Saffire Blog

New Year’s Resolutions for 2023

Whew – what a year it’s been! The world continued to open up, people re-discovered their love for live events and many of our clients experienced record-breaking numbers. As we finally take a breath and collect ourselves from the whirlwind of 2022, we can look to 2023 as a fresh opportunity full of possibilities.

6 Resolutions for the New Year

Refresh your marketing plan: Now is a great time to review your marketing plan! What worked in the past year and what fell short? What channels worked best? Was your budget stretched too thin? Look back at what was impactful over the last twelve months and what you’d like to carry over to 2023.

Expand your network: This is especially true given the industry we’re in. Whether your event is short staffed, you’re having an on-site emergency or you just need someone to vent to, having these connections can be a lifesaver! Dedicate time to networking, explore industry associations and start working on building those relationships.

Try something new: An excellent resolution both personally and professionally! Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is one of the only guaranteed ways to facilitate growth. So whether it’s using a digital marketing tool you’ve never tried before or implementing something totally out-of-the-box, take the new year as an opportunity to try something new.

Energize your email marketing: Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in your toolbox, so be sure you’re utilizing it! Have you set up a platform or system to automate emails? Are emails being sent out regularly before and after an event? Now is a great time to set some goals for your email marketing in the next year.

Go mobile-friendly: We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again, mobile matters! Try navigating through your site on a smartphone and see what looks wonky or what issues are appearing, odds are your customers have already noticed. Optimize your website for mobile to improve your ranking with Google and keep your customers happy while they’re shopping.

Be more social: Engaging with your audience online is fundamental not only to marketing your event to the public, but connecting with communities like businesses in your area or other professionals in the industry. Practice writing in your brands voice, try something fun like an Instagram scavenger hunt, start curating content, research emerging trends, choose the platforms best for your business or event, and above all else, start posting!

Another chaotic and magical year of fairs, festivals, and events is in the books! We hope your year was full of fun, we can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for live events.

Happy New Year!

A Guide to Different Types of Event Tickets

Instead of offering just one kind of ticket for attendees, get the most revenue from your event by offering multiple types of tickets at different price points. Whether it’s a discount that draws an attendee to purchase a ticket or the promise of a VIP experience, drive sales and sell out your event by selling different types of tickets.

General Admission

A general admission (GA) ticket is the most common type of ticket and will be the way most people get into your event. Typically priced the lowest, GA tickets will get attendees through the door without any extras and is a staple for any ticketed event.

VIP

Generate additional income by offering exclusive, VIP tickets. You can include a VIP seating area, extra perks for the guests inside the event, swag bags, and more. Many attendees may choose to splurge and a VIP level may attract new customers and it’s a great way to drive revenue.

Reserved Seating

If you have a seated event, you can offer attendees the chance to choose their own seats. This way, seats on different levels or with different views can be priced accordingly. People who want to be close to the stage are willing to spend a bit more.

Pre-sale tickets

Although these tickets will be offered at a discount, pre-sale tickets sold online will put revenue in the bank before your event even starts! The lower price point and reminder could be the deciding purchase factor for potential attendees–and you will have an easier time planning your event with a more accurate estimate of attendees.

Discounted Tickets

Offering tickets at a discounted rate for students, military members, and seniors is a great way to support your local community and draw in a more diverse crowd. If there are conditions to purchasing the discounted tickets (i.e show student or military ID), don’t forget to include that in the ticket description.

Ticket Packages

Offering ticket bundles can incentivize families or larger groups to attend your event. Create a bundle that includes admission, parking and food vouchers for five people at a discounted rate. Make it clear the savings ones get when they purchase a package over buying each item individually.

Hybrid Option

Although you may be back to holding in-person events, you may want to consider still hosting a hybrid event! Not only will this make your event more accessible, but you may attract people who would not have bought a ticket previously, like out out-of-town family who want to join in the festivities.

You can easily offer multiple types of tickets, packages, and discounts in your current ticketing plan—especially with an integrated ticketing and website platform like Saffire.

The Three P’s to Gaining Sponsorship

Earning the Digital Sponsorship Dollar (& Keeping It!) Do you know what businesses and organizations are spending in sponsor dollars these days? Do you know what it would take for YOU to see some of those dollars? The fact is, sponsorship continues to rise! The amount of revenue is growing, but the problem is the … Continue reading “The Three P’s to Gaining Sponsorship”

Earning the Digital Sponsorship Dollar (& Keeping It!)

Do you know what businesses and organizations are spending in sponsor dollars these days? Do you know what it would take for YOU to see some of those dollars? The fact is, sponsorship continues to rise! The amount of revenue is growing, but the problem is the people who are getting that money are receiving less. More money is being spent, but it’s being distributed between fewer and fewer people.

“The sponsorship pie is growing, but being cut into fewer pieces.” – www.sponsorship.com. The largest slices are reserved for properties that can meet the high standards required by a new breed of corporate partner. These are the people who ask for SMARTER partnerships. Once again, the growth rate for sponsorship spending will surpass outlays for traditional advertising in North America. Projection for spending in 2015 is $21.5 billion!

At Saffire, we believe in the Three P’s to gaining sponsorship – Prepare, Personalize, & Provide. Preparing to work with sponsors in a digital age, Personalizing by coming up with creative ideas to market to your sponsors so they will want to partner with you and Providing them with results they need so they will want to work with you again.

Prepare to Partner with Sponsors

Consider yourself a salesperson because sponsorship is sales! Start early in the year, network, do your research, and understand your value! Be smart about what you’re offering your potential sponsor. Basic research before you meet with them is HUGE. Finding the right fit for your company can be a little tricky, but you’ll want to look for “natural fits” by things like: customers, products, geography, past sponsorship experiences and people who work there. Make it clear to them that you’re taking their partnerships seriously and you’ll do whatever it takes to gain their trust! Things like adding a logo to your site at the time of the sponsor meeting can make all the difference. How can you use your sponsors that will be the best partnership for everyone? Sometimes you’re paying them, using their product and they’re giving you sponsorship dollars. Find things you can do to support your sponsor’s business. Saffire’s tip is “People will find a way to work with people they like”. Leaving a good impression and creating bonds with people goes a long way.

Personalize your Packages tailored for each Sponsor

It’s important to make your sponsors feel special. A good rule of thumb with sponsorship packages is to give more than what they’re expecting. This will make them feel special, which will go the extra mile when your event comes around again and they are considering who to partner with. In order to do this, it’s essential to know the most basic components of your organization, which can be provided as benefits to sponsors. You can add value by offering year-round marketing, hospitality, and onsite event promotion

Put sponsors on your online! Create emails, social media shout outs, online advertisements or consider naming the event after your Sponsor. You can also have a dedicated Sponsors page on your website that features your list of sponsors. If you’re looking to get a new website and don’t have quite enough funding for it, this is a fantastic way to get it! Most digital marketing doesn’t cost you anything but time and effort. Give your sponsors space on your YouTube channel, add sponsor logos to print-at-home tickets or name your entire event after a sponsor. Other ways you can feature your sponsors offline are by creating sponsored charging stations on the event grounds, photo booths with sponsors or utilizing their services on fairgrounds.

Provide Measurable Results

Sponsors like data. Sponsors have to have that data to justify why they’re giving you so much money year after year. The best ways to show sponsor ROI are Google Analytics & Audience Survey. Audience Surveys assist and measure ROI, show recognition, attitude and the image you’re showing. Google Analytics is great, but it can be really hard to narrow down once you get it set up. Everyone should be able to get this data from your website. Show sponsors things like Total visits, Audience overview, visits on the Sponsors page of your website, engagement and clicks to leverage ideas for more success in the future.

We believe that the Three P’s – Prepare, Personalize and Provide will help you gain sponsorship (and keep it!).

Texas Festivals & Events Association Summer Shindig

As two members of the Saffire Austin Team were having a great time in Florida, the rest of us had an early morning start to attend the TFEA Summer Shindig in San Marcos, TX. We were honored to get to present a topic near and dear to our hearts “Online Marketing Measurement” and Kendra was able to engage the TFEA members attending with her wit, knowledge, and (shhh..this is just our little secret) DONUTS! We were able to reconnect with a few of our clients during the down time of TELP courses, Brackenridge Park Recreation Complex, Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show, Fiesta San Antonio Commission, Palomino Fest & TFEA themselves.

The day flew by quickly as everyone was eager to learn and by late afternoon we were ready to serve some of Texas’ best summer beers to the TFEA bunch as we boarded our school buses to head out to Three Dudes Winery just outside the city of San Marcos. This winery is set along the San Marcos River and is an open air venue that allows you to experience the outdoors in the shade with a breeze. While it was warm upon arrival the wine tasting began immediately and ice cold beer could be found in cow troughs; one bus even arrived a little late and had to catch up but our favorite drinks of the night were the Three Dudes Chenin Blanc & Ruby Redbird Grapefruit Shiner Bock. After tasting the best Texas has to offer for drink, it was time for more Texas dishes with some BBQ and we got our fill as the awards ceremony began.

We were thrilled when the Texas State Forest Festival and Fiesta San Antonio Commission won the Best Website Award for their categories and even celebrated afterwards. We continued to hang out with our friends, new and old, late into the evening and we sure are glad we stayed up late to catch up and talk about the future of these exciting festivals! Thanks for having us TFEA!