Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1175418
10.10.19 15 BUSINESS YOUR brand can flourish in so many ways outside of traditional marketing and advertising. One of these ways is through event marketing. Event attendance can in- crease the noise surrounding your com- pany and draw more attention to your brand. It can also increase the likelihood of media coverage, social media mentions and sales leads. Ultimately, all of these wonderful measures of success can generate reve- nue, but hosting company events is so much more valuable than just dollar signs. Here's why your company should con- sider investing time into putting on events. Improving company culture Teams are often so focused on results in the office that each team member doesn't always get a chance to talk about ideas to other employees. Despite the fact that the teams at our agency regularly hold brainstorms and collaborative strategic sessions, there are only so many hours in the day and gem ideas aren't always generated on the spot. In a work-related setting outside of ac- tual office hours, team members attend- ing will be able to hash out thoughts that they can then bring back to regular office hours in the coming days. In a research study conducted by Ben Waber, Jennifer Magnolfi and Greg Lindsay, and published in the Harvard Business Review, it was found that part of being a "workspace that moves peo- ple" requires encounters and interac- tions outside of the typical day-to-day. ey found that "chance encounters and interactions between knowledge workers improve performance." When prompting the sort of collab- oration and creativity that could go on at your company's event, you can strengthen your teams and the way they'll operate moving forward. Strengthening client relationships Hosting an event allows you to get your current and prospective clients in the building, and grow relationships with them in ways you wouldn't on a regular basis. When you're working with partners over the phone, via email, or even in a more formal meeting setting, you're mostly focused on productivity, return on investment and long-term goals -- generally not wacky, out-of-left-field ideas that can be goldmines. Meeting at a company-hosted event allows you and partners to de-arm, and you can discuss mutual growth and how you'll both benefit from your part- nerships. Our clients attend our happy hours, which has led to closer connec- tions and client-to-company relation- ships. We're able to better understand what the brands we work with do and what they want from us, and they're able to better understand what we do and what we want from them. Bonding with co-workers outside of day-to-day work It can be a real challenge to have a meeting with your co-workers from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. about topics unrelated to work, as you're busy and focused on ac- complishing the tasks that need to be finished every day. For bigger teams with hundreds of employees, meeting with all of them on a regular basis is just not fea- sible. Company events give you an oppor- tunity to create strong bonds with your teams on a personal level and learn about their interests outside of work. Building brand recognition Events can increase the buzz around your organization. One of our former clients, Red Bull, does an amazing job of hosting events to increase brand aware- ness. It holds mountain biking events in Utah, dance competitions all over the United States, and sponsors profession- al athletes -- from surfers to fencers. Without hosting all of these events and sponsoring all of these athletes, Red Bull would simply be an energy drink. When we first started hosting happy hours, many people didn't know about us as a brand. We generated about 20-30 attendees, half of which were our own employees. Now we have around 250 attendees -- vendors, clients, prospective clients, journalists from various media publica- tions, and Silicon Beach thought leader- ship teams -- which are mostly based on referrals and word of mouth. To start promoting your events, I'd rec- ommend using partner and community sites, which we used to do. Make sure to target communities that share mutual interest and passion in your industry. Establishing relationships, learning within your industry I attend other companies' events be- cause I'm genuinely interested in learn- ing whatever I can about emerging trends and tactics in my industry. You want to leave an event feeling inspired, with some new ideas up your sleeve to improve your work and your company's work down the road. You should host these events to help people in your industry learn from other industry leaders. ey can be helpful and make you better at your job. In addition to the satisfaction and grat- ification you'll likely feel after your event, you'll hopefully be able to see measura- ble success in brand building through the likes of media coverage, social mentions, sales leads, and maybe even a future em- ployee or two you'll want to bring on. Events are really for enjoyment, meet- ing people who have similar goals and challenges as you, in a unique environ- ment bound together by marketing and advertising. e thought leadership taking place creates space for you to grow within your own career, and who doesn't strive to be the best they can possibly be at what they do? It's a no-brainer. Why your company should consider throwing events