What do millennials really want from brand events?

A beautifully-designed event page & invite sets the tone for your entire event. It’s an opportunity to get attendees excited before they even set foot inside the door. Make sure your subject line is irresistible, use imagery and design to give invitees a sneak peek of what to expect, and most important: make sure your invite looks as good on mobile as it does on desktop. (Duh.)

It’s a surefire way to expand your reach to new audiences through different marketing channels; particularly social media and email. Ensure that every touchpoint in your event lifecycle—from the save-the-date to the event itself—gives your audience a reason to follow you on other channels.

When someone shows up to your event, it’s an incredible thing. Why? Because that person has taken time out of his or her day to come and experience your brand in person. That’s more valuable than any Instagram follow or Facebook like. We strongly advise every event host to keep accurate historical event attendee records, and to have a reward system in place to recognize your most loyal guests. A digital high-five on Twitter, a coupon—anything.

Per our analysis, millennials who are already know and love your brand (a.k.a. Brand Loyalists) are more likely to submit their RSVP as soon as they receive the event invitation. Brand Newcomers—or those who don’t know your brand—tend to RSVP closer to the event. So, think about your reminder email sequence as a series of mini brand campaigns, designed to engage an audience who might not know who you are yet. Smart, right?

Millennials see it as a chance to meet new people. To experience something new. To create memories. To induce FOMO from their social media followers. Focus your energies on creating an “unmissable” event, and they will come.

Investing a little more in something useful, creative or novel is one of the best ways for your brand to stay on a millennial’s radar (and out of the trash).

In fact, only 10% of our survey respondents remembered the food and drinks from branded events they’ve attended. Nearly 60 percent of respondents remembered the experience. (Ironic, considering the majority of most event budgets is put towards the cost of food & beverages). Understand that if your event doesn’t excite your millennial guests, neither will your company or product.

Not many brands do this, which is a HUGE missed opportunity. Imagine if a retail brand sent out a 50% off coupon to guests who attended their last three in-store events? That’s powerful one-to-one marketing.

Particularly when it comes to things they care about—like event photos. So plan your photo strategy ahead of time. Make sure you know exactly how, when and where you’re going to deliver the goods. After all, getting killer event photos into the hands of your millennial attendees is a crucial step in extending the lifecycle of an event long after it’s over.