RECAP: What I learned at MMCC 2013

Published by: Melissa Madigan, Marketing Coordinator, ACGI Software

At this year’s ASAE Marketing, Membership and Communications Conference, I picked up several useful tips from sessions covering association membership marketing, content marketing and communicating with the media and PR professionals.

One Learning Lab session that stood out to me was Powering Your Event Brand, hosted by these three event branding divas you’ll want to get to know!

• Alicia Auerswald of the International Sign Association
• Paige Cardwell of CSG Creative
• Angela Harar of The Vision Council

Brand management, communication and consistency are all critical elements of your event’s success. This session gave tips for defining your event brand to build loyalty, brand advocates and fuel the power of your event.

Key Takeaways of the Session

• Branding is the fulfillment of the unique promise a company or association makes to their customer.
• Know your customer market and do some research. Find out what’s working for them and how they perceive your message.
• “An expo is an experience, not just an event, which connects consumers with providers.”
• Get to know your attendees. How do they feel about your event? Why is this event important to them? Do they believe in your brand promise?
• Make sure your showcase presents the latest trends. Nobody cares about what was hot two years ago. Keep your brand current.
• Experiment with polls in newsletters and on social networks. Find out what customers will want to see at your event, but also ask abstract questions that could tell you more about their psyche like, “What keeps you up at night?”
• Capture event engagement on social networks. Have a staff member (or a few) in charge of reporting the highlights of the events by sharing photos, videos, tweets, and posts for others to “Like” and share!
• Immerse attendees in your brand on site with creative, unique displays and attractions. Examples might include:
  • Fun directional signage with lots of “pop” color and eye-catching graphics.
  • Creating a high-energy, welcoming atmosphere with your choice of decorations and entertainment. Consider hiring a DJ or small music ensemble to greet guests at the entrance.
  • Customer themed-lounge: Sports game? Holiday? Conference theme?
  • Vehicle, wall, or stall wraps with sponsor ads. That’s right, I said stall, meaning the restroom. This wouldn’t work for every conference, but we’ll leave the creativity up to you!
  • Hi-tech design elements: Photo booth, rotating signage, creative lighting.

We’ll be covering more topics related to marketing and branding, specifically for associations, in upcoming blogs. Missed us at MMCC 2013? No worries, we’ll be at ASAE’s 2013 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia in August. Hope to see you there!

Finally, we’d like to congratulate Lynda Roy! She stopped by our booth at MMCC and won a pair of Beats Solo HD headphones. If you missed your chance, be sure to visit us at our next event – CESSE, July 16-18, Providence, RI.

Photo Credit: ISA International Sign Expo