experiential marketing

Launch Party Ideas by MadeFirst

Launch Party

You’ve spent the money and effort to come up with a viable product or strategy to take your business to new heights, and now it’s time to announce it to the world. A launch party is one of the best ways to generate buzz about your company and showcase your accomplishments. 

Today, we’ll share our guide to hosting an unforgettable business or product party, with creative ideas and tips to make it even more successful.

1. Be Strategic About the Venue

Veteran event attendees have seen dozens of hotel ballrooms, banquet halls and convention centers. At some point, all these venues will start to blur together. If you want to make a splash, break the mold and choose a unique location such as a winery, botanical garden, golf club, art gallery or museum. Here are some additional considerations for booking a venue.

  • To keep the focus on your business, ensure the location does not outshine the event agenda. You want the spotlight to be on you the whole time. 

  • Choose a venue based on the ambiance and amenities it offers. Pay attention to details like the décor and overall mood – you want everything to be consistent with the atmosphere you’re trying to create. 

  • If your event feels inaccessible because it’s hard to find, far away, in a high-traffic area or has limited parking, people will be less likely to attend, no matter how creatively you market and promote the launch party.  

  • Even if you don’t plan to serve a full, plated meal, most people expect to have some refreshments available. Check if the venue has a staff who can help you tidy everything up when the event ends. 

2. Be Selective With Your Invitations

When organizing a launch party, consider your target audience and invite only the most influential people or valuable customers. The goal is to narrow down your invitation list to people who are genuinely interested in your product or service. Creating a sense of exclusivity makes any event feel more special and lays the groundwork for ample networking opportunities among your guests. 

3. Be Social to Promote the Event

Besides more traditional marketing approaches like emails and printed invitations, you can use your social media accounts to start generating positive word of mouth about your launch party. Post regular updates to remind your followers you’ve got something exciting coming up. You can play things a little bit close to the vest if you want to save the big reveal for the event itself. 

Also, don’t forget to create a unique hashtag for the party and use it on every post and platform. Though hashtags started on Twitter, you can now use them on Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn, so take advantage of the ability to turn your company’s tagline or brand name into a clickable link in every post. To keep all the event-related content consistent on social media, encourage your attendees to use the same hashtag when they post. After the event, people who want to learn more about your launch party can learn all about it by clicking on the hashtag.

Why Work With Us? 

Even in today’s climate of virtual experiences and anonymous online transactions, in-person events like launch parties are among the best opportunities for your business to build brand awareness and meet potential customers face to face. As a full-service fabrication company, MadeFirst specializes in custom displays for events of all sizes, using our extensive industry expertise to make our clients’ visions a reality with budget-friendly planning and execution.

Contact us today to learn more about what we can do for you. 

Sports Marketing by MadeFirst

Sporting events are more than just games and matches. National organizations use off-season fundraisers, permanent installations, and behind-the-scenes interviews to keep fans engaged all year round. We have been fortunate enough to partner with multiple organizations to promote and encourage athletes and fans alike. Our experiential marketing campaigns have included professional hockey, football, soccer, and disc golf organizations. These events engage fans and keep them passionate about their team through direct access to unique, memory-making activities. 

1. 2022 Boston Marathon: Adidas

Adidas Boston Marathon

For this branded pop-up shop, we worked with Adidas to create a convenient store for runners to purchase and test products before the race. Everything in this shop was aimed at supporting and featuring participants in the Boston Marathon. The walls featured former runners throughout the history of the Boston Marathon as well as models for Adidas gear. Consumers also had the opportunity to test shoes and other gear on the provided treadmill in this pop-up store. No detail went unnoticed with consistent color branding and featured products that made this immersive marketing experience one runners wouldn’t forget. 

2. Nashville Soccer Club Neon Wall

NSC Neon Sign

If you’ve kept up with recent sports news, especially in Nashville, TN, you know that the area recently founded a professional soccer league. To help welcome the Nashville Soccer Club to the area, we worked with the team to create a one-of-a-kind neon wall for the perfect photo opportunity. Players were featured walking by this display, and it was later moved to the concourse for fans to take pictures in front of. This design featured the NSC logo in the center, surrounded by intentionally placed accents. This backdrop created a memorable welcome for the Nashville Soccer Club.

3. NFL Network Training Camp

NFL Training Camp

Parents and children alike loved this NFL Network popup. Participants had the opportunity to have their picture taken of them making a diving catch into a foam pit. Behind the pit was an LED wall, featuring an end zone of their chosen NFL team. The resulting image or video made even the most novice football fan look like a professional catching a touchdown pass. Professional lighting, videography, and photography set this experience apart and gave fans a tangible product they could share, featuring the NFL Network logo.

4. Nashville Predators: Stand With Us

Nashville Predators Stand With Us

Nashville fans take their sports seriously, but they also like to have fun. We worked alongside the Nashville Predators hockey team to create this sturdy, textual display for fans to take pictures in front of. To encourage support for the local team during the 2016 NHL playoffs, this slogan became a staple with fans and the team alike. Our lettering was crafted from durable foam and coated in an automotive paint finish, making this photo op both portable and durable. Other projects we have worked on for the Nashville Predators include a P.K. Subban photo booth and a hockey puck info kiosk.

5. NBC Olympic Social

NBC Olympic Social

In 2016, NBC introduced the first-ever Olympic Social Opening Ceremony. We worked with the network to create an interactive experience that featured icons from the games alongside multiple photo opportunities. We created a stage and viewing area for host Ryan Seacrest to interview various Olympic athletes. This Santa Monical popup utilized Brazilian Cumaru wood to emphasize the Rio theme. Guests had the chance to view the Olympic Torch and various medals and could take their pictures in front of the NBC logo and rings. Nothing about this was ordinary, and athletes and viewers alike were consistently impressed by the attention to detail.

7. National Women’s Soccer League Tour

To create this immersive experience, we worked alongside Civic Entertainment Group to create a Soccer Tour experience. The National Women’s Soccer League hosted a meet and greet with multiple photo opportunities for fans. We created a replica of a locker room, featuring jerseys of NWSL players and gear. The branded lockers were branded with the hashtag Pass the Ball, a partnership movement with Lifetime that encourages the inclusion of women in sports and beyond. 

Sports Marketing with MadeFirst

Our list of sports marketing clients consists of club, amateur, and professional leagues, and we treat each experience with the highest level of professionalism. Whether you are looking for a memorable photo opportunity, a meet and greet, or a product display, MadeFirst can make your vision a reality. Our work goes beyond sports, and we work with a variety of networks and industries to bring marketing to life. If you’d like to learn more about our experiential marketing, contact us today.

What Is Experiential Design? by MadeFirst

Professionals like architects and interior designers spend much of their time thinking about how to maximize spaces to match people’s needs. Experiential design is a relatively recent trend that also accounts for how humans interact with their built environment. From a branding perspective, companies that embrace experiential design can stand out from their competition by fostering an emotional connection with consumers. How can your business take advantage of this movement and use it to get ahead?

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