Creating More Inclusive Events

In the past, planning an event usually meant structuring it around the message that your team was hoping to get across, while focusing on aspects like brand personality and business objectives. While branding and marketing remain important aspects of creating any event, in the 2018 event space it’s becoming increasingly clear that it really can’t just be all about your business. In our eBook, the 6 Core Event Trends for 2018, we listed and discussed inclusive eventing as a trend to adopt this year, and here we will unpack how inclusive events can actually help you meet your brand and business objectives, without making your guests feel that they aren’t part of the bigger picture.

Championing Inclusivity

Inclusive eventing is about putting yourself in your guests’ shoes and planning your event to ensure that they receive the message without making them feel as if they’re out of their comfort zone. To make this happen, you need to ensure that from the start you’re centralising your message around your consumer. When you start putting your event together, ask yourself questions such as: What does my consumer like? Why would they come to my event? How can I best help them to consume our message? What’s in it for my guests? Have I considered the demographics and social behaviours of my guests? If you’re able to answer these questions through audience research, you’ll ensure that nobody gets left behind – and at the end of the day, guests who feel included are guests that turn into brand ambassadors.

Steering Away from Isolation

For a socially aware audience, it’s not about the numbers – whether it’s the size of the budget, or the size of the guest list. Instead, they’ll be interested in how clearly you’ve considered the details – from accommodating people in their spoken language at the event, to which guest speakers will be present, what entertainment has been hired, how you communicate with them, and even what catering alternatives are available for them. While they want to have a good time, in 2018 there’s definitely a focus on making sure that this isn’t at the expense of others. People want to feel special, but if you isolate a group through details like ticket prices, exclusive venues, or even providing information on a platform that isn’t easily accessible, you risk putting your event (and ultimately your brand) at a massive reputation disadvantage.

We know that isn’t the direction you plan on taking, so we’re here for you. If you need more advice on how to embrace inclusive eventing and kick ass while doing it in 2018, get in touch with us.