Presentation done at the 2011 Events Nova Scotia Conference.

1. The changing face of Event
Marketing
Sean Williams
November 2, 2011

2. Flow for the hour
• Introduction
• The Canadian Digital Landscape
• Some interesting examples
• Going forward

3. Who is this guy?
• I’ve been in marketing for almost 20 years
• Done the ‘big’ agency thing (i.e. Leo Burnett,
Dentsu, etc.) and worked for companies in
marketing/sales roles (i.e. Nikon and Molson)
• Set up ‘marketing consultancy’ business in 2007
• Clients in retail, tourism, automotive, higher
education, telecommunications, and of course,
events
• Offers strategic counsel, as well as a variety
marketing and communication services
• Holistic approach with endless resources

4. What I’m hoping to achieve this afternoon
1. Put forward some relevant information
regarding the ‘digital landscape’ in
Canada
2. Highlight some ‘industry’ references
3. Offer some advice and suggestions
moving forward

5. Claim
I’m happy to report that this is a compilation of
‘Canadian’ specific data from a variety of sources.
This compilation of data means the information
may not always correlate.
Also, additional sources of ‘proprietary’ or custom
data should be sought to confirm numbers given
here before using them for business planning
purposes.

6. The digital world
http://www.youtube.c
om/user/Socialnomics
09#p/u/5/x0EnhXn5b
oM

7. What’s happening in Canada

8. We’re a pretty active bunch... online

9. We are social beings

10. Usage just keeps going up

11. How things look based on age

12. Where we converse, share, and view

13. We LOVE facebook
Over 16.5 million
Canadians are on
2011 Checkfacebook.com

14. It’s our top online destination

15. It’s not just for young people

16. Canadians like video too
Every month, 71%
of Canadian
Internet users visit
2011 comScore

17. We consume a lot

18. Monthly activity with video

19. We tweet...
2010 website-monitoring.com

20. ...but it’s not for everyone
2011 Little Fish, Big Pond Blog

21. Social networks are key news sources
Apr. 2011 CMRC

22. It’s also where we engage and ‘like’
48% of Canadians with social
networking profiles ‘like’ or ‘follow’
at least one brand or company
Of this group, they follow an avg. of
6.7 brands
2011 Ipsos Reid

23. We also like our ‘smart’ phones
Q4. Do you have a regular cellular phone or do you have a
smartphone? Base: All respondents; n=2,003
2011 Quorus Consulting

24. What do we use them for
Q9. Which of the following activities do you do on your cell phone? (Prompted questions)
2011 Quorus Consulting

25. We still enjoy ‘traditional’ media

26. ‘Locally’, we’re engaged by TV and the internet
61.3
11.4
6.8 7.1 8.3
1.7
Television Radio Newspaper Magazines Internet Out of home
Q: Which ONE of the following media carries advertising that you believe to be the most engaging?
Source: BBM Analytics OmniVU May 2011 – Atlantic Canadians 18+

27. What does this all mean
• People are connected most of the time
• Social networks are here to stay
– They’re more than just ‘social’ networks
– If you can get them to ‘like’ you, you’re in
• It’s not just facebook
• Video, video, video
• Mobile devices are ‘smarter’ and aren’t
just for talking
• Traditional media is still relevant

28. Industry examples

29. Juno Awards

30. Juno Awards
• One of Canada’s top events
• In all key social media channels with an
ongoing presence
• Is for everyone and embraces everyone
– Has a lot of facebook posts and retweets
• Wasn’t too active on facebook or twitter
during 2011 event
• Site doesn’t feature social media buttons
(under ‘Media’)

31. Bust a Move
http://www.youtube.c
om/user/bustamovehf
x#p/u/36/AQg98H-
VwBs

32. Bust a Move
• A relatively new event to the Halifax
market
• Arranged a unique ‘launch’ event that
went viral
– Over 28,000 views of one video
• Used social media to generate PR and
‘word of mouth’
• Event continues to evolve and uses a
variety of social media tools
• Halifax website could be more engaging

33. Halifax Pop Explosion

34. Halifax Pop Explosion
• Looking to elevate their presence in the
market
• Active and integrated across all digital
channels (i.e. social media)
• Reported ‘real-time’ during event
• Garnered a lot of ‘talk’ and saw a high
level of interaction
– Posted a follow-up survey
• Achieved great results this year – best so
far

35. Going forward

36. Why should you use social media
• An effective tool to add to your marketing mix
– it’s one of many pieces
• Tools are free – the thinking and resources
cost money
• Get a read on people – pre, during and after
event
• Gage your success and/or reputation
• Support stakeholder involvement and
sponsorship activation
• Connects to those that want or plan to attend

37. How to use social media
• Chose the right channels (don’t tweet for
the sake of tweeting)
• Include some sort of promotional twist
• Sign-up or register ‘socially’
• Report ‘real-time’
• Engage those not in attendance
• Keep going... after the event
• Ask for input

38. Now what?
Talk to your ‘customers’ – find out how best to engage them
Map out a plan – strategy, goals, content, tools, resources,
tracking, KPIs, etc.
Don’t disregard the past – there are tools you’ve used in the
past that have worked
Start slow – don’t overwhelm yourself with social media ‘toys
and tricks’
Listen, engage and act – the worst thing you can do is
nothing
Revisit and adjust – if it’s not working, change it

39. Thank you
sean@williamsmarketing.ca
facebook.com/swmgroup
@swmgroup
linkedin.com/in/seanwillliams
Google+ (Sean Williams)
seanwilliamsmarketinggroup.tumblr.com