I'm planning an upcoming event. What is the best way to promote it?

As the weather gets warmer special events promoters and planners gear up for their Spring and Summer Festivals and other more seasonal special events.

From fashion shows to tradeshows, concerts to sporting events, wine, beer and music festivals, this is the time of year we begin to see a high demand for promotional items being used as a vehicle to advertise all kinds of upcoming events. Even weddings!

Custom Printed Beer Coasters in fact are one of the hottest least expensive promotional items on the market today. They are useful, unique and people love 'em! 

Regardless of the economy, typically the entertainment industry, in many of its forms and facets (generally speaking), always continues to thrive. So if you are thinking of trying your hand at special event promotion, or if you are already a seasoned pro, here are some suggestions that might help.

Spreading the word, finding sponsors, and reaching target audiences is not always an easy exercise. Costs associated with traditional advertising methods such as radio, television, and newspapers are very expensive. There are many effective ways for promoters to create and disseminate their information which include grassroots marketing techniques. Postering and handing out flyers first come to mind. Embracing new media such as blogs, websites, and social media have proven to be very powerful tools for promoters. Through the use of digital technology, you can create an effective marketing campaign tailored to and shared with target audiences.

Probably one of the cheapest ways to promote the awareness of an event is through social media. Social media networks (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs) are a powerful means to get the word out. How big your reach might also depend on the size of your personal network. So do keep in mind that there may be limits to who will view, engage and actually remember the event as it gets buried in amongst the crowd and clutter.

One consideration is to partner with those who have a large social media following. Find a local social media guru to help channel your online marketing efforts. Make sure you create a # hashtag for your event. Unlike email, most tweets are missed as they flow through the social streams of your audience. So tweet early and often. Social media may be time consuming, but worth every effort. If you have a nominal budget, Facebook and Twitter ads can also be very effective. If you have an even larger budget, Google Adwords may be something to seriously consider.  

Everybody has a digital camera with the capability to shoot video! You don't need to be an expert. Producing a short video that people will want to share online is a cheap and savvy way of getting the word out. With a nominal budget, it is highly recommended to hire a visual media producer who can put that professional touch on the final edit of your promo. Creating great visuals and sound will help drive people to your event. Videos can be leveraged everywhere from your social media event page, articles and your affiliates. They are easily uploaded to Youtube and Facebook, share away and share often! 

Give away tickets to create a buzz. Nothing motivates more than an opportunity to win something free!

Preparing for a special event or festival can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Give yourself enough lead up time to advertise, at least 4 to 6 weeks. Print flyers and posters. Try using different colors for flyers with different copy for the same event. Use original artwork and be creative and consistent. Focus on the visual and keep your ad text to a minimum if you can. Less is more.

Putting up posters in shop windows for events is a true, tried and tested way of advertising events. There is also an added benefit if you offer discount vouchers to store owners and mangers as payment for displaying your event.  Utilize sponsors such as restaurants, food delivery places, gas stations, banks and any other outlet you can think of to post your festival flyers as well as pass your flyers out with their product or deliveries. It’s also good to include sponsor information on promotional materials.

Some towns and cities have by-laws. Postering on exterior doors, columns, walls, windows, trees, light posts, sidewalks or exterior stairwells may not be allowed. Make sure you check about restrictions before you start taping and stapling in public spaces. Often there are designated areas, (bulletin boards etc) where you are allowed to post up flyers and posters. Talk to the city tourism office and/or the local Business Improvement Association (BIA) if there is one.

Media Sponsorship is a common way to plug your event using local radio, tv, websites and newspapers. In exchange you will need to pitch your event to the media in ways that it will also benefit them. In most cases you will position their logos on your promo items. Promotional items could include posters, flyers, t-shirts, banners, and COASTERS. That’s right COASTERS. We’ll get to that shortly.

Submit to local media outlets. Many media sites, especially the hyper-local news sites, let you post events.  Find these by searching Google for “event calendars” in your city.

Submit to industry associations. Industry and trade associations may also allow you to submit. If the event is relevant to their audience, ask if they will accept, post or promote events from outside organizations.

Regardless of budget size, every special event (concerts, festivals etc) can benefit from good exposure. The more often people see your name or logo, the more opportunity to spark interest and attract them to that event. Online, there exist a multitude of networks for event listings which provide information to visitors. Just Google them.

Send out special invitations, passes, and tickets to TV, radio, newspaper, and all other media sources you have utilized; set aside tickets reserved for artists' family and friends.

Contact artists' publicists, local radio stations, television stations, (local media personalities), daily newspapers, weekly entertainment zines, networking sites, and music sites (or other related genre suited to your special event/festival) to help spread the word and stimulate word-of-mouth. There are likely journalists who cover local events. Find them by searching for similar events in news websites. Contact them with an invite, press badge or offer of a relevant article. This could be an interview with a speaker or a guest blog post from you for their website. If you successfully get their attention, you may get a bit of press!

Dinner and drinks? There may not be such thing as a “free meal” so to speak, but people love food all the same. Invite your paying sponsors, speakers, influencers and members of the press for a night out before the event. This is a chance to bond and have some fun. If you try this, you’ll likely find people referring to the dinner conversation during the event. “We were just talking about this the other night…” Strong personal connections may lead to better cohesion on the big day.

Advertise where your audience is, not just where the event is. And always make sure you inform when the event starts and stops. An important element of special event marketing is to keep the information you’re presenting up-to-date. Ensure that listings and websites are current with event dates and schedules, upload recent photos if available, and keep sponsors happy by having their logos published on your site. 

Make sure you as the promoter and the host venue know who is doing what, when, why, and how. A simple, one page agreement should detail who does what and for how long. Do not ever work with a venue, band, or promoter without something signed by both parties explaining responsibilities.

Reserve your crew and technical equipment for the dates of your special event or festival. Be sure to hire experienced people and always always rent the best quality equipment you can afford.

If you are negotiating and booking artists for a music festival, always be sure to capture and record every detail, especially concerning money, riders, performance dates and times. Get each performer's set length in writing through a contract. Contracts are designed to protect both you and the artist.

If you’re hosting a major tour with its own crew, be helpful, be polite, and know when to get out of the way.

The following are promotional coasters manufactured for customers throughout North America.

The great thing about coasters is that they are DOUBLE-SIDED, so that means you have plenty of space to get the information across (time, dates, place) leaving lots of room for sponsorship logo placements etc.

Coaster Factory is North America’s premier beer coaster manufacturer, providing exceptional service and the highest quality custom coasters printed on premium European pulpboard.

High Quality, Coaster Printing, Colors & Materials: Our offset presses print FULL color (CMYK) on BOTH sides of your coasters (spot color is available). Not only do Coaster Factory's authentic European Pulpboard coasters effectively absorb spills, they’re lightweight, firm, and look great too!

Great Prices: We offer competitive pricing on any size coaster order, from 1,200 into the millions! We have standard value pack pricing for most common quantities and can provide quotes for larger or customized orders. Have your artwork, logo, picture or design printed full color on both sides with many size and custom shape options.

Fast Delivery: Need your coasters quickly? Whether your order is large or small, you'll receive your custom coasters fast. We offer standard as well as GUARANTEED RUSH production options (extra fees apply).

Your brand is the most powerful tool in your toolbox and coasters are a unique, useful and cost effective way to promote your product or message. The biggest brands have known this for a very long time!

Need a quote? Click over to our Custom Coaster Quote Form. See our coaster designs by viewing our online Coaster Factory Store. ​Check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section.

Do you have customization ideas you'd like to try? Talk to one of our representatives and we will look into it for you! Check out our stock library coaster shape pricing options!!