8 Objectives of Experiential Marketing Campaigns For Brand Experiences

Experiential marketing is evolving and maturing. Some experiential marketing campaigns are more successful than others. That's why it is important that best practices are clarified. And industry generated benchmarks for success are vital.

I have created experiences to help our clients meet their customers' needs for involvement - and at the same time accomplish marketing objectives for improved brand awareness, attitude, and usage. These programs have successfully engaged participants to achieve faster and more memorable results.

You can design experiences that include convention programs, sales meetings, and corporate events to move your brand forward...fast.

Research has revealed these top eight objectives of experiential marketing campaigns:

1. Build Relationships
2. Produce Interaction
3. Verify Target Audiences
4. Increase Awareness
5. Increase Relevance
6. Increase Loyalty
7. Increase Trial
8. Create Memories

All eight of these goals can become the basis for creating an event measurement dashboard. This will provide a specific and robust ROI system. These metrics are then used to plan future events to develop professional competencies for event marketers.

Here's a look at the metrics that used to be considered good enough, contrasted with the new standards in an event measurement dashboard:

Typical old ways of measuring event success - Company execs were happy - Attendees said it was well-received - It came in under budget

Examples of new standards in event measurement
- "return on objectives"
- # meetings with target customers
- # booth visits from A-level prospects
- # leads reporting intent to trial

The sources of event metrics can be varied, and include convention leads analysis, badge scans, in-booth surveys, post-show surveys, sales conversion analysis, field lead tracking, press coverage, customer meetings, and sales meetings.

At Stinson, we like to start with the end in mind. That means working with you to determine the metrics of an event at the beginning of the creative process.

In my experience, if you are successful in reaching these objectives, you can expect improved outcomes in terms of sales. This is true because the powerful impact of engagement is increasing interest and loyalty - by building trust and increasing product desire.

Fun Team Building Event

Casino parties add exciting fun for all kinds of corporate events.

Create a Casino Night that your employees and/or customers will enjoy and remember for months to come. Every corporate event is an opportunity to build a stronger and more connected team.

What is a Casino Party?
A casino night is a great way to have a company holiday party or corporate event. Casino tables straight from Las Vegas and real casino weight chips by the best casino companies. They set up the event to look like a Las Vegas Casino.

When your guests arrive they are greeted by dealers who are friendly, and fun! Each of your guests will be handed a "funny money" voucher that they are invited to cash in for casino chips. The chips can be used at your favorite casino game table or you can go back and forth between tables. You don't have to be an experienced casino player to have fun. Professional staff will explain everything and entertain you in the process! Unlike casino gambling in Vegas, the house doesn't always win at our casino nights, you do!

Why a Casino Party?
Casino nights for any holiday or company party produce team building in a fun and exciting atmosphere. It is the great answer to the age old question every boss or human resources person has. "Okay so we take the crew out to dinner, now what?" Your guests can enjoy a private dinner at a reception hall or hotel/resort where casino tables and dealers are already in place and ready to go.

During the event, employees can sit together, cheer each other on, and laugh with their boss. While Las Vegas and other casinos are designed to take the player's real money, our events are designed to make people feel like winners! No one loses any money and the team building camaraderie is huge!

Affordability - Casino Night Events are competitively priced with many other types of entertainment. If you think you can't afford a casino night, please check with a local, reputable casino entertainment company.

Fun - Dealers make the difference. Dealers are first and foremost there to entertain your guest. They are always dressed up and super friendly. They love people and will be there to make your casino night event enjoyable for everyone.

Team Building Atmosphere -Dealers are trained entertainers as well as casino party dealers. They will be there to work as a unit to help your company enjoy your event. Share our magic and excitement of "vegas" casino at your next corporate event.

An Alternative to Full Event Planning Food Catering Service

Although the current economy has cut into many things people consider luxuries, it is still possible to hire a food catering service for your event without going broke. More and more restaurants have added catering as a service offered, perhaps due in part to the slowing economy. While your budget may not allow for a full event planning service, the selections of food types available offer options that may turn your event into an even more memorable affair. From casual to formal there is a restaurant now offering their fare for catered events. Some will even provide service personnel to set up and/or serve your guests. With other restaurants, you may need to pick up and put the food out yourself. This works particularly well if it is self serve such as a buffet meal.

The choice of a menu will depend largely on the type of event you are planning. For example, for a sports event you would choose something more casual, such as a buffet of heartier type foods. For a wedding reception, you might lean towards more delicate finger foods. Today, it is possible to find somewhere to order any type of food you might want. Even donuts, pastries and coffee of good quality are available from a specific convenience store chain in North America.

As people become more accustomed to the do it yourself methods in life, they will find more creative and resourceful ways to carry out activities they would normally have hired someone to do for them. It only makes sense that food catering would be one of the areas. Although it is not impossible to actually do it all yourself, planning, cooking and serving, it is not a recommended solution if you are a key player, so to speak, in the event. Pulling off any gathering, especially one that includes dining can be very stressful to say the least. By purchasing the food from a restaurant or food catering service, it takes the brunt of the responsibilities away and will still save you money and time.

To find a viable and delicious option for a company offering food catering services, check out establishments in the area of the venue you're using for the event. The Internet is always a good source of information for planning, including choosing a business to hire for your event planning. Simply go to Google and do a search or browse through your local directory like Yellow Pages.

The Tax Implications of Corporate Team Building Days

Having worked closely with a number of clients who are trying to organise events on tight budgets we decided to look at the tax implications of running corporate team building events and see whether there are any tax benefits or dangers we should look out for.

It appears that during the 2009 / 2010 tax year the tax rules are going to stay the same and the following sections of HMRC Help Sheet 207 2009 testify to the Tax Exemptions of team building events.

Source: HS207 2009-2010 Non Taxable Payments or Benefits for Employees - A Govt Help-sheet available from the HM Revenues & Customs website.

i. Employer-funded or employer-reimbursed training

This exemption covers the costs to your employer of work related training throughout the entire spectrum of practical or theoretical skills and competences you are reasonably likely to require for your current or likely future jobs and tasks with your existing employer.

The Tax Exemption Includes:

• Employee development schemes


• Activities intended to develop skills you need in leadership and teamwork


• Training which is provided by a third party rather than your employer

The many ways in which training course and events can be delivered are covered including full-time and part-time training, internal training courses run by your employer, courses which are run externally or by a third party, and courses which comprise any combination of these.

ii. Christmas or other Annual Party

Also exempt are annual events, parties or functions of a similar nature, such as a Christmas dinner and a summer party, which are open to staff generally and which cost no more than 瞿150 a head in total to provide.

Printed Polo Shirts for Corporate Fundraisers

One of the most ingenious ways that businesses can create publicity for themselves is by offering corporate sponsorships through fundraisers to charitable institutions. This kind of sponsorship works in two ways. The charitable organization will find assistance in the funding of their event and the company will get low-cost publicity through the sponsorship of the event. Companies are motivated to sponsor charities because of the benefits associated with the marketing end of things.

It is no surprise then that printed shirts can propitiously be used for corporate fundraisers. Printed shirts are one of the most popular and successful promotional attires that can be used in fundraisers today. Everyone loves polo shirts because they can proudly be worn in support of whatever cause the funds are being raised for and because they are one of the easiest items to sell in support for a cause. Printed polo shirts can also retain for a cost and the money raised through their sales can be used as a corporate fundraiser in support for a worth cause.

Any company can form a corporate partnership with any charitable organization whereby polo shirts are printed and sold as a fundraiser for a good cause. The shirts can have the logos and messages of both the charitable organization and the corporate sponsors thus helping to raise money for the organization while also bringing exposure to the company. Fundraisers can even be organized through corporate fun events where the polo shirts with the logo of both the company and the charitable organization are worn. The shirts can be sold during such events with the proceeds going to the charity and the company getting lots of visibility.

The good thing with fundraisers is that they give a company an opportunity to build a brand image and make connections with people from all walks of life. When someone comes for the fundraiser and buys a polo shirt that is printed and branded with both the company and the charity, they walk away with a walking billboard that creates lots of publicity for the company. Many people are also very conscious of any company's efforts to assist charitable organizations for a worth cause and this will stand in good stead with the company's customers and prospects.

Because apparel such as printed shirts are quite easily very useful for fundraising at events and also have the added value of promoting the company's brand, many companies are willing to take advantage of the extra benefit by teaming up with the charities that they sponsor. Any apparel including printed polo shirts will last long and the company that sponsors the charity will have their brand connected with the charity for a long time to come. This will give the company lots of goodwill in the eyes of their customers and their prospects and their brand will stay in the mind of these people for quite a long time.

While the sponsoring company will derive lots of satisfaction from the idea of supporting a worthy charitable institution, they will also be guaranteed that their brand will have a more increased value in the eyes and minds of the public. Fundraising efforts for charitable organization have a lasting effect on not only the company that sponsors charities but also on their employees as well because such activities boost company pride and help in employee satisfaction levels. By giving through printed polo shirts, a company get's back much more and in a very different way.

Managing a Fund Raising Event

Fund raising events not only bring in funds for your organization, but also raise awareness about your noble cause. However, managing a fund raising event requires significant energy and effort. Organizing these events needs correct planning, promotion and management. Here are few tips which will help you in effective management of fund raising events.

Establishing guiding principles and goals
Before starting a fund raising event, you need to be clear about the goals you need to achieve through the event. You need to know how much money is needed to fulfill the goal. Apart from this, you also need to be clear with your plan, course of action and scope of the fund raising event. Create a project plan with clearly defined goals; roles and responsibilities of each participant.

Choosing the right event
An appropriate event should be selected keeping the cause in mind. Some popular events include auctions, dinners, raffles, athletic events, arts and crafts exhibition, cheer leading contest, ball room dance contest, 5K run or walk and fashion shows. Also check how you will make money from these events - through sale of tickets, sponsors, sale of items, auctions, door prizes, etc. This will help you in designing your strategy in a better way.

Selecting event volunteers
It is very difficult to organize the whole event by yourself. Taking the help of volunteers makes the task much easier. Ask the members of your organization to participate. You can also get volunteers from the local community by contacting them, describing the purpose of the event and the ways in which they can help. Assign roles to volunteers such as treasurer, organizer, manager, etc. based on their strengths. Encourage participants to set and achieve personal as well as team goals.

Planning, budgeting and advertising
Fund raising events need proper planning and execution. Prepare a planning work sheet and instruct every volunteer to execute it properly. For budgeting needs, you can make sponsors as partners. Manage the money carefully that you receive from these sponsors. Allow them to bear the costs of hiring the venue, marketing costs, refreshments, etc.

You should market your event in such a way that your cause is highlighted. Make use of fliers, announcements at community gatherings, posters at local shops, internet, custom imprinted glow sticks, press releases, etc. to promote your event. Proper planning and promotion enhances awareness about the fund raising event and its cause.

Takeaways - cheap but attractive products
It is always good to offer takeaways at the fund raising events. They convey 'thanks' to the participants and donors for making the event successful; hence don't overlook them. Keep aside little amount of money to buy cheap but attractive takeaways, like glow products. You can offer various glow products such as, glow sticks, glow wrist bands and bracelets as takeaways at the event.

A well planned fund raising event has a very good chance of making donors open their purses. However, you need to be flexible, as things may not go as the way you planned. Be prepared for the unexpected also.

Top 5 Tips to Promote Your Events With Pinterest

Amongst the clutter and craziness of the social media explosion, Pinterest has experienced exponential growth over the past few years. With Pinterest, you can "pin" your favorite things onto separate "boards", which is a productive strategy for large-scale promotions. The visual appeal of Pinterest coupled with its collaborative nature presents an interactive platform that event organizers may utilize to initiate brand communication for events.

With possibilities galore, this massive social media forum has now become a steadfast platform to create and maintain a relationship with the audience. Here, we have shared key tips to help use Pinterest for your event's success.

1. Create an account of your brand and event

While promoting your event through Pinterest, keep the company's brand image in mind. You need to separate your personal Pinterest account from your company account. Making your company a brand in its own right is definitely easy with a stimulating platform like this. Present the dynamics of your brand to its prospective customers and create a personality that will resonate with the users. For your upcoming event, you can create a separate board with a corporate theme that matches your company or brand. It helps to attract people and get themselves engaged in discussions on the event. Thus, you access a convenient way to make your event popular long before the actual occasion takes place.

2. Maintain relevance in your Pinterest activity

By just merely being active on Pinterest will not reap the fruits of success, unless your activities do not comply with the mission and vision of your event. Post, like, and repin things which are in line with your event or your company's operation, products and services.

For example, if your upcoming event is a concert or a rock-music gig, you have to post pictures related to the artist, music genres or the venue of the show. Simultaneously create boards, which are appropriately relevant with the event or your company's brand.

3. Research about the target audience

It is true that the majority of social media users belong to the age group of 18 to 30 years. Many a times, they are not the target audience of your event, unless it's a rock-music show or a similar kind of concert. Thus, identifying your target demographics is crucial. Once you know who is talking about you and wants to attend your event, it would be easier for you to determine the kind of posts that will attract them. In other words, you must know how to cater to your audience and their diverse behaviors.

4. Create pins that your followers will share

Pinterestis all about creating a buzz in a virtual world. Moreover, it is visual and collaborative by nature. Thus, when you are promoting your event through this platform, make sure that your actions speak for themselves. You need to create colorful photos and posts, so that people find them interesting enough to share. Thus, you can get your event promoted in a fun and interactive way.

5. Attract followers with catchy phrases

Pinterest is not only about images; catchy tags and interesting titles have a lot to do with it. You will be more likely to draw followers if you use clever, witty and short phrases along with the picture you pin.

Thousands of users are using Pinterest as a promotional platform. Thus, it is extremely difficult for you to stand out amongst the millions of other boards unless you are offering something unique.