Instagram: the new tool to market your event/brand

Since being acquired by Facebook in 2012, Instagram has taken off like a rocket. In many ways, it is the perfect social media platform for the modern generation. It’s mobile-friendly, easy to navigate and it allows users to share their universe rather quickly. It is also the new trendy and efficient tool for companies to communicate on the one hand and to interact with their followers on the other hand. Following this wave, Pinterest, Tumblr and others rushed into that opportunity.

Indeed, Instagram is generally known as the image equivalent to more text-based platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Images can be posted with captions and hashtags to provide additional information. Instagram also allows users to upload 15-second video clips.

Advantages of using Instagram for events or brands

At first glance, Instagram is thus not a traditional way to communicate, especially for events. But it has proven to be a social media platform that helps businesses engage current customers and attract new ones.

Firstly, it is a fast way to communicate with users as they are always connected on their Instagram account on the go.

Secondly, it is an innovative way to grasp the audience attention with behind-the-scene pictures or teasing videos. Interaction with audience is made possible thanks to Instagram walls and thus raises engagement from the event participants and from Instagram subscribers of the brand.

Instagram is the perfect way to promote products like for Starbucks which has 100.000 likes for each published picture. Each picture posted is spread on the net and highlighted by Starbucks followers. Indeed, Starbucks strategy is based on shares and clients’ participation widening its audience as more people can see its posts shared and spread by other accounts of social networks.

Thirdly, hashtags can make your event unique and easily fundable; it is an easy way for clients to communicate on your brand/event and for you to get detailed analytics to evaluate the popularity of the brand/event.

Fourthly, Instagram allows to reach a younger audience. In 2015, more than half of Instagram users were under 30.

Fifthly, thanks to sponsored posts and user generated content, Instagram allows a better visibility of your brand/event. Thus this specific social media can help

Finally, Instagram video ads are an effective tool to give your audience a sneak peek of the ambiance and atmosphere of your event.

Examples of successful Instagram campaign for events:

For the 350 years of Saint Gobain, the 200 000 people company celebrated all around the world its anniversary thanks to a Social Wall powered by Dialogfeed live. On several screens, it displayed Instagram posts and photos from public audience in full screen. Saint Gobain staff all around the world shared a drink and some food around this social wall. Public and employee photos were shown on social walls in all the different offices of Saint Gobain and on the web worlwide.

Image from Saint Gobain Instagram Social Wall

Barack Obama also took a large benefit from Internet and social media. As far as Instagram is concerned, with his 1.4 million followers, Obama posted from 10 to 20 pictures per month. These pictures were high-quality and showed important instants of his campaign (prospectus, moments of complicity with Michelle Obama and his daughters, meetings etc.), increasing the proximity feeling he spread around him and easily spreadable by his audience.

From our perspective, Instagram has several advantages compared to its competitors. Thanks to native content, sponsored posts can be included in the news flow of the users according to their features and make them discover the brand/event. As Instagram users are mostly young, a new target can be reached by this mean. Few companies use Instagram to promote their event for now; it is thus an innovative competitive advantage compared to competitors.

Another advantage of Instagram is the fact that an image can be more efficient than text, especially innovative pictures like puzzle ones (a picture separated in 4-6). It is ideal for storytelling (e.g. Oasis 15-second Instagram video series of Ramon the Strawberry).

However, this mean doesn’t fit every kind of industry. If the event is not “visual”, Instagram represents a limited way to communicate on it.

Camille COURTIAL-SPIROUX

Manon GATTEGNO

Sources:

http://meetingsnet.com/blog/how-master-instagram-meetings

http://getlevelten.com/blog/felipa-villegas/ten-reasons-adopt-instagram-marketing-tool

http://www.statista.com/statistics/246199/share-of-us-internet-users-who-use-instagram-by-age-group/

https://www.dialogfeed.com/fr/project/saint-gobain-mur-interactif-evenementiel/)

Livre-Blanc-Ligne-Editoriale-et-Strategie-Social-Media-Barack-Obama.pdf

Livre-Blanc-Ligne-Editoriale-et-Strategie-Social-Media-Starbucks.pdf

https://www.dialogfeed.com/fr/social-wall-evenementiel-en-live-pour-twitter-instagram/

https://www.saint-gobain.com/fr/350-ans

How does Wi-Fi optimize event management?

Today, it is possible to benefit from 30-minute Wi-Fi spot per day in European cities like Berlin. But, contrary to what people think, free Wi-Fi access is not a requirement. Previously, it was a luxury tool for the customer in hospitality. But, it has become one of standard customers’ expectations even in venue management. In 2015 Extreme Networks, a American firm specialized in telecommunications networks, published an article on event management optimization thank to Wi-Fi. Hotel or facility owners and business event organizers should use it as it brings additional value both to them and their customers. It highlighted several assets of investing in these free of charge service to the client.

Wi-Fi plays a big role for operational efficiency and reduces its costs with regard to time management, stock supports or flux management. The most effective Wi-Fi solution is to empower wired and wireless technologies controlled in the same platform. This may lead to decrease overhead costs and maintenance costs. That is why for substantial size events like Olympic games, organizers hire on a short time a specific team to manage it. They always take care of the critical event when a problem occurs during the events. 

Streamlined Point of Sale (POS) is also essential by reducing customers’ transaction and improving their experiences. Participants can easily checkout by the help of POS function. To reach this goal, POS devices should be set up in a different ways according to customer’s needs. For example if the venue welcomes many events, participants should be able to access their tickets on their electronic devices for entering an event. Selling tickets might be more effective with Wi-Fi accessibility. Wi-Fi system is based on allotting needed according to traffic flow of the events. This selling ticket system leads to decrease costs of printing. In this way, participants can quickly scan their tickets with a barcode validation.                                     

The last benefit is that this tool strengthens network and physical security.  Secure personal data protection and Wi-Fi network during the event is the main challenge of organizers. To solve it, a private security network should be set up. As far as substantial size business and sport events are concerned, distinct networks for the public, media or the organization team are usually proposed. 

However should all business events and hospitality professionals invest in it? The answer is probably “no”. It will depend on the host facility needs and targets. Wi-Fi access requires a certain investment in terms of maintenance. It is not the same thing to cover a 40 –room hotel or to a fair with thousands of visitors like at ITB Berlin.  Even those important business, should be sure to be efficient on large public Wi-Fi access on the D-Day to avoid bugs.  Furthermore, the article does not precise exactly the best practice for free access to a large public like during international fair e.g. ITB Berlin. Indeed, do main concerned stakeholders propose a limitless Wi-Fi offer? Should the organizer block the access to competitors’ websites according to the client or the event theme? 

To conclude, Wi-Fi area is one of key elements of hospitality or venue management to be efficient and propose a unique experience. A study on Wi-Fi experiences both organizers and customers would be interesting to extract best practices though case studies, key data as well as key figures.

Written by Kenan CETIN& Aurélie HONORE

Sources: Extreme Networks, 2015, Wi-Fi enabled optimization of Event Management, extremenetworks.com, USA

Vırtual Conferences VS Physıcal Conferences

Let us have a look at the craze for virtual conferences that have been affecting event industry. Michal Tsur, Kaltura Co-founder and President, was one of the first entrepreneur who underlined this change. In 2013, he praised for virtual conferences in an article the Huffington Post called 7 Reasons Virtual Conferences Will Transform Industries Worldwide.

Obviously, IT revolution contributed to the craze for virtual conferences. In the past, people attended physical conference in order to get and share information in face-to face.  But, it costs money in terms of transportation, accommodations, venue, food & beverage and the most important thing, the loss of time. Visual conference has become more and more popular. It helps people to join to a conference online at home or any comfortable place. Thus, companies or association those are the source of the conference can save money and time. Usually, participants who registered to the conferences pay a registration fee. It allows them to connect with leaders, speakers. They only have to click and then they can download information they need. They can also discuss directly with the leader.

 Besides, the main cost for the virtual conference is to produce the content and the way it will to deliver to the audience. There are some marketing tools to do this. An industry leader may use webcasting system to appeal the audience. In physical conferences, attendees always need to find exhibition rooms and searching nametags. People waste more their time it makes them annoyed. On the contrary in a virtual conference, people only have to click of the mouse and they can reach to speakers and exhibitors easily. Reduction of waste production is also another aspect of the virtual conference. There are less and less brochures or data sheets which will become at the end trash at the end of the conference these all are becoming trash.  

Michal Tsur’s arguments are relevant and.  But, does it mean the end of traditional conference in few years?

Some industries or associations cannot be thought as a fully virtual appointment. We can have a look at European Society of Cardiology. This non-for-profit medical association gathers more than 85,000 members are used to organize conferences, congresses as well as meetings. To have an idea, last year they organized 8 congresses, for more than 50,000 attendees. The aim is to make medical professionals aware about new medical matters or innovations around the world.  That is why, they have to meet or assist a real operation. This is a part of the sector culture.

Then, event stakeholders (i.e. venue managers, hospitality, city Destinations Marketing Organizations etc…) have not spoken their last word.  This trend can be felt with the Coach Omnium survey. With the economic recession, French companies reduced their MICE budget by 37% in 2013. But, companies decided to adapt to their new situation. The same year, they spent in volume close to €9bn in MICE i.e. an increase by 1.1% in 2012. It seems these stakeholders are reacting according to this trend. Maybe they propose smaller (number of attendees), shorter (conference length) of hybrid conferences (half face-to-face aspect and half virtual one).

To conclude, virtual conference has advantages that are not negligible. However, we do not think it means the end of physical one even if some practices have to be rethought in the event industry.

Written by Kenan CETIN and Aurélie HONORE