B-to-C Events

For event organizers, the thought of going digital can be a scary one. What if attendees no longer come to the live event? Suppose they opt to stay home and log on in the comfort of their pjs? Could a virtual program be the death knell of the live portfolio?

Five years ago South by Southwest waded into the crowdsourcing pool, allowing its attendee community to submit and vote on conference session topics and speaker proposals. PanelPicker, as it is called, started relatively small, but it now forms the backbone of SXSW’s content development structure and is managed year-round. We’ll explore various crowdsourcing models, what’s worked and what hasn’t worked, in the November issue of Event Marketer. Until then, a few insights from Shawn O’Keefe, SXSW Interactive producer, to get us started:

The network that brings America one of its favorite Sunday night traditions is giving fans the chance to experience the game like never before. For each Sunday of the NFL season, NBC’s 38-foot Sunday Night Football coach is visiting games all over the country and inviting fans to come on board for a live game day experience.

If this summer’s sampling activations are any indication, small is the new big.

The mass-market sampling sweeps through 30 states that were once the hallmark of a “summer tour” have become tiny, micro-targeted community stop­overs and one-off events designed to win hearts, minds and tastebuds one local at a time. Through local engagement, local artists, local culture and a dash of social media, many of today’s beverage and food brands are finding that the best connection is the micro-cultural one.

Venerable dating site Match.com has been making love connections among singles through a 100-percent online platform since 1995. But last June, the brand forged a new path in matchmaking with The Stir, a comprehensive live event program that, to date, has attracted 225,000 attendees.