This document provides guidance on using social media and digital strategies to promote and engage audiences for events in the 21st century. It outlines core elements like an event website that is mobile compliant and a strong social media presence. It describes actions to take before an event like creating content plans and promo videos. During the event, it recommends livestreaming, using hashtags, and assigning an ambassador. After the event, it suggests responding to posts, releasing content packages, and continuing engagement over several weeks. The overall message is that digital strategies are crucial for events now and can increase engagement both during and long after the live event.

1. How Irish Pride and
Snap can work
together
21st Century Events
Promoting, & Running
Events In A Digital Age

2. WHAT WILL WE COVER?
• Why Are We Here?
• What Do You Need? (Core Elements)
• Driving Engagement For Events In The 21st Century
– Before The Event
– During The Event
– After The Event

3. WHY ARE WE HERE?
Source: http://www.eightytwenty.ie/blog/social-media-statistics-ireland-infographic/
(Apr 2013)
• The traditional way of planning,
promoting, running and
follow-up for events is DEAD
• Social Media has changed
the landscape
• It provides more
opportunity, and reduces
workload, but more competition
too

4. Source: http://www.eightytwenty.ie/blog/social-media-statistics-ireland-infographic/
(Apr 2013)
WHY ARE WE HERE?

5. On average
30% of visits
to Irish
websites are
by users on
mobile
devices
WHY ARE WE HERE?
Forget
Mobile
Web at
your Peril!
In 2011 smart phones out-sold
PC/Notebooks for the first time ever!

6. How Irish Pride and
Snap can work
together
No Mobile Website
=
Bad Customer Service
30% of 61%
=
18% Of All Visitors!
MOBILE VISITORS = HIGH EXPECTATIONS

7. Main Drivers For
Mobile Usage
Email & Social
Media...
Source: IDC March 2013

8. For Many,
Digital
Strategies For
Promoting
Events Is An
Afterthought
Let’s
Investigate
How We Might
Change That

9. Change Your Mindset – From This

10. Change Your Mindset – To This
+
+

11. THE
ENGAGEMENT
FUNNEL

12. CORE ELEMENTS
• Events Website
– Main site with account creation/sign up
– Sub sections with a “microsite" for each specific event
– Account creation captures contact information and allows you to
promote future events to everyone
– Account provides visitors with access to private area and registration
for individual events
– Ensure that it’s fully mobile compliant (Adaptive Design)

13. CORE ELEMENTS
• Strong Social Presence
– Setup accounts on relevant platforms:
• LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+, Slideshare, YouTube (public vids), Vimeo (private vids).
Perhaps even Facebook
• Where there is concern around opening a new channel, then create it just to
promote events
• Formalise your Social Policies (if not already done)
• Content Policies
• Nominated posters
• Approval Processes
• Management Platforms (Hootsuite, Sprout, Tweetdeck)
• Define tagging strategy
• #snapevents
• #webdesign
• #snapdigital
• In some cases tags may have inappropriate traffic/be too busy,
therefore use them but create your own (#snapwebdesign)

14. CORE ELEMENTS
• Webcast System
– Establish a system for delivering professional webcasts
– Ensure the webcast supports most advanced features
• Dual window for separate presentation and video feed
• Recording of event to downloadable and editable format
• IM during events

15. BEFORE
THE
EVENT

16. BEFORE THE EVENT
• Create theme for event
and design for sub sites
• Define hash tag/s for event
& promote them
• Create content plan on a
calendar
– Create events in LinkedIn, etc.
– Major points in slides are
tweets
– Major slides in presentations
are posts
– Use Hootsuite/similar to
schedule tweets/posts
– Send series of emails
– Send webcast link
• Create promo video/s for event
• Send email to all
invitee/registrants
• Track online discussions about
event with Google Alerts and
Mention
• Participate in discussions
• BE SURE THE FACILITY HAS
EXCELLENT INTERNET ACCESS AND
CAN COPE WITH HIGH TRAFFIC!!!

17. DURING
THE
EVENT

18. DURING THE EVENT
• Webcast the event for
registered users through
login portal
• Tweet in real-time
• Promote your #tag & ask
people to engage
– Put tags on all major
materials
– Add relevant tags in footer of
every slide
• Post/Send preview of day’s
events at the beginning of
event/each day
• Use a Go-Pro to create
Time-Lapse Video
• Post/Send highlights of day’s
speakers at the end of the
event/each day
• Assign a person as the Virtual
Attendee Ambassador
• Virtual attendees can ask
questions in real-time using IM,
#tag or @profile
• Intertwine these virtual questions
with the real ones
• Have a Twitter wall that shows all
tweets on one or more #tags
• Have a Photo-Opp Wall with
branding & #tag on it

19. AFTER THE EVENT

20. AFTER THE EVENT
• Respond to posts & tweets
• Reply to @ messages
• Follow those you feel are
influential in their fields
• Create content packages
– Documents
– Presentations
– Video highlights
– Full videos
– Twitter transcripts
• Load content to relevant sites
(Docstoc, Slideshare)
• Integrate feeds from 3rd party
platforms into site
• Release content in stages with
posts across all platforms to all
registered users and links back to
site/content
• Release it all over 2 to 4 weeks
following event
• Then create CD and send to
mailing list

21. AFTER THE EVENT
Don’t Be A Broadcaster!
If you want people to engage, you
have to engage with them
• Be sure to respond quickly to
questions and comments
• Respond to ALL questions and
comments
Remember that the event isn’t
over at the end of the day.

22. FINALLY
• Don’t worry if you can’t do everything from every stage
• Choose the most important elements for your business based on
your goals and capabilities
• But whatever you choose to do, do it completely
• Doing this will
– Create far larger engagement/attendance than you might have traditionally
– Create events that begin and end weeks before and after the event itself
– Reduce the need to chase/hound attendees

23. Franco De Bonis
Director Of Digital Marketing Services
Snap
franco@snapdmc.ie
01 905 2368
@sanitymarketing
www.linkedin.com/in/francodeboni
s