Artaaj Event’s Biju Jayaraaj and Flash Entertainment’s Mike Fairburn talk about how to get the most from your marketing event ideas, budget and plans.
Is regional marketing spend on events falling or rising? Why is this? Does the reach of social media herald their obsolescence?
Biju Jayaraaj Chief executive officer, Artaaj Event: "Yes, there has been an increase in spend on events. After the lows of 2009, clients are putting more emphasis on genuine ROI and higher conversion rate, rather than brand building or awareness.
Mike Fairburn Director, marketing and planning, FLASH Entertainment:" There was something like 350 major public events in the UAE last year and we're seeing more and more diversity, particularly from the arts, culture and entertainment sectors. At the recent Middle East Event Awards, the diversity and breadth of entries from across the region showed that the industry is very healthy indeed.
Does the reach of social media herald their obsolescence?
Biju Jayaraaj: "No, social media will not herald the obsolescence of events. On the contrary, social media is a tool which helps us in the promotion of events."
Mike Fairburn: "Absolutely not. Social media represents excellent value, but nothing is more powerful a tool of engagement, or exercise in loyalty building, than a rich, meaningful and quality event experience.
Of course it needs to be part of a broader marketing mix,engagement afforded by events is unique."
What value add do events offer marketers that ATL and BTL campaigns do not?
Biju Jayaraaj: "Events bring life to the brand and products, and establish the character of a brand. The touch and feel generated by events allows the brands to communicate at a personal level and ensure a positive disposition."
Mike Fairburn: "Events create positive memories that stay with people their entire lives.
The value is in this deeply rooted emotional and physical connection that can't really be replicated through other channels. Everyone has at least one cherished memory from an event spent with close friends, family or even sometimes strangers.The value is in this ‘experience effect', something other channels struggle to truly replicate."
How do you differentiate your event offerings from other companies?
Biju Jayaraaj: Our company is founded on the basic principles of honesty and humility. Artaaj comprises a group of professionals from diverse disciplines who work for themselves and this is what we believe gives us the edge."
Mike Fairburn: "We always talk about the‘quality customer experience'. It's really at the heart of everything we do. We listen to people and always look at ways we can improve our product because we want people to feel confident that when they come to a FLASH event they will receive a certain level of quality and care. We place great importance on this because we want people to trust us."
How do you measure an event's ROI to a paying client?
Biju Jayaraaj: "Return on investment is directly related to the objectives set beforehand by the client. Each event is unique and has its own set of objectives i.e., sales, brand building, awareness,etc. We do our best to strategise and optimise the event elements to meet these objectives effectively and efficiently."
Mike Fairburn: "It's a combination of hard data and qualitative research.
Try to understand what motivates your customers and the impact the event has had on certain perceptions through at-event and post-event surveys. The devil is in the detail. Analyse the micro and macro data, looking at everything from economic impact, through to reach and awareness measures."
