Marketplace Events

“They’re fun and energetic, while still being super responsive and organized – you know you’re in good hands. You get big, exciting ideas – and then they actually go out and do them.”
-Marketing Director, Marketplace Events

tl;dr

the concept

Marketplace Events produces 66 consumer shows every year - 50 across the United States and 16 in Canada. After identifying Columbus, Ohio as a potential new market to kick off a new show, they hired Geben Communication for integrated communications support including media relations strategy and execution, social media guidance, influencer outreach and marketing materials.

the execution

Using target audience data, Geben identified local and regional media outlets, and created a public relations strategy that laddered back to their business goals including:

• Day-of studio and on-site interviews with the celebrity guest to highlight the show

• Interviews with local companies who had signed on early with the event

• Ticket giveaways

• An auction to benefit a nonprofit with lawn gnomes decorated by celebrities around town

Simultaneously, our team developed two influencer Instagram campaigns and a social strategy focused on driving both awareness and ticket sales.

the result

Overall, our integrated communications strategy drove more than 20,000 attendees to the inaugural show in Columbus. Geben surpassed all measurable objectives including:

• 23 media and influencer placements for a total audience 6.3M+ 

• 15% of people surveyed said they found the show through social media

• 13% of online ticket sales were driven by influencer promotion codes

Most importantly, because of the overall success of this event when compared to other first-year events, Marketplace hosted the show in Columbus again in 2020.