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Events are a great way to get your brand and product out there. However, if you’re looking for an event that will truly wow your audience, try creating a live custom activation! Creating a customized product or experience at an event can be extremely engaging for attendees and make for some incredible memories. The best part? These types of activations are relatively easy to plan so long as you keep these tips in mind:
KNOW YOUR CROWD
Before you get to the stage of planning, it’s important to know your crowd. As we’ve said before, following what other people are doing and doing the same thing will rarely result in a great event. Your audience is unique and has its own interests that can’t be replicated by other groups.
When planning an event, you need to think about what makes this group tick—what they like and don’t like, what they’re interested in, etc. If you’ve done your research beforehand (and we hope you have!) then this should be fairly easy for you.
UTILIZE SOCIAL AND DIGITAL MEDIA
Social media is the easiest way to reach your audience. You can use it to promote the event, build buzz and get people involved in your activation.
First, you should post about your event using hashtags, images and videos. This will help you gain traction on social media platforms and start circulating information about what’s going down at the event. The more people who are aware of it, the more likely they are to show up!
Secondly, use social media as a tool for engagement during an event by asking questions about what attendees would like to see at future events or which activations they would like us to bring back again (if we’ve done them before). We found this was an effective way for us to collect data from our attendees so that we could better tailor our offerings in future locations/events.
Learn More Social Media Event Promotion: The Complete Guide
GET PEOPLE ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH THE LIVE CUSTOMIZATION ACTIVATION
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Make it a fun experience. People love to be surprised, and an event that is interactive is always more exciting than one that isn’t.
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Make it interactive. You can do this by setting up stations around your activation where people can customize their own products or take photos with branded backdrops and props.
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Provide prizes for those who participate in the live customization activation, such as free tickets to future events, exclusive merchandise and more! They’ll have bragging rights too!
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Give people a reason to come back! If you want your customers to return again and again, make sure that they have an amazing time at every event they attend and feel appreciated every time they come back
MAKE SURE TO OFFER FREEBIES
It’s important to offer freebies to get people interested in your event, but it’s also important to give away freebies so you can keep them excited about the event and encourage them to share it on social media.
This is why we recommend giving away something of value that people will actually want. Here are some great options:
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A coupon for a discount on tickets or food/drinks at next year’s event (this incentivizes them to come back)
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An invitation for two friends (they’ll probably want their friends there too)
MAKE IT A FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT
Family-friendly events are a great way to get the whole family involved. You’ll be amazed how many people will come out for an event like this. A family-friendly event can also be a great way to get new customers, and increase brand awareness and brand loyalty.
BE ORIGINAL WITH YOUR LIVE CUSTOMIZATIONS—DON’T JUST STICK TO T-SHIRTS!
The best part about live customizations is that you can do anything. You can print anything on anything. If you have an idea of what you want to do, chances are it’s possible. Here are some examples:
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T-shirts and hats
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Jackets/hoodies/jackets with hoods
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Bags and shoes
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Pins and patches
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Electronics
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Accessories
The possibilities are endless!
LIVE ACTIVATIONS LIKE ON-SITE CUSTOMIZATION CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO BRING AN EVENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL, BUT KEEP THESE TIPS IN MIND TO ENSURE YOU GET THE MOST OUT OF IT!
Live activations are a great way to bring an event to the next level, but that doesn’t mean you should stick with just t-shirts. If you want your live customizations to really stand out, consider offering freebies like hats and bags. And if you’re going for a family-friendly event, be sure to make it clear that children can participate in these events as well.
Finally, when planning your customizations make sure they’re original! You want people to remember how much fun they had at this event—and if it was just another generic T-shirt station where everyone gets the same thing—no one will remember anything about your brand or event after it’s over… except maybe how boring it was!
