11 Qualities Your Event Marketer Must Have

As I complete my own event projects and observe others, I often ruminate about what it takes to make a great event marketer. Given the difficulty in getting attendance for events, I find that good event marketers are becoming as rare as good event sales people. And I know this because I am frequently asked for recommendations.

Here’s what I think makes the ultimate event marketer, in no particular order:


1) Great Attitude

A good event marketer has a great attitude, even when things are not going well. This means someone who will ‘fill in the gaps’, i.e. doing things that need to be done without being explicitly asked, and doing so without complaining.


2) Hard Working

Someone who can and will work beyond the 9-to-5 when necessary to get the job done.


3) Fixated on the goal, with the ability to see the current position vis-a-vis that goal

I often see event marketers who are focused on the marketing process, rather than the goal (usually the number of attendees/visitors and/or attendee/visitor revenue). A strong event marketer can also accurately forecast where the numbers are heading and can take new or corrective actions, as necessary.


4) Creative

This is someone who can start a new marketing plan from scratch, or, given an existing plan, can introduce new creative elements to accentuate what has worked before.


5) A “Translator”

One of the new terms I am ‘playing with’ is the concept of a “translator.” This is someone who can make something where nothing previously existed – much like an interpreter can take an incomprehensible sentence from another language and express it in ways you can understand. In terms of event marketing this could include:

  • Pulling together disparate resources that might be incomplete or not functioning properly –such as ‘dirty’ databases, ‘difficult’ websites, or an incomplete social media presence – and getting them to function properly.
  • Convert strategy into tactics – Rarely have I found marketing people who are both strategic and tactical. It’s usually one or the other.  What I mean here is the ability to take the strategy and correctly build a series of ‘micro-actions’ that get the desired results in terms of attendance and attendee revenue.

 

6) Smart enough to know when to change the plan and when to stay the course

This is where event marketing can be transformed from science to art. When a marketer is not hitting the milestones, this means knowing what actions to stop and what to add. Should he/she stay the course, confident that the strategy and tactics will pan out eventually? And what about convincing the boss that the course recommended is the right one?

 

7) Knowledgeable about what technology to try and what to avoid

We all are bombarded by the latest technology solution. How does the marketer know which ones to integrate into the plan and at what point?  They should be well versed in event technology and what can contribute to success.  They are wary of “shiny new toys” whose appeal is only that they are shiny and new.

 

8) Budget-conscious

In addition to being focused on attendee and attendee revenue, our event marketer is aware of – and able to manage to – a marketing budget.

 

9) Understands the target audience, as derived from attendee personas

Our marketer knows the perfect attendee, with ideas about the prospective attendee interests and behavior that can be built into a marketing plan that targets attendee wants and needs. If not, a marketer of the right caliber can develop the data needed to do so.

 

10) Does not give up

This kind of marketer does not surrender when the going gets tough. In those circumstances, they’re ready with – or hard at work developing – a plan B/C/D, etc. This a person you want in your ‘foxhole’.

 

11) Keeps everything on time

The marketing person is like a drummer in a band who keeps the beat – someone who maintains the pace of activities as outlined in the original plan. Does your marketer do this or are you frequently asking for a status on items that you know should be done?

 

In the 20+ years that I have been in the business, I have developed a huge amount of respect for those who perform the marketing function. This is partially because the marketing role (the execution of tactical plans, pulling of lists, designing brochures, setting up websites, etc.) is the only part of the event business that I haven’t done personally. Fortunately, I’ve been lucky to work with and observe some of the best in the business, so I have seen the signs of success and failure in drawing and maintaining an audience.

 

The difference between a marketer who has most of these qualities and one who has only a few can mean the failure or success of your event, so choose (train) wisely.

 

Good luck with your efforts…..

 

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One Response

  1. I just walked out of a conversation on this topic and saw your post. One thing I would add to your list is the ability to speak "marketing speak." A good event marketer needs to be able to take information and facts and turn them into compelling messaging that engages the reader and makes them see why they must attend your event. This is something my company has always struggled with and the lack of this causes great frustration to the rest of our events team.

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