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Thinking out of the box

Thinking Outside The Box with Unusual Event Marketing Ideas

Earlier in the year, one of our clients, Craig Lockwood from The Web is, came to us with an unusual request. Having just purchased an Arduino (an electronics prototyping platform), he had the unique idea to build a mini-computer inside a giant piece of Lego, which could display a live feed of his ticket sales on Get Invited. Brilliant!

In order to make this happen he suggested that copies of each ticket order could be sent to a specific email address, so that he could then write code to count the amount of emails received (which would tally with the amount of orders). The desired outcome was a Lego clock which would give him a running total of orders for ticket sales.

Naturally, we obliged! In fact, we went one step further and built him a custom API that gave him access all of the information he needed instantaneously. The result was awesome (see video below), every time a ticket sale is made for ‘The Web is’ the Lego clock pings!

This was a small thing we did to help out our customer, which he used for his own personal pleasure, as well as posting on social media to market his event. We loved this story so much, it got us thinking about more unconventional event marketing ideas.

Make your mark with reverse graffiti

If your event is local, then this is a good option. Locate key areas where there will be a lot of footfall, or where your target audience hang out and make your mark. An event logo, hashtag, teaser strapline, it really is up to you! In terms of legality, this is a bit of a grey area as technically you’re cleaning the surface area, which isn’t a crime, so you won’t get arrested!

Here are a few examples of reverse graffiti below which will hopefully inspire you.

Create intrigue around an event using your local coffee shops

Coffee shops are always a great hub for any business community. Usually these are niche houses that offer a little more than the mainstream chains. The good news here is you don’t have to deal with “corporate policy” as you can speak with the owners directly, who are always looking for new ways to promote their own business.

If you want to attract your local business community, why not create a simple stencil and get your resident coffee shops to sprinkle your logo, hashtag etc. onto some of their coffees and other beverages? Alternatively, you could offer free branded biscuits with every purchase (to keep the shop owners happy) at the busiest periods of the day

This is a relatively low cost method to get your message to a guaranteed business audience, and who doesn’t love a free snack?

Leave hints in the store as to what is happening as well as a hashtag so that the customers can take the conversation online, and increase the reach.

Stimulate curiosity amongst your potential guests online

Get your key speakers/acts to start hinting towards the event before it launches, on their social networks. Perhaps just a date, location and time. Having your networks send cryptic messages like this could generate much online conversation and excitement. This means that when your tickets do go on sale, they will be heavily sought after. Furthermore, the fact that you have aligned your speakers with the promotion, will give it more ‘klout’ and you can tap into their wider networks, thus increasing your reach!

Use immersive experiences to put attendees in touch with the core concept of your event

Why not involve your audience in choosing a guest speaker or act? Hold a competition and take the vote online. Encourage entrants to market their nomination heavily with a social media competition.

Those are just a few fun ideas that we hope provides a little inspiration for you when you’re marketing your event. Ultimately, it’s about creating a new way of thinking, So get creative, have fun and think outside the box!

If you feel like this article has helped you in any way, feel free to share it and help others as well.

Blaise Perse

Blaise Perse

Blaise Perse is an accomplished content creator and strategist known for her captivating work at getinvited.to, a premier online platform for event organization and engagement. With a degree in Communications and a minor in Creative Writing from Boston University, Blaise has spent the past six years carving out a niche for herself within the events industry, focusing on creating immersive and engaging content that not only draws attendees in but keeps them talking long after the event has ended.

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