Make an impact at marketing events with branded products

After years of virtual events, real-world, in-person events are back with a bang and more popular than ever before!

The UK events industry is reportedly valued at a staggering £42 billion, with more than 85 million people attending events in the UK annually. 

And with 14% of a marketing budget going towards event marketing, brands are committed to providing more immersive, engaging and attention-capturing experiences in a bid to stand out and capture the attention of audiences and potential customers. 

So, how can you make sure your brand stands out at marketing events? Here are our top tips… 

Define your event goals 

Attending a marketing event can serve a variety of goals depending on your role, industry, and objectives. Here are some common goals businesses often have when attending a marketing event:

Networking and relationship building: Great for meeting potential clients, partners and collaborators, strengthening existing relationships and building a professional reputation in the industry.

Lead generation and sales: To capture high-quality leads or to promote core products and services by promoting your business.

Learning and development: Events help professionals and businesses stay up to date on industry trends, learn from experts and thought leaders and discover new tools, platforms, or strategies.

Brand visibility: Marketing events help you to increase brand awareness, position your company or personal brand as a leader and share your brand story through speaking engagements or booths.

Competitive analysis: Gain valuable insights and observe what competitors are doing, and understand how they’re building engagement with audiences. 

Create an audience profile 

So, now you know what your event goals are, think about the people and businesses attending the event and how you could connect with them. 

Start with the basics: age, gender, job title, role type, industry and company size.

Then, focus on psychographics and interests, such as ‘What are their pain points?’ ‘What motivates them?’ ‘What does success look like to them?’ ‘What kind of content do they consume (Podcasts, LinkedIn posts, newsletters)?

Then create a persona snapshot…For example, a personal snapshot for our brand would say something like this: “Meet Steph, a 35-year-old Head of Marketing at a successful sports and leisure brand that’s looking to raise the brand’s profile at a global sports event. They’re looking for sustainable products that can be used across marketing activities, including social and influencer marketing, whilst looking to develop customer rewards and hospitality gift experiences that make a lasting impression.” 

This will help you streamline brand advertising at your stand, showcase your product offerings and think of innovative approaches to stay connected after the event and generate leads.

Invest in sustainable, budget-friendly marketing solutions 

According to Kantar, 93% of consumers globally say they want to live a more sustainable lifestyle. This means corporations will accelerate their ESG agenda in 2025 because they now see sustainability as both a risk and an opportunity.

As awareness grows, sustainability is becoming more important to both exhibitors and attendees, with 92% of businesses aiming to use sustainable promotions when exhibiting at events. 

At A.D., we specialise in sustainable marketing solutions that can make an impression without having a huge impact on the environment. 

Our Budget-friendly, sustainable merchandise ideas blog is full of helpful tips on how to intelligently invest in sustainable marketing solutions.

Discover trending event products and popular corporate gift ideas

We have some fantastic resources for you to take a look at, including: 

• A.D.’s Favourite products
• Promotional merchandise big hitters
• Popular corporate gift ideas for different industries
• How to maximise brand recall with merchandise

We specialise in helping our clients create and develop branded solutions that will make an impact and build lasting connections. So, if you’re looking for a bespoke product for a marketing event, we can help you. 

But we also provide thousands of off-the-shelf sustainable products that can be fully customised to your brand, including branded clothing, personalised stationery, tech, soft toys and drinkware. 

Think about personalisation 

While personalisation at an event may not be a viable option, you can continue to promote your business after the event through personalised promotional merchandise. 

For example, collect data from interested people and businesses so that you can target them after the event. 

Your post-event campaign could continue the great work you started and help you maximise your event goals. 

Through a direct marketing campaign using personalised products, you could 

• Raise brand awareness 
• Drive enquiries and leads
• Increase website traffic
• Build long-lasting business connections

Take a look at our blog ‘Personalised merchandise is a game-changer in branding’ and discover how we could help you build meaningful connections with potential customers. 

To discuss promotional products for your next event, get in touch! 

*Data sources include: The UK Event Industry Powerhouse, Marketing Matters, Experiences First, Sustainability is Key, as quoted in an article from Display Wizard and Kantar