[INDUSTRY HACKS] HOW TO MAKE YOUR EVENT GO VIRAL

[INDUSTRY HACKS] HOW TO MAKE YOUR EVENT GO VIRAL

Having your event go viral is every event organiser’s dream but it is no small achievement to have hundreds of people talking together about your soiree. It takes months of planning, organizing and foresight to create an opportunity that entices people to post snippets and opinions around your event and simply having a facebook or Instagram page doesn’t cut it anymore.

You need to be able to catch the pulse of the market and of your audience to successfully organize an event that is trending and memorable. We understand how crucial it is for an event planner to manage vendors, exhibitors, speakers, venue and itineraries and ensuring social media buzz can be daunting. We have compiled a few industry hacks to help you achieve this feat, such as:

1. EVENT THEME: Attendees are usually not motivated to post about events that are boring or have lackluster offerings such as hardware tools, cleaning supplies, construction equipment etc. unless there’s more meat than just display stalls or stands. Before creating a hashtag or having a social hub, you need to present a theme or topic that is catchy for the attendees and will have them talking about your event. Themes could range from popular movie franchises including superheroes, AI etc. to current affairs including space shuttles or impending elections.People are more likely to notice these elements and post about them helping your event go higher on the viral meter.
2. INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY OR TECHNIQUES: Even if you are limited in terms of event theme or topic, having innovative technology such as video walls, Giant iTabs, touchscreen kiosks and virtual reality experiences can help elevate conversation surrounding your event.

3. TAPPING INTO A SOCIALLY ACTIVE AUDIENCE: You may be able to tick all the boxes for an event to be viral but if the attendees are not tech-savvy or aware about social media tools, your efforts may not reap as much success as you want. It is always a good idea to do a simple assessment of your audience’s interests and social media behavior before creating the marketing strategy for your event. You can also look at offering pre-event or behind-the-scenes footage to online communities/influencers appropriate to the event.

4. PIGGY-BACKING ON THE SPEAKER’S FOLLOWER BASE: If you have a noted speaker(s) at your event, you do not want the miss the opportunity to include their presence as part of your promotions as their followers can help spread the word and add to event mentions and tags.

5. TAG, TAG, TAG: You may have the best content, most amazing photographs or high followership, if you are not tagging the right people, your content is not getting anywhere. It is extremely essential to tag all relevant parties including speakers, venue, vendors, influencers, online communities and celebrities present to take your event to the next level.

We hope that the above tips come in handy while you are charting a promotion strategy for your event and do not lose hope even if your event runs into a crisis or bad publicity. Sometimes the most viral content comes from the biggest fails, so keep your fingers crossed but don’t lose faith even if you are on a sinking ship.

Shamli Pal is the Digital Communications Specialist at MCR Rental Solutions and has over 10 years’ multinational experience under her belt. She enjoys travelling, reading, cooking and spending time with her toddler.