Tips for Generating Excitement About your Upcoming Community Event

Tips for Generating Excitement About your Upcoming Community Event

Drumming up excitement in your community for an event you are hosting can go a long way, especially for the overall turnout and attendance of the event itself.

The more excited others are about your event, the more likely they are to inquire about your event to learn more and attend the event themselves. Whether you are hosting a street fair, festival, picnic, farmer’s market, workshop or even promoting the launch of a new local business, knowing how to get the community excited about your event is essential for an optimal outcome.

1. It's all about the experience you are creating

One of the biggest tips to keep in mind whenever you are hosting or planning an event that you want to excite your local community about is to create an experience for your event. An event that stands out will be one that is truly memorable and unique.

What makes your event stand out, and why will your guests want to tell others about their experiences?

Some ways to help stimulate excitement in your guests can include:

• Hosting silent auctions throughout your event, especially when hosting a multi-day event

• Promoting your event for a charity or as a fundraiser for a special cause

• Providing DIY crafts or other engaging activities that involve your event’s guests

• Including digital billboards and/or interactive monitors that guests can interact and engage with while walking around during your event

• Offering unique choices for food and beverages (including special dietary choices and restriction considerations for those who may be meat, dairy, or gluten-free)

• Hosting VIP guests such as local artists, musicians, and vendors can help to attract specific groups of guests or demographics that you want to attract to your event.

• Offer live entertainment numerous times each day of your event. Use a schedule and/or itinerary to help better direct attendees to activities throughout your event.

• Special or celebrity guest attendance

2. Connect with the community and get locals involved 

Connecting with the local community is also essential when you want to get those who are a part of it excited about your event. Reach out to local vendors and business owners to inform them of your event and to discuss potential sponsor and vendor opportunities.

Connecting with local vendors and business owners will also help to attract their loyal patrons to your event. The more people you can get involved, the better! Especially if this includes popular vendors in the area, restaurants or businesses. 

3. Incorporate different clubs and memberships

If you live in a community that is home to many clubs or groups, consider reaching out to and including them. If you are hosting a local school play, consider working with the theater production groups and any artists who helped to coordinate the show. Host a fundraiser to raise money for local school events or a nearby sporting team.

Connect with sporting groups such as artists, golfers, fishermen, or musicians based on the type of event you are hosting and the part of the community you intend to connect to and reach.

4. If your event is so awesome, then it should be multiple days

Consider hosting a multi-day event.

Hosting an event over the course of a few days provides more opportunities for those who are interested in attending to do so without compromising their own schedules. Why put in all that work just to create one day out of it!

Also, having an event that is multiple days creates an even bigger, more immersive experience for your guests. 

5. Provide a Kid Zone (If applicable)

If you are hosting an event that has the space available, consider providing a “Kid Zone” for guests who bring their entire family. A kid’s zone may include playscapes, toys, and other kid-friendly forms of entertainment that will encourage families to attend an event, even if their children are in tow.

If you provide a kid zone or even a daycare center at the event, make sure to promote this part of your event; this will definitely get parents more excited about your event. 

6. Don't forget to brag about your event! If you're excited, other people will be 

One of the best forms of marketing of all time includes word-of-mouth marketing.

When a product, brand, or idea spreads by word-of-mouth, those who hear about it are much more likely to find it interesting and/or valid. Drumming up excitement among vendors, other business owners, and residents can help encourage them to tell others about your event.

7. Bring in local volunteers to work the event

If you are looking for staff and volunteers to help with running your event, you can do so with a volunteer sign up solution.

Using a ticketing platform such as Purplepass is one of the best ways to generate sign up and registration forms for any type of event, including local, virtual, and hybrid event models. Using a volunteer sign up solution can also help to manage staff and volunteers who are interested in lending a helping hand for your next event.

Rather than writing the names of volunteers manually, you can collect, store, and organize all the information you need regarding your event’s staff and volunteers in one central location with a ticketing solution such as Purplepass.

Getting your community excited about an event you have planned requires commitment and an understanding of what your target demographics are looking for from hosted events. The more in-tune you are with your target audience and the easier you make it for members of your community to purchase tickets and attend, the more likely you are to experience a successful event of any kind, online or off.