizons beyond two-dimensional, text-based marketing assets. Event branding can also be applied to merchandise and ticket add-ons, whether that’s food and drink, stationery, or T-shirts. When attendees come away from an event with a souvenir, it serves as a reminder of the fantastic experience they had and helps to raise awareness of your brand on a wider scale. These things not only make in-person events more memorable, but can add a special touch to online ones, too. Give virtual guests the option to add a delivery address so you can send them a memento in the post before or after the event.

It can effectively engage sponsors

Securing a relevant sponsorship package can make all the difference to the success of your event. The equation is simple: The stronger your branding, the better chance you have of persuading sponsors to support your event. Just think, if you’re not sure what message your event branding is communicating, then it’s unlikely that sponsors will understand it either. So, if you’re organising a family-friendly festival with sustainability at its heart, make sure your event branding reflects the green focus and attracts sponsors with those values. As a result, they’ll be able to help promote your event on social media, contribute to marketing campaign costs, and add value to your brand.

It’s just as vital for virtual events as in-person ones

Make sure you don’t overlook the importance of branding when organising a virtual event. Virtual events may not require posters or flyers, but that doesn’t mean that branding isn’t equally important. Consider who your audience is and what will attract them. Then think about how you can target your branding to the digital market, paying close attention to the images, fonts, and colours that work well on both mobile and computer screens. Other questions to ask yourself include the kinds of social media posts and ads that will appeal to your audience and how you can adapt your tone of voice to connect with prospective attendees. For example, does your online event lend itself to a comedic, light-hearted voice, or is it more serious and professional?

How to brand your event

If you’re a creator looking for event branding inspiration, here’s a list of things to consider:

• Find brands whose values align with your event and note how they appeal to their intended audience.
• Come up with a few keywords that sum up your event or business as a whole.
• Research colour psychology and pick colours based on their meaning. For example, red symbolises passion and love, which could work well for a speed dating event.
• Create a poll to gather opinions from followers or previous attendees on your prospective branding.
• Make sure your event branding is included front and centre in all forms of marketing.
• Check that your branding is consistent across all platforms.

Get started by adding your event branding to your Eventbrite organiser profile.