Events marketing including cross-channel promotion of a new virtual conference, part of education offering of the attractions industry trade association IAAPA.
Background
How to convince members to attend a new virtual professional skills development conference in the time of endless Zoom calls and online meetings due to global pandemic?
International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) is a trade association representing over 6,000 amusement-industry members in more than 100 countries worldwide and operating several global attractions-industry trade shows.
Due to global COVID-19 pandemic the regional in person expos had to be cancelled. In order to continue supporting attractions industry members by offering them education, connections and exchange opportunities, IAAPA launched a new virtual education platform IAAPA Virtual Conference aimed at members from the EMEA and APAC regions.
Approach
In order to encourage registrations, while working as EMEA Marketing Lead collaborating and co-creating with my colleagues from both regions, I planned and implemented:
- Web presence on owned IAAPA channels including an event page with a link to registration platform, full agenda, speakers overview and FAQs; home page banner; promotion posts in daily and monthly member newsletters; company magazine and press releases.
- Email marketing aimed at members and prospects, with a variety of timely, generic but also job title specific emails, and including reminders for abandoned registrations audiences.
- Content approach in the shape of speakers session preview published as text and video blog articles aimed at undecided members (targeting prospects at various stages of their decisions journey).
- Social media organic and paid presence at various owned channels including announcement posts, session previews, quotes from those who decided to sign up (member to member referral marketing tactic).
- Trade media presence designed to reach and promote further via event calendars and website promos at different industry titles.
- Live social media updates including daily conference opening posts, acknowledgments of speakers and sponsors, quotes from speakers, and daily summaries of the event.
