Types of events: From conferences to weddings

Whether it’s weddings, conferences, parties or small receptions – no matter how big or elaborate you want it to be, right at the start you should always ask yourself the same questions: What is the purpose of my event? How many people am I inviting? When is it all taking place? And where am I holding the event? So, you should, so to speak, ask the fundamental question about the purpose of the event before you start planning, rather than simply diving straight in. Or let’s put it this way: you can usually spot events that have been planned haphazardly quite quickly…

To help you decide, we’ve put together a selection of event types for you. Let’s call it the ‘what would you like?’ of the events world.

Evening events & parties (gala evenings/balls/parties)

A trivial yet defining feature of the event is the fact that evening events – whether formal galas, balls or informal parties – take place in the evening. Usually, guests are brought along (voluntarily or otherwise), which has a significant impact on the number of attendees. Depending on the type of evening event, balls and galas (yes, they really are called galas) are somewhat more labour-intensive to organise compared to parties.

Whilst at balls and galas, high-quality materials are the norm at Invitations, Menu cards and Decoration are often enough at parties Flyer, Sticker and paper plates.

Exhibitions & Trade Fairs

From a business perspective, this is a great place to make plenty of new contacts; you can showcase your company or product to a wide, generally very interested audience. Visitors come, so to speak, with the intention of discovering something new. On the one hand, this makes things easier; on the other hand, you’re unfortunately not alone, so you should make sure to sort out the the right set-up for his exhibition stand take care of. 

Possible ways to guide crowds of visitors directly to your own stand: Counters, Flags, Light columns, Tents/Pavilions and plenty more Promotional materials. After all, the aim is to fill those popular trade fair goody bags with your own materials before someone else does. It’s also worth being a bit more creative here – the fifth ballpoint pen might not have quite the same ‘wow’ factor anymore.

Reach all event attendees

Of course, it’s always nice to see familiar faces at your event. But new faces can also help your business grow. Naturally, you can’t reach these potential event attendees via your own CRM channels (i.e. through existing customer management). As new customer acquisition is a highly diverse field and would go beyond the scope of this brief sub-section, let’s just say this: who might these potential new customers be, and how do I reach them? Whether I target them with specialised social media adverts or through tactically well-placed out-of-home campaigns (see our articles on the subject Outdoor advertising), if I don’t know who the prospective visitors are supposed to be, it becomes difficult, expensive and offers little prospect of long queues at the entrance. 

Festivals: the pinnacle of events

In stark contrast to small receptions, festivals are, so to speak, the masterclass of the events industry. Visitors may well be standing around too, but that is probably the only thing they have in common, as a festival can, depending on its size, become a truly mammoth organisational task. Whilst stage banners and displays might suffice here, once several thousand guests are expected, the Production list Almost open at the top.

Equipped for the company’s anniversary

Celebrating an anniversary is almost a personal affair. Staff, colleagues and key customers – that’s about it. You’re celebrating yourself, so to speak, and to ensure the memory lasts as long as possible, the right Merchandise extremely important. This way, on a 30th anniversary, one can express admiration for the 10th-anniversary pin I could barely suppress a laugh at my colleague at the next table.

Celebrating the love between two people

Although the term ‘Masterclass’ has already been applied to festivals, weddings are certainly comparable to festivals in terms of organisation. Whilst there are usually fewer than ‘thousands’ of guests, it often feels as though there are. This is particularly true of weddings: money sometimes ceases to be a factor; nothing must be missing, and if the Information sign If the arrow pointing to the ‘buffet’ has suddenly bent or the lettering on it has smudged, the drama quickly reaches unimaginable heights.

Conferences & Congresses

This is where experts gather, sometimes even with international participation, for one to several days. People come to take something away with them. Even though this tends to be limited to business aspects, there are still Blocks, Folder, Brochures or Folders to take away – so these should be produced as part of the conference/congress branding.

Strengthening our own team

Strengthening team spirit, getting to know one another better, having fun. These are the cornerstones of corporate events. There are numerous ways to forge these bonds more effectively. It could be an afternoon of various sports games, or you could cook together. What almost everyone looks forward to, regardless of the type of event, are memories such as T-shirts or Jackets. 

Showcasing new products

How you choose to present new products or achievements is a matter of personal taste. From celebrity presenters to small product launches at weekly meetings, from light and laser shows to a PowerPoint slide. Whether you want the BIG BANG or not is entirely up to you. However, the scale of the event is, of course, a key factor in its preparation. From posters displayed internally up to Out-of-home campaigns Anything is possible.

Seminars & workshops

Sharing knowledge – that’s the short version. This flow of information is most effective in smaller groups, provided the right venue and preparation are in place. Breaks are important, as is catering. Whilst it is possible to hold seminars and workshops online as webinars, face-to-face contact offers advantages. It depends very much on the scope and the topics; for example, for two-hour seminars, it wouldn’t be necessary for all staff members from other regions to travel. However, anyone who has ever spent a multi-day workshop remotely in front of a screen would certainly prefer to make the journey.

If you’re organising an ‘offline’ seminar, you might want to consider producing ‘offline’ materials, such as Biros, Folders, Blocks or even entire Brochures covering the specialist areas to be discussed.

Open Day

As the name suggests, visitors are invited to experience everyday working life. This can relate to school life, but also to office environments, factory floors or research facilities. These are, so to speak, small PR events where you can offer an authentic glimpse behind the scenes. To extend the experience a little further, you can provide giveaways and small goodies to let visitors take a piece of this experience home with them and ensure they remember it fondly – thereby also becoming part of their everyday lives.