The pandemic drastically altered how live experiences are produced. While festivals and large gatherings are still on hold, the emergence of open-air, car-focused events allows consumers to experience an engaging and unique branded touchpoint to enjoy from the comfort of their vehicles.

Pop-up drive-thru and drive-in events offer a welcome and effective option for engaging consumers who spent most of 2020 attending virtual events through laptop and smartphone screens. Through these (from a distance) in-person interactions, brands can safely create shareable and memorable experiences.

The need for interpersonal connection is natural for humans. In the words of bestselling author and marketing strategist David Meerman Scott, people crave the opportunity to be “part of a tribe of other humans.” Needless to say, the COVID-19 pandemic has limited this ability.

For many companies and customers, the pandemic has tested the durability of our relationships and spotlighted our basic need for human interaction. We’ve seen weddings canceled or postponed, seminars go virtual, and routine greetings like handshakes and hugs pushed aside. All the while, we’ve had no clue when those everyday interactions — and large in-person events — will return.

Can you prove that your event marketing plan is paying dividends?

Chances are, you already believe it does. According to Bizzabo's 2019 Event Marketing Benchmarks and Trends Report, most marketers see event marketing as their most effective channel. But can you prove it to your boss?

The study states that event marketing spend grew 17% between 2017 and 2018. Clearly, company executives are willing to pay for this type of marketing. But that favor will only extend as far as marketers can show ROI. Just as with traditional promotions, you need to capture quantifiable marketing metrics that show the results of your experiential events.

Just because people aren’t going to stores as often as before doesn’t mean in-store experiences are any less important. Actually, in a time where most retailers have to defer to their e-commerce arms, in-store gatherings and events yield a valuable boost to the overall customer experience retailers provide.

For starters, they’re a human way to help retailers bolster their brand awareness. Even events before the promotion help get more eyes on the brand, while invitations, promo material, and marketing collateral even help make headway with people who decide not to attend the event. Plus, in-store events can nudge customers toward making a purchase decision, either on or offline. Inside a store, customers can interact with the products, staff, and aesthetics that help inform a customer experience that shoppers are too eager to share.

Experiences have long shaped our perceptions, causing us to view the world through different filters. If we perceive something positively, the past experiences we associate with that thing were likely good ones. It’s for this reason that we’re now seeing more brands use experiential marketing to up the customer experience ante. An Event Marketing Institute study estimates that 76% of marketers use experiential to support other marketing initiatives.

Like any strategy, experiential will vary from brand to brand. But the overall goal is the same: expose people to a series of fun and unforgettable activities to create a positive association with that brand. These good vibes can serve as a foundation for loyalty, which can improve customer retention, word-of-mouth buzz, and overall sales.