Event Marketing - Making it FUN! Lessons from a Successful Event

Here in Northeast Ohio, we aren't known for having those huge mountains that make snowboarders and skiers drool. However, the local ski patrol and area sports gear retailers, together with the local resort, Boston Mills/Brandwine, have found the secret for marketing that has resulted in an awesome program going for many years. It's the annual ski swap/open house at Boston Mills/Brandwine resort.

Saturday will be the first annual Open House Rail Jam at BMBW! The Rail Jam is presented by Nordica, Buckeye Sports Center, BMBW, and Cascade Subaru. Secondary sponsors include Orage, Level, Boeri, Nitro, Smith, Scott, Marker and Dakine.

Despite temperatures in the 60's many of the more courageous (OUCH?!?) boarders/skiers enjoyed an afternoon of jumps and tricks, while the rest of us watched them do their tricks, shopped at the ski, board, boot, gear swap and checked out all the new latest and greatest designs and equipment.

The Fun Part: Music, food, sign-ups for events. Engaging the crowd. Making it feel like this is the place to be.

The Media: How do they market it? Direct mail. Email. Word of Mouth. Working with all the partners to promote it.

The rationale: Make it fun and more people come next year.

The Target: Primary: They are really targeting the 10-30 year old male with the music and the "rail jam" events. Something tells me that this is a strong market for them. Secondary: all the winter enthusiasts in the Cleveland, Akron, Canton area.

It's made into it a 3 day event because it always coincides with teacher record day, so the kids have no school on that Friday.

I'll tell you, it got me psyched to see the snowflakes fly!! (But I'm not even close to jumping off of a handrail.) See you on the slopes!



Disclaimer: My husband is one of the many national ski patrollers who worked as a volunteer at the event. Brad Hain, one of my company's strategic partners, did the direct mail flyer for BMBW.