Event managers are always looking for new ways to maximize the impact of their events. In this digital age, don’t be too quick to dismiss print as a medium to increase the reach and engagement of your event. Whether you’re organizing your own event or are attending a conference, fair or show as an exhibitor or speaker, print products are a tried and true way of maximizing success.
The impact of an event is comprised of how much of your audience you reach. Also how the event is shared and covered online and offline. And the lasting effect it has on your audience, which will manifest itself in generated interest, conversions, sales, or feedback. Learn how you can use the reliable medium of print to maximize these three factors and increase the impact of your event.
How You Can Use Print Products For Events
We have summarized a few classic and creative ideas of how you can use posters and other printed items at your event to increase its impact. By no means are these efforts limited to the promotion before the actual fact. There are plenty of use-cases for print during and after your event as well.
Posters
Printed Posters are a classic form of advertising. That has been elevated to an art form by many great graphic designers. Thanks to bulk poster printing, this effective way of promoting your event offers you great quality and value at low-cost prices. Event posters work because they catch the attention of your audience.
Also display all the relevant information in a condensed yet clearly or cleverly arranged way and call the viewer to action in the environment of their daily life. Posters can easily be inserted into places where your attendees and the audience want to reach. As congregates, such as public spaces, venues, other events, or places of business or interest.
But by no means are posters only great for promoting your event. Their very format signals information, so you can easily employ them at the event venue to convey key facts to visitors, direct them to where you want them to go, and display your sponsors. Posters are the easiest and most cost-effective way to visually influence, design and transform an event space. Just be cautious of blinding your visitors with abundance or overload. An unusual and appealing design can draw attention, and you should balance posters and empty space.
Direct Mail
In the age of digital invites, sign-ups and attendee registration websites, direct mailings are still as effective as ever. A personalized, printed invitation for your audience is more likely to grab the attention of a potential ticket buyer than an email competing with hundreds of other items in the recipient’s inbox. A printed invitation establishes a physical connection and can harmonize beautifully with the rest of your printed material or branding.
Flyers, Leaflets, Brochures and Other Printed Items
Outstanding business cards are essential to have in stock for any event, but you will also need a lot of other printed hand-outs before and during your event. Flyers are still a great way to draw new attendees by giving them out at similar events or industry gatherings. Don’t focus on sales in these materials, but rather win the interest of future visitors with useful information and content, highlighting what they can gain by being at your event.
At your actual event, brochures and leaflets can provide maps, schedules, a program or overview of your speakers, a floor plan, an incentive to attend a certain lecture or booth, or anything else potentially interesting for visitors.
Design Your Event With Print
As we saw with posters, printed media are an impressive and effective way to set the stage. Signs, banners, displays and roll-up displays are all print products needed for booths or exhibitors and which are a great opportunity to apply the concept or idea of your event to print products. Did you know you can even print cardboard furniture and create whole booths with customized prints? And why stop there: If you are using Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality for your event, a customized printed smartphone holder (like Google Cardboard) is an excellent branding opportunity.
Increase Your Impact Beyond The Event
Don’t forget to remind attendees of your upcoming events, to sign up for your newsletter or complete a survey. Postcards and flyers again will sure come in hand here, and to remind people beyond the actual event of your message, give them something to take home. Many attendees actively hunt for swag (free giveaways) at events, so give them what they crave. Notebooks, sticky notes, stickers, bags, postcards, folders and other print products and all be creatively and easily customized to become collectibles. If you want to truly stand out, hand out printed cardboard that people can fold into useful or fun items such as hats, bags, boxes or toys. Or set up a 3D printing booth directly at your event to draw attention.
Tech It Up
As a successful event organizer, you are also enhancing impact and engagement for your event with an event website, mobile app, newsletter, online polls and surveys and other digital means. But the analog medium print for promoting and enhancing your event and digital event tools are not mutually exclusive. In fact, why not combine the two? Use QR codes on your posters, flyers, postcards and other print media to connect attendees to your event app or website. You can even take it one step further and use print for the gamification of your event.
Paste printed stickers with a QR code in predetermined locations of the venue and send visitors on a scavenger hunt where they can win prizes or unlock digital content. Facilitate check-ins at booths and crucial event locations with QR codes and signs reminding attendees to use their smartphones. You can link nearly anything: videos, WiFi, instructions, maps, downloads, surveys or sponsors.
Social Media and Engagement
Social media is essential in enhancing the impact of your event. Engaging your audience will create a positive experience which attendees are more likely to share. Regardless of the channels and networks where your audience is most active, you can dominate the event space with print media to engage attendees and facilitate social media shares. Create photo opportunities and booths, which also make great spaces to display your sponsors. Print can help design extraordinary displays and spaces at your event which people want to share. Also plan in the downtime of your visitors. Rest areas, spaces to recharge devices and the food court are great opportunities for visual appealing print design. As well as to promote your next event, survey, service sign-up or product registration with flyers, brochures, and other print products and point attendees to your own social channels.
Event Poster Design Tips
Posters are the centerpiece of your printed material for your event. An awesome poster design for your event can create buzz and attention during the promotional and registration phase. At your event itself, posters can become an eye-catcher through exceptional design. And maybe attendees event want to take them home as collectibles and swag. Know your audience and then find the right balance between headline, copy, images and logos. Colors, fonts and graphics should complement the information and provoke the desired emotion or reaction from viewers. Find out more about how to create buzz for your next event with awesome poster design. Or study some general poster design tips.
Summary: Get Creative To Maximize Event Impact With Print
Events are focusing so much on websites, apps, and digital tools to enhance the impact. Reach new visitors and engage participants that print is often given less or too little consideration. As an event organizer or marketer, you need to treat each case individually, of course. However, don’t overlook the merits of print design and promotion for your event, especially when you can combine them with other means as we’ve outlined. Posters and print products can work in a variety of great ways for increasing the impact of any event and communicate the message of your business.
Get a quote for bulk poster printing right here. And learn how we are able to offer great quality posters at such competitive prices.