Partner events are excellent opportunities for driving mutual growth for the partners. A well-organized partner event not only strengthens the bond between collaborating entities but also amplifies brand visibility, engages new audiences, and generates valuable leads for both companies.

In this blog, we’ll be discussing nine winning strategies to help you successfully organize and promote your partner event(s). From setting clear objectives and choosing the right venue to creating the perfect event email marketing strategy, these strategies will ensure your event stands out, runs smoothly, and achieves its desired outcomes.

Event Organization

Set goals for the event 

Before looking for suitable partners, you should have a clear idea about what you want to achieve from an event partnership. Do you want to enter new markets and expand the reach of your brand and products? Or do you want to strengthen existing relationships with clients, partners, and industry influencers, while exploring possibilities for joint ventures in the future? 

When you set clear, measurable goals and objectives for the event, it’ll become easier for you to look for and narrow down and identify the business niche you want to target and its key players.

Choose the right partner(s)

Once you’ve created a list of potential partners for the event, choose a partner based on the following criteria:

• The same target audience (in terms of size and characteristics).
• Complementary products. 
• Similar brand values and ethos.

You can find partners that fulfill this criteria by attending industry-related events and following the socials of industry influencers and publications. And if you regularly create and share valuable content on your LinkedIn and other social profiles, potential partners might reach out to you! 

Essentially, you should be looking for a business that serves the same audience as you, but with a different product or service. Imagine you own a coffee shop where your customers are typically people grabbing a quick breakfast before heading to work. In this scenario, you should consider partnering with a local home-based baker to supply fresh bagels, pastries, and muffins that perfectly complement your coffee.

Other examples of partnerships are farmers markets, partnerships between day spas or gyms and healthy takeout food trucks, a story time event by a kid’s book store at a kid’s clothing store, and pop-up shops (e.g. when a small brand showcases its products at another brand’s premises for a small period).

Target’s partnership with designer Lilly Pulitzer included a series of pop-up shops and in-store events that created a buzz among fashion lovers. The limited-edition collection sold out almost immediately, thanks in part to the excitement generated by these events.

While proposing event planning partnerships, highlight the incentives for partnering with you and the mutual benefits that’ll arise as an outcome of the event for both parties. This could include networking opportunities with key industry figures, exposure to your audience, and the opportunity to collect valuable insights related to their products. 

The best way to reach out to a potential partner is via email. This gives the other party ample time to decide. 

When it comes to partnerships, quality comes over quantity. Instead of pa, partnering with multiple organizations and trying to be on the same page with them, go for a few meaningful partnerships with companies whose goals align with yours. These are likely to yield much better (and sustainable) results. 

Draw a budget

Outline all potential expenses and create a budget for the event around that. Determine how much each partner will contribute financially for the following costs:

• Venue’s rental fee, security deposit, and set-up (seating, stage, audio-visual equipment) fee.
• Catering.
• Advertising (digital and print).
• Staffing (security personnel, ushers/valet service, etc,). 

Allocate funds to each category based on priorities and estimates. On top of this, create a contingency fund; reserve 10-15% of the budget for unexpected expenses.

Plan out the event

Select a venue that is accessible, fits your budget, and meets your logistical needs. Then select a date for the event (avoiding dates that conflict with other major local holidays or events), and get the venue booked for the date as early as possible (at least 6 months before the event).

Create a detailed agenda, including keynotes, panel discussions, product demonstrations, interactive sessions, breaks, and networking opportunities. 

If you’re planning to invite any guest speakers to the event, send them invites and confirm their availability 3-6 months before the event. Provide them with clear guidelines and expectations to get the most out of their participation at your event.

Set up an easy-to-use online registration system to keep track of the expected count of attendees. Send confirmation emails with event details and calendar invites (so they get reminders for the event) upon registration.

Co-marketing ideas

Create a sign-up page

Creating a dedicated sign-up form web page or landing page is the first step toward effective event promotion. This page should provide potential attendees with all the essential details about the event and make it easy for them to register.

A well-designed landing page should be visually appealing and aligned with the event’s branding, ensuring consistency in messaging. Key elements like the event title, date, location, and a brief overview should be prominently displayed to capture interest at first glance. Include high-quality images or a short promotional video to enhance engagement and make the event more enticing.

To maximize the effectiveness of your sign-up form webpage, focus on creating a user-friendly experience. The sign-up form should be straightforward, asking only for necessary information to avoid overwhelming potential attendees. Consider adding options for social media logins or autofill features to streamline the registration process. It’s also beneficial to offer incentives for early sign-ups, such as discounts or exclusive content, to encourage prompt action. Moreover, make sure the landing page is mobile-responsive, as many users may access it on their smartphones or tablets.

In addition to a clean design and an easy registration process, your landing page should also be optimized for search engines (SEO). This ensures that the page ranks well in search results, increasing visibility and driving more organic traffic to your event. Use relevant keywords related to your event and partners, and include meta descriptions that highlight the value of attending. 

Integrating social sharing buttons can also boost promotion, allowing visitors to easily share the event with their networks. 

Leverage word-of-mouth

Word-of-mouth marketing is an age-old, tried-and-tested marketing method. Personal recommendations are definitely more trusted and persuasive than traditional advertising. If potential attendees or participants share their excitement for the event with others, it will create a ripple effect that can significantly boost event attendance and engagement. 

Encouraging satisfied customers, employees, or even past event attendees to spread the word about your upcoming event can build anticipation and credibility, making it more likely for others to join in.

Cross-promotion is an excellent way to amplify word-of-mouth marketing. If your event partner has a loyal customer base, encouraging them to promote the event through their channels can introduce your event to new potential attendees. In return, you can promote their brand to your audience, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that enhances both brands’ visibility. 

Influencer partnerships are another form of new-age word-of-mouth marketing. They involve leveraging the credibility and reach of social media personalities. When influencers share their excitement about your event, their followers will be interested in attending too. 

Collaborate with industry influencers who align with your brand. Invite them to your event and ask them to create content such as event previews, behind-the-scenes looks, or live coverage. This will generate buzz for your event, driving more people to attend your event.

Utilize content marketing

Sharing informative, engaging, and shareable content with your target audience will ensure that your event stays on top of their minds. This includes social media content as well as blogs.

It goes without saying that social media marketing is crucial for spreading the word about your event. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have billions of active users, including your event’s potential attendees. 

Here are some examples of content you can create for your event’s social media pages:

• Eye-catching graphics or short video teasers with countdown timers.
• Live Q&A sessions to interact directly with potential attendees. You can also record these sessions and upload them to your accounts.
• Social media contests that encourage sharing and participation.
• Interviews with key speakers.

In addition to social media content, well-crafted blog posts can provide insights into what makes your event unique. For example, you could write about the event’s agenda, highlight key speakers, or discuss the benefits of attending. If you’re working with a partner, consider co-authoring blog posts or featuring guest posts from their team. This not only enriches your content but also adds credibility and introduces your event to a new audience. Regular blog updates serve as a resource hub for attendees looking to learn more, ultimately driving more traffic and registrations.

To enhance the effectiveness of your content, we recommend employing the art of storytelling. Sharing stories about the event’s background, the partnership between the brands, or the unique experiences attendees can expect, helps to humanize the event and make it more relatable. For example, a behind-the-scenes video showcasing the collaboration between the partners can highlight the synergy and shared values, making the event more appealing.

Invest in social media ads

While organic social media marketing is essential to spreading the word about your event, it isn’t the only way you can utilize the power of social media. Running ads on social media is almost a surefire way of reaching out to your target audience. 

Social media ads offer precise audience segmentation and, consequently, targeted reach. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter allow businesses to create custom ad campaigns that focus on specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This ensures that your ads are shown to individuals who are most likely to be interested, increasing the effectiveness of your promotions.

You can use social media ads to highlight key event details, showcase engaging visuals or videos, and drive traffic to your registration page, all while monitoring performance metrics to refine your strategy in real time.

Incorporating your event partner into your social media ad campaigns can further amplify your reach and impact. Collaborative ads that feature both brands can leverage each partner’s audience, combining their strengths to increase visibility and credibility. 

Additionally, running retargeting ads to reach individuals who have previously interacted with your event content or website can reinforce your message and boost conversion rates, ensuring that your event stays top-of-mind as the date approaches.

Conduct email marketing 

Email marketing can be highly effective for promoting your partner event, offering a direct and personalized way to reach potential attendees. Unlike other marketing methods, email campaigns allow you to target individuals who have previously shown interest in similar events and topics. 

By segmenting your email list based on past behavior, interests, or demographics, you can further tailor your messages, enhancing the likelihood of conversions. This targeted approach leads to higher engagement, as recipients are more likely to find the content relevant and valuable.

One of the key advantages of email marketing is its cost-effectiveness. With minimal effort and investment, you can reach a large number of potential attendees. You can craft engaging emails in minutes by customizing the email templates. Plus, email marketing enables you to run multiple campaigns simultaneously, each tailored to different segments of your audience, thereby maximizing your return on investment.

Another significant benefit of email marketing is the measurable impact it provides. With PosterMyWall’s email marketing platform, you can track performance metrics such as open rates and click-through rates. This data provides valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t, allowing you to make informed adjustments to your campaigns. For example, if you notice that a particular subject line or call-to-action is performing well, you can come up with something similar for future campaigns.

Organizing and promoting your partner events

As you might’ve guessed, organizing a successful partner event requires thoughtful planning and cooperation between the partnering entities. Every decision taken should involve and benefit both parties. Because if the event is a success, it can pave the way for even more profitable future collaborations. 

The success of your partner event also relies on your ability to create a cohesive and compelling marketing strategy that resonates with your target audience. By leveraging the co-marketing ideas discussed in this blog, you can reach out to and connect with your event’s potential attendees. 

However, you shouldn’t stop here. Continuous optimization and adaptation are key. By closely monitoring performance metrics and staying responsive to audience feedback, you can further refine your approach to maximize impact.