Should You Rebrand Your Event?
4 Things to Consider When You Are Looking to Refresh Your Event
Every great event planner recognizes the need for an occasional face-lift when it comes to keeping their events fresh and new. However, some situations call for a complete event overhaul; perhaps you’ve worn out ‘what’s always worked’, or you’re starting to lose attendees or interest year over year. No matter the case, rebranding your event is a great way to reach a brand new audience and keep your event exciting and appealing to your current attendees.
The prospect of rebranding something you’ve poured blood, sweat, and tears into can be daunting; it might have taken a while to find a winning formula that’s worked for years. Knowing that, it could take a while to figure out a rebrand strategy as well – and that’s OK!
When weighing the pros and cons of an event rebrand, it’s important to take a variety of factors into consideration. These four tips will help you to determine whether or not it’s time to rebrand your event:
1. What Will Your Audience Think?
Will a total rebrand of your event throw your audience for a loop? Will you still have the brand recognition you’ve worked so hard to achieve? These questions are great ones to ask yourself when considering an event rebrand. It’s important to ensure that your overall brand story still makes sense despite some other significant changes. Take all feedback you’ve gathered from your event attendees and assess whether or not a rebrand is in order – and how your current audience will react.
2. Can You Keep Your Sponsors Happy?
You’ve probably developed several relationships with partners over the years who see so many benefits from joining your sponsorship lineup. These companies are an integral part of the success of your events – so it’s incredibly important to make sure that you’ll be able to rely on these partnerships during the rebrand. Do your current exhibitors still make sense with the new vision of your event? Does your rebrand allow for an expansion of your sponsor lineup? Consider these factors when determining whether or not a rebrand is in the cards.
3. How Clear Is Your Messaging?
How do you want your audiences – both new and old – to interpret the purpose of your events? Perhaps you want the overall messaging will focus on just a few specific, honed-in topics, or inversely, touch on a wider variety. Or, you may be looking into reaching new industries or job titles. Once you assess the overall messaging you’ve been offering and define where the new possibilities are, you can then determine whether or not a rebrand of your event would be well-received among your audience.
4. How Will You Execute Your Rebrand Strategies?
One of the main components of rebranding is updating websites, apps, and collateral – a daunting task for any company. How will your new materials look? How long will it take to design? Are you able to stay within budget? No doubt that all of these questions run through the head of any event professional, and can be a tall order for any brand team. Using event management software can streamline design and brand components – no coding experience required. You’ve got enough on your plate when considering a rebrand; why not make it simpler with quick technology at your fingertips?
Event rebranding doesn’t happen overnight, nor should it. You’ve worked hard to build your event and have put a lot of thought into what makes it a place that draws your audience. It’s just as important to think about all of the possibilities that comes with a rebrand – the good possibilities and the bad possibilities.
