Solar power. Wind turbines. Renewable energy. All part of one big event.
When our team was first approached to develop and design creative for the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association’s (NCSEA) annual conference, we embraced the challenge. Working with a client to make the most of an event is right up our alley. From logo development to save-the-date cards, videos to programs and banners to social media, Contrast Creative is uniquely adept at managing every aspect of an integrated strategic campaign.
The NCSEA annual conference is no exception. Every contact with partners and potential attendees offers NCSEA another chance to deliver its message. The NCSEA’s “Making Energy Work” conference takes place annually and draws hundreds from several different fields: sustainable energy corporations, legislators, lobbyists and tech companies. Getting the word out about how to register for the event, how to preview conference speakers and what to expect over the two-day period was more complex than a simple brochure from yesteryear.
Develop long and short-term goals
Contrast Creative developed an ambitious plan that covered paper (a large postcard mailer), email (an email blast template) and social media strategy (leading up to the event and during the conference itself).
We collaborated with the NCSEA marketing team to create a production calendar that included each piece of the conference puzzle. First, we announced the conference registration on a conference-themed postcard mailer. Next, we began creating calendars and suggested content for social media posts on Facebook and LinkedIn leading up to the conference. We then began the longer-term project of the conference day program, including an over-arching theme and organized look for sectional divisions.
As the conference drew closer, we developed a Twitter conference-day strategy. By the first hour of the NCSEA conference, attendees were tweeting photos of the speakers, attendees and venue and connecting them to the event hashtags devised by the Contrast Creative team.
Speaking of energy… use yours to share your message across many platforms
– Maximizing your event involves communicating with your audiences in a variety of media. Today, printed snail mailers convey a sense of formality and caring that a quick, electronic message to hundreds may not. But to a busy executive, email may be the best way to reach out.
– The rat-a-tat-tat of fast-twitch social media can be a casual and fun way to share photos of what’s to come or reminders of the rapidly approaching event. And of course, you can’t beat social media for immediacy on event day.
– Twitter works best when multiple people within the conference tweet and an extended audience outside the conference responds. However, a barrier for some organizations is the lack of employee buy-in when it comes to social media. In a busy office, social media is often pushed to the back burner. Don’t make the mistake of compartmentalizing social media into the hands of one person. To increase employee commitment, consider offering a Twitter (or LinkedIn or Facebook or Instagram) primer in the period of time leading up to your event. If employees understand how to use social media and why it is important, your event’s impact will multiply.
Just like conference attendees… never stop learning and adapting
As you plan your next event, remember that people receive messages in different ways. As communicators, our job is to share information and reach people where they are. Whether through print, video or the Internet, we should continue to explore and adapt. We appreciated the opportunity to be an extension of the NCSEA team and were proud to be a part of its successful annual conference.