Hosting a successful event requires careful planning. But ensuring people show up, stay engaged, and leave with a clear understanding of your brand? That takes strategic communications.
At K2 & Company, we recently partnered with a healthcare client on their annual conference event. What began as a single-day conference quickly evolved into something far more significant: a powerful opportunity for media exposure, enhanced brand visibility, and meaningful community engagement.
Here’s how we helped transform one event into a high-impact communications success, and how your organization can achieve similar results.
1. Start Early and Lead with Your Story
Events are much more than just dates on a calendar. They’re prime opportunities to share your unique story with a wider audience.
For our client, the event was about more than just equipment; it was about innovation, accessibility, and independence. Our messaging consistently reflected this narrative across every channel:
- The keynote speaker’s address was framed around thriving, not just surviving, in the face of health challenges.
- Adaptive sports demonstrations added an inspiring layer of inclusion.
- Dozens of interactive vendor booths allowed attendees to experience the latest technology firsthand.
By developing a compelling narrative early on, we ensured the event felt relevant and personal to the most important audiences: medical professionals, caregivers, and everyday families.
2. Layer Your Communication Channels
Relying on a single email blast simply isn’t enough.
We developed a comprehensive, tiered communications plan that included:
- Targeted emails to attendees, professional networks, vendors, and partners.
- Engaging social media storytelling featuring speaker spotlights, vendor previews, and behind-the-scenes content.
- Proactive earned media outreach to secure local and trade coverage both before and after the event.
Bonus tip: If you have a large email list that hasn’t been actively used, an event is an excellent opportunity to reengage those contacts. We successfully helped our client do just that.
3. Make Your Event Media-Friendly
Strong media relationships aren’t accidental; they’re cultivated. In the lead-up to the event, we:
- Drafted a clear and visually appealing media advisory.
- Provided media training for client spokespeople.
- Developed targeted pitches that connected the event to broader themes, such as healthcare access and local innovation.
The result? We secured broadcast TV coverage on the primetime nightly news. A first for our client!
4. Create Content That Translates Online
Interactive events are a goldmine for digital content. We captured:
- High-quality photo and video assets.
- Real-time social media content.
These materials now serve as evergreen content for our client’s ongoing digital presence and are already proving instrumental in promoting next year’s event.
5. Don’t Let the Conversation End at the Exit Door
One of the biggest missed opportunities we observe is allowing the conversation to fade once an event concludes.
Instead, we built a robust post-event strategy that included:
- Monthly email updates.
- Year-round social media management.
- Strategic thought leadership planning.
- CEO positioned as an influential voice in the industry.
Because if the event was the spark, effective follow-up is what keeps that momentum building.
-Allison Housley
Account Executive