Case Studies: How innovation and creative marketing will support events to bounce back

In this article, we share inspiring case studies from around the world, where innovation, creativity and passion is allowing the events and entertainment sector to maintain enthusiasm, connection and loyalty with their community. The very thing that we feel will ensure a successful and speedy bounce back post COVID-19.

SUPPORT YOUR TRIBE

Managing cash flow and financial viability is critical and top of mind for all events right now; many of you are in survival mode as you navigate this crisis to find your way to the other side without going bankrupt. No doubt it is a dark and scary time to work through.

As you navigate this financial crisis, follow the #1 motto in event marketing – look after your customer! 

During a crisis we might think it’s best to turn off all marketing and go dark, when we should do the opposite. We should look for innovative and creative ways to engage our community to ensure that when we do get through this, we have our loyal advocates to help us bounce back more easily.

Remember, your customers and tribe are not only those who have pre-purchased tickets or attend your event each year; they are also your sponsors, suppliers, volunteers, and locals – treat them all as loyal advocates.

Open, transparent and regular communication

Open and transparent communication with your customers at this time is key, along with consistent and clear messaging. 

What does your community want to know right off the bat? Customers of online event ticketing site Festicket are asking

• whether festivals that are postponed will have the same lineup at the rearranged date 

• whether they are entitled to a refund if they can’t make the new date 

• whether travel and accommodation will be refunded or valid for the rescheduled date

To refund or not to refund?

Annie Mac Presents Lost and Found Festival in Malta developed a goodwill incentive policy for fans happy to attend their postponed-until-September event. Ticket holders can keep their ticket and receive €40 drinks vouchers on arrival at the September event, use their ticket at the 2021 event with a complimentary €40 drinks credit, or get a refund for the value of their ticket. The festival’s flexible approach has been well received amongst fans. 

Your postponement announcement

Have you informed your customers of your plans? 
Have you eased their fears and concerns by simply sending them an email or phoning important stakeholders to explain how you are navigating this? 

Honesty is always greatly appreciated. There is a lot of understanding from the public in this crisis. People are rallying around local businesses and this goodwill is likely to extend to events if a strong bond has been formed and communication is handled well.

If you haven’t gone out with a postponement/cancellation message yet, READ THIS so you don’t miss out on an amazing opportunity: learn how to include a call to action in your announcement so your fans know exactly how they can keep engaging with your event. 
 

Big Red Bash’s Festival Director posted a long and well-thought through communication and explanation on their decision to postpone making a decision about the 2020 Bash:

“Big Red Bash is nearly four months away – and we are not going to rush into making any final decisions about this year’s event. Our team is working calmly through a wide range of issues and assessing the COVID-19 situation as it evolves day-to-day...A final decision will be made on the 24th April, 2020, at the very latest...We hope April 24th, which is over 10 weeks before the event, is a reasonable timeframe for most people.”

Read the whole communication here  (Also, notice when you visit the Big Red Bash a pop-up window opens first thing inviting you to stay up to date with festival news by subscribing to their newsletter).

Kingaroy Baconfest brought their team together to make a great funny video announcement of their postponement. They managed to bond through fun, add lighthearted references to the reason for the postponement and community safety, as well as support their major sponsor.

POST COVID - ARE YOU READY?

Events have the BIGGEST opportunity coming in a few months (or weeks - we really don’t know how long!) thanks to isolation and social distancing – imagine millions of caged social animals (aka humans) just waiting to get out to socialise, to enjoy live entertainment, and to travel on the other side of COVID-19.  You will be turning people away as they seek connection and live entertainment. 

Are you ready for this? 
How will you ensure your community are looked after when this happens? 
How will you acknowledge and support those who have stood by you in this crisis?
Do you have a marketing strategy in place and ready to activate for when restrictions are lifted?

Don’t leave this until the last minute and miss any opportunities (especially as the event space will be pretty crowded with lots of postponed events). 

THE OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW

Right now, millions of people don’t have much better to do than scroll on their devices, watch videos on YouTube, and socialise online - this presents a massive opportunity for events! 

Don’t turn off your marketing and go dark for a few months. Adjust and refocus on digital marketing to leverage this worldwide digital consumption. 

We are all sick of doom and gloom, so positive news and inspirational content that allows folks to imagine life post COVID-19 isolation will be eaten up!

For example, share with your event fans backstage stories about your performers, entertainers and speakers, and curated playlists of their music regularly over the next few weeks to maintain a strong presence and fan following. Can you run a competition to increase your newsletter subscriptions with festival merch as the prize? While increasing your ability to communicate with your fans, you’ll also have your billboard on people’s backs! 

Community

We encourage you to start thinking about how you can provide opportunities for your community during this period of isolation. Be agile and adjust – we know that events are good at this! More than ever you need to enact these skills and qualities now.

We know events are typically live experiences but this is where you can use your creativity to think about what you can be doing to support your community. Rather than turning your festival into a virtual event, you may consider small exclusive virtual experiences for those who have decided to hold onto their pre-paid tickets, such as an intimate live Facebook experience with one of your artists. 

The events sector has an opportunity to be innovative and creative in looking for opportunities to remain relevant and to support their community. 

A sweet example of this is this small town agricultural show in Crows Nest, QLD. 

Thinking of your supplier community, can your event give back to some of the many who have lost months of work? Help your entertainers find new audiences by sharing their music/writing/art/playlists and websites so people can purchase their work.

INSPIRING EXAMPLES

Here we whet your brainstorming with inspiring examples from around the world.

Create a worldwide hug

Pub Choir normally draws hundreds of people together in pubs to learn harmonies and record popular songs. For Couch Choir, singers were encouraged to visit the Pub Choir Facebook where three videos of different harmonies of The Carpenters' Close to You were published so participants could record themselves singing at home. A compilation of 1,000 clips resulted which has had more than a million views on Facebook (!)   

Imagine your event tapping into that big of an audience! Plus, the choir director said the experience of receiving the 1,000 videos was like “unwrapping a beautiful, personal, virtual hug” with each video – we bet you could use a few hugs right now!

Innovate to tap into a new, previously-excluded audience

Open gardens event Sydney Edible Garden Trail went online last weekend with Gardening Australia’s Costa Georgiadis doing the whole tour on live/recorded video. This means edible garden fans from around the world, not just Sydney, can now take part in the garden tour – and for just $5! Virtual ticket holders get the added benefit of joining an exclusive Facebook group to connect with other edible garden fans.    

Take your event online

Digital Utilities conference has been moved online to be able to give their niche audience the info they’re looking for. They’ve worked out how to create an online event that will deliver the content, keep audiences engaged, and provide ways for the audience to engage with speakers. While person-to-person networking – an extremely valuable benefit of attending physical events – was lost, the event organisers turned this into an opportunity to create an online community.

Find out how his team was set free to find a platform, rejig the agenda to make it online-friendly, work with speakers to ensure their presentations could be delivered digitally, and find a suitable tool to actually deliver the content. 

Voice of the Car Summit is another trade event heading online.

Take your music festival online – yes, it can be amazing!

Portugal’s Festival #EuFicoEmCasa (#IStayAtHome) brought fans 40 hours of music from almost 80 artists, live streamed direct to fans from the artists’ homes via Instagram. The new Instagram page garnered almost 290,000 followers, demonstrating the huge appetite for interesting content.

Last weekend, over 70 artists performed 20-minute livestreamed sets from their bedrooms and lounges as part of the two-day Isol-Aid “socially (media) distanced music festival”. Thousands tuned in throughout the day to watch extra-special sets by Aussie musos of hits, unreleased tracks and covers of other artists from the safety of their homes.

Can an online music festival ever really be any good? One artist showed up post-bath in a towel and dressing gown. Others played outside. One used a filter to become a talking pickle and performed with back-up dancers. The short answer, then, is yes.

And the Instagram Live-based fest is on again this weekend with a lineup that includes Jen Cloher, Egoism, Emily Wurramara and Loose Tooth. 

Use tech to achieve your aims and meet your attendees’ needs

Ironman is going virtual with a platform to facilitate training, build community and allow racing. The professional program will be broadcast live on Facebook. All this while raising funds for communities around the world! Anything is possible - anywhere.

Please leave a comment on how your event is reinventing itself, or share an inspiring or innovative example you have seen of an event coping with the COVID-19 crisis.