Promote Your Event

It's time to tell the world about your event!

Think media releases, interviews, media advertising, digital advertising, print promotional materials such as posters and flyers, and more. There are endless ways to reach your target audience if you put your mind to it. 

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Sharing your event with your audience

The cornerstone of event promotion

The cornerstone of all promotion is the event page or event website. The great thing about having an online presence these days is that it is so cost-effective even small events with small budgets are able to have a big online presence. Housing your event details online can be free if you use Facebook, or very low-cost if you build a website using an online template:

• Utilize the free service of Facebook. Create a Facebook Page or Facebook Event for your event. Facebook pages and events have the ability to house all the information and enable people to share and ‘Like’ your event.
• Create a website with an online template. There are many DIY sites, such as Squarespace.com, which offer website templates where you simply upload your images and fill in your content on various pages. You can have your website live at a cost of less than $20 per month.

Tell a story

Write a compelling event description. The event description is what will determine whether people will feel the need to attend your event, so get creative and make it compelling. Key information such as dates, pricing and location are required but it is the interesting specifics that will fully convert the customer. For your event to have high sales it’s crucial you make it appealing to the consumer.

Have a call to action in your all communications. In every message you send out and on every platform that markets your event, you should have a call to action; this is a response you want users to complete. Call to actions are said to be one of the most effective techniques to improve conversion. It should be persuasive and compel the reader to perform the conversion you want. Common examples are:

• Book now
• Sign-up today
• Start your trial now
• Tickets available here
• Download now

Marketing avenues

The size of your event will likely determine your marketing budget, which will determine the promotional activities you can undertake.

Some suggestions of platforms and marketing avenues you could utilize to promote your event with are as follows:

Free/low-cost marketing:

• Event Listing on SouthlandNZ.com
• Community newsletter notices
• Facebook page ­and/ or Facebook event – informational posts, competitions, deals
• Twitter account – create hype with tweets, competitions, deals
• Instagram account – imagery-heavy platform
• Sponsorship support (your sponsor/s will be able to use their channels – databases, social media pages – to push your event)
• Facebook advertising – set your spend to whatever your budget allows
• Website hosting
• Social media/ e-newsletter competitions (the cost is simply the number of tickets you give away)
• Free ticket offers/ giveaways  (offer media tickets in return for advertising)
• E-newsletters (create a consumer database by having people sign up through your website)

Free event listing sites:

Southland Region Specific 

• SouthlandNZ.com | Events In Southland

Listing your event on our SouthlandNZ.com website is free. We promote many great events that Southland has to offer on our website and via our monthly Events Newsletter, which reaches hundreds of subscribers. You may already have an account with us which you can log into to submit your event. If not, creating an account and submitting events is very easy and allows you access to login to amend and create listings at any time. Just look for the “List Your Event” button on the What’s On page (linked above), fill out the details of your event on the form and upload an appropriate image or banner that showcases your event. Once you submit your event, it will then come to us for approval. You will receive an email once your event is published and live on the website.

• Southland App

southlandapp.nz makes listing your event free and easy, as all that is required is a simple email to findit@thesouthlandapp.co.nz When creating the email information to include; event name, date, start and finish time, location, description, organiser, contact person, contact number, website link and cost if relevant. Also attach a poster and/or landscape image 250kb or larger. They will then use the information from your email to create the listing on the website.

• Active Southland

Active Southland have a free event calendar as part of their website. Events encouraging physical activity – either sport or recreational are free to list. Once in their calendar click “Submit Event” then fill in the fields and click the green “Check and submit” button at the top of the page.

• Arts Murihiku

Go to the Arts Murihiku web page https://artsmurihiku.co.nz/, and register to create an account Register by clicking the “Register” box on the top menu bar, enter a username and password. An email will be sent to your inbox with a link to activate your account. Click on “Log On” in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Enter your username and password. Click on “Experience” then select “Events” from the drop-down menu. Click on “Submit and Event”. Fill out the form fields then simply click “Submit Event” at the bottom of the page.

Invercargill Specific 

• What's On Invers 

To list your event on What’s On Invers, you need to first create a Facebook event. To add your Facebook event into whatsoninvers.nz event listings, copy and paste the Facebook event URL into the form which you will find here: whatsoninvers.nz

• Invercargill City Council Promotion Screens

Events held in the Invercargill rate base area, can be uploaded in Invercargill City Council screens located at the Invercargill City Council chambers, Splash Palace, and Invercargill Library. ICC staff can upload your event poster/image to their shared screen placements. The file must be 3840x2160px and will be featured for up to a month. It does not promote individual businesses and is focussed on the community. Send your file to Geena Bragg in the ICC comms Team – Geena.Bragg@icc.govt.nz and head the email as ‘ICC Digital Promotion Screens’.

Fiordland Specific

• Te Anau Events

There are two simple free ways of creating an event listing on teanauevents.co.nz First option is to head to https://teanauevents.co.nz/content/add-your-diary-item where you will find a form to fill out. Or email info@teanauevents.co.nz and include; event name, date, start and finish time, location, description, organiser, contact person, contact number, website link and cost if relevant. Make sure with both options you email an image or poster in Jpeg form that you can use as a banner for the event, to attract the viewers’ attention. Don’t forget to let them know if you want this to be promoted on their Facebook channel.

Gore Specific

• GoreNZ 

To list your event, head to https://www.gorenz.com/list-your-event-on-gorenz-com/ where you will find a form to fill out, which is free and easy to do so. Make sure you have an image that you can use as a banner for the event page (1440px by 576px), and a thumbnail image (480px by 360px) to attract the viewers’ attention when scrolling through all events listed! Once you’ve filled out the details, you can submit your event to be approved, when excepted the event listing will appear on the website https://www.gorenz.com/events/ If you need any help with making your listing, or you need to make changes to an existing listing, please email goreinfo@goredc.govt.nz

Other event listing sites

• Facebook 

Follow these instructions if you want to make a new event on Facebook with a business page as the host. Just remember that this event will be public and discoverable by anyone on or off of Facebook.
1.    Open your business page on Facebook.
2.    Use the dropdown next to “Share” and select “Create Event.”
3.    Add all of the details, such as the event name, location, time, and description.
You can also create a recurring Facebook event. Once you’ve filled in the required details, click “Schedule Multiple Events.” Under “Frequency,” click the dropdown menu and choose whether you want your event to take place daily or weekly. You can also create a custom frequency by clicking “Custom” on the calendar and choosing your own dates.

• Eventfinda

To get started, simply click the Sign-Up or Log In button at the top right of any page on Eventfinda. If you don't already have an account, you'll be able to create one. The system will ask for your email address and then send you a confirmation email to ensure security. Confirm your account, create a password, and then click the Create Event button and use your email address and password to log in and list your event. The Create Event button will take you to Eventfinda Promoter Portal where you'll follow the easy Create New Event form to enter your event's details and images. Continue until you click the Submit for Approval button at the end. Our moderators review new listings throughout the day for publication. If you're listing a tour or a multi-venue event, use the handy List Similar button to duplicate your listing so you can easily change the date/time and venue information without having to enter all the details again. You'll be able to use your email address and password to log in at any time to submit more events, edit your event listings, add images, or change information.

• Stuff.co.nz

Events listed on Stuff.co.nz are taken directly from eventfinda. Register for eventfinder account. Instructions are above.

• Eat New Zealand

To list your food event on Eat New Zealand, you can submit your event via their online form. They request the event name, date, location, a small description, contact details, website, event images and ticket information. Visit the website here: eatnewzealand.nz/submit/event

• DOC

The Department of Conservation website has an events page. These listings are generated by eventfinda listings When your event goes live on Eventfinda, it will also be listed on the Regional events page of the DOC website

This will be for events where DOC is involved, or those that are part of an awareness event such as Conservation Week, or Seaweek. It also includes general conservation events listed by the public.

1. To list your conservation event, you'll need an Eventfinda account. It's free to join and list events (external site).
2. When you create your event, make sure you use the word "conservation" in your event title or description.
3. You can add your event under the category: Festivals & Lifestyle > Conservation, Environment if it doesn't fit under the other categories.

• Under the Radar

Under the Radar is a music gig listing site, featuring original music events. Joining up is free, and once registered, you can edit your listings at a later date. There are options to purchase advertising if you would like more exposure.

1. To create free listing, create an Under the Radar account. Click “Add a Gig” in the menu bar.
2. You must add the event name and show info, press release or show poster. It’s optional to tag artists, links, time and entry price.

As well as the largest gig guide in NZ, Under the Radar offer free ticketing, visit www.selltickets.co.nz for more info.

• The Big Idea

Thebigidea.nz is an online hub across the creative industries to help individuals and organisations create their own success. They have an event listing page, which requires registration.

A Standard listing includes your logo/image and is published for up to 60 days. A self-service option, users Join The Big Idea to access. To list an event, there is an online form to complete and need an image 430x290pixels. For other campaign options contact Joy Golding directly. Joy Golding, Relationships Manager, joy.golding@thebigidea.co.nz

Once registered, to list an event, click on “Events” in the menu bar, then “+List an event” in the drop-down menu, then fill in the form.

• Running Calendar

A listing site for live running events, fun runs and walks, triathlons, aquathons, duathlons and multisport/adventure races. RC runningcalendar.co.nz offers free listings for events that follow their criteria:

1. A running/walking distance (kms or miles), or time (in the case of a time-based race) needs to be a component of your event.
2. Your event must have an updated website or web page for RC to reference the listing details and keep it updated.
3. Social events, fitness programs or fundraising challenges that aren't events won’t be listed.
4. RC don't list virtual events unless it is an existing listing for a live event that has had to change due to COVID-19, or it is part of a paid advertising package with RC.
5. RC craft the event description from the information provided and/or from the event website/facebook page – Event has the right to request a correction to any mistakes/errors made.
6. The banner image for a listing is only visible on a desktop computer. Visitors who view a listing on a mobile device, will see a sponsored paid ad instead (unless they are premium members).

To request an event listing, please search your event first as it may already be listed. RC have automated processes that alert when new information about events becomes available. They pro-actively add and update listings. If your event is not listed, click “Add event” on left menu and fill in the details. If your event is across multiple dates, enter all the dates in the date box or into the message box, no need to submit the form multiple times. Click “Send Enquiry”

• My Next Challenge

The My Next Challenge website features New Zealand fitness events. Simply click the red “register your event” button, fill in the form and submit. You can include images.

• Sportzhub

Sportzhub.com has been around since 1999, and have a dedicated community/audience across NZ, Australia and Asia Pacific.  Organisers can either sign up or click here for your first event load.  If you already have an account, sign-in at the top right home page and use your dashboard to add a new event. Listing service is free, or you can pay for enhanced features. Events sports - run, MTB, cycle, tri, multi, swim, snow or any sport events. This site also features a sport business directory for services like timing, photography, catering and merchandise.

There are many other sites across New Zealand where you can list your event such as these suggestions below. However these may have fees, ticketing requirements and/or event category conditions associated with them:

• What's Hot New Zealand (destination-nz.com)
• What's on for kids in New Zealand - familytimes.co.nz
• Eventbrite
• Allevents.in

Media Contact List:

Free Image Resources

There are several free online resources available for events who require high quality images. Please note, you do just need to check out the individual licences for each image, to see if they require attribution.

Great South

We have our own online Visual Library where you can access images specific to our region.

1. https://visuals.greatsouth.nz/

Otherwise, check out the links below!

1. https://toolkit.nzstory.govt.nz/
2. https://www.pexels.com/
3. https://www.freepik.com/
4. https://unsplash.com/
5. https://pixabay.com/
6. https://www.freeimages.com/

Video Content Only

https://videos.pexels.com/
 

Website

Free Website Builders

Below are some links to utilise in creating your own website for free, mostly found through WebsiteBuildExpert website.

• Go Daddy; https://www.godaddy.com/en-nz
• Wix; https://www.wix.com/
• Mailchimp; https://mailchimp.com/features/website-builder/
• Weebly; https://www.weebly.com/
• Jimdo; https://www.jimdo.com/website/how-to-create/ 
• Webflow; https://webflow.com/
• Strinkingly; https://www.strikingly.com/

Paid Marketing

• Newspaper adverts(local & domestic) and magazine adverts/ inserts
• Google Ads
• Radio
• Television
• Flyer letterbox drops
• Signage (window decals/ car signage/ banners/ billboards)
• Collateral (posters, brochures/ flyers)
• Visitor guides
• Celebrity endorsement (celebrities attract media attention and often have large followings)

Invercargill Outdoor Advertising - Billboards, Screens and Bus Backs

Vast Billboard

Go Media LED screen

Billboards NZ

Invercargill Airport

MediaWorks Outdoor Advertising

Phantom Street Poster Advertising

Invercargill Flags and Banners Sites

Invercargill banner sites are located on Tay Street(at BK intersection and near SIT) and Clyde Street (outside Kmart). Street flags are located on Tay Street, Dee Street, Clyde Street and Kelvin Street.

Banners and flags are booked and managed by Invercargill City Council, and installed by NES Invercargill. This is generally the process:

1. Event organiser to request a map from NES of the exact locations for bookings (reception@4nes.co.nz).
2. Event organiser emails Invercargill City Council (corridormanager@icc.govt.nz) to request booking dates for event street banner(s) site and/or flag(s) sites and ‘cc’ in NES Invercargill (reception@4nes.co.nz). Note: The duration of installation is 4 weeks total. 
3. Event organiser will receive a confirmation email from ICC to confirm booking dates
4. Event organiser will then continue the booking process by continuing the email thread with NES. NES will communicate to the event organiser the date the event organiser will need to banner(s) and/or flags to NES office for installation.
5. Event organiser delivers banner(s) and/or flags to NES
6. Event organiser will be invoiced for the entire process by NES at the completion / removal of the banners

Social Media Tips and Tricks

TikTok is all about making it easier for creators to develop powerful video content for the platform and it offers a few tools designed to enhance the creative process for TikTok ads. With the help of these new creative tools, you won’t need to have years of video editing or advertising experience to produce something amazing. In this article, you’ll discover tips and tools that will help you create engaging TikTok ads without expensive design tools.

Create a Communications Plan

A communications plan is a timeline of all information distributed in the lead up to, during, and post the event. A communications plan could state the channel being used, the activity which will spread the information, a sentence that sums up the message it will be sending, the date it will take place, the name of who will be the owner responsible for making it happen, and a progress bar with the status of the activity. This is an internal document for your team only.