Your objective — to attract as many attendees as possible to your banquet. Easy peasy, right? Of course it’s not that simple. A lot of hard work goes into planning your banquet. To ensure optimal attendance and a memorable experience, that should include branding the event itself.
Q. Why is it important to brand an event such as a banquet?
A. Whether your banquet is meant to engage new prospects or show appreciation for existing customers, properly branding the event brings value to your business. By creating a banquet theme, choosing colors, designing a logo, and determining messaging (all of which should reflect the qualities and mission of your existing company brand), your banquet will go a long way toward increasing your brand’s value, encouraging company interaction, and building market share.
Q. Where do I start?
A. Start with the purpose of the banquet. Are you launching a new product or service? Thanking existing customers for their continued loyalty and patronage? Fund raising for a cause? Your purpose or “big idea” will guide your theme. Remember to keep marketing and advertising materials consistent with your company brand. That means that although a logo for the event will differ from the company logo, the colors, design, and style should possess a similar look and feel with your existing company brand.
Q. Are there other questions I should consider when branding my banquet?
A. Whenever a customer or client makes contact with your company at a function, such as a banquet, they are interacting with your brand. As such, the banquet brand must reflect all the same attributes as your organization’s brand to underscore the guests’ experience. With that in mind, ask yourself these questions: What is the brand name of the event? Will it be held annually? Will there be consistent brand elements that run like a thread through the event year after year? For example, will the event always kick-off with a message from the company CEO or incorporate a silent auction into the evening? Would a brand ambassador create a buzz? For example, a celebrity who is willing to endorse or host the event?
Q. What should be branded?
A. Once you’ve chosen the design elements and tagline, use them on everything — ads, invitations, programs, badges, brochures, web sites, emails, signage, social media, pens, notepads, and posters. Think about creating a branded event app for mobile devices that allows for invitations, RSVP capability, communication, directions to the event, real-time messaging, and follow-up messaging to offer thanks and encourage further engagement.
Q. What are some creative ways to show off my brand at a banquet?
A. Project your image digitally onto the wall or a dance floor. (This has the added bonus of saving you the cost of printing for posters and banners.) Consider creating some goodies that display your brand, such as cupcakes or cookies, or a signature drink. (Either a cocktail or a soft drink, depending upon your guests.) Assemble branded swag bags with take-home trinkets that have also been branded. Is your event focused on growth? Place seeds in a branded take-home bag for guests to plant — an evergreen reminder of your event. Or make your brand a part of the décor, incorporating it into the centerpieces or guest favors.
Branding your banquet will require time, energy, creativity, and no small portion of your budget. In the end, the enhanced and unforgettable experience your guests enjoy will make it all worth it.
