5 Essential Ways to Create a Memorable Outdoor Brand Experience

Get your guests excited about your next brand experience by doing something unexpected, move your event outdoors. Once the weather starts to warm up, hosting an event outside provides your attendees with a nice change of pace that will add to their enjoyment of your planned activities.

Below are some guidelines to follow that will help make your outdoor brand event a smash hit:

1. Make plans and send invites out early
   The old saying, the early bird gets the worm, definitely applies when putting together your brand event. Everyone wants to get away for the spring and summer months so it’s essential to make your mark on your attendees’ agenda as soon as possible. As a rule of thumb, sending out invites three to six months in advance is a good way to do so. Also, make certain that your event won’t be competing with any other popular happenings in your local area on peak weekends.
2. Consider different and unique venues
   Think outside the box to give your guests a brand experience that’s unexpected and memorable. For instance, you could plan a corporate barbeque or potluck in a park, at the beach or in a beautiful garden. You could also plan an outdoor wine tasting under an elegant canopy emblazoned with your company’s logo or a corporate golf trip.
3. Plan with the weather in mind
   Although it may be beautiful outside during the warmer months, the height of summer can bring some hot days that can overheat your guests. Keep this in mind when planning your brand experience, as an unhappy and sweaty guest list is not the kind of impression that you want associated with your event. You might think about mixing up some indoor air-conditioned activities with your outdoor ones and focusing your event calendar on mostly spring and early summer.
4. Provide fun and exciting entertainment options
   Entertainment is the most important part of your event planning, hands down. During the pleasant seasons, people are itching to get outside and have some fun. This is your opportunity to give them a reason to attend your event by arranging to have some great entertainment options. An added bonus is that you can integrate your choices with promoting your company’s message, so that everyone at your brand event, employees and non-employees, associates your business with positive memories.

Offering useful and eye-catching takeaways like t-shirts, sunglasses, hats and other branded items is also essential, and with the advent of social media many companies are including their real-time event happenings online. A novel and fun idea is to set up a portable interactive photo booth that your guests can use to take branded photos and share on social media, connecting your offline event to your online community.

5. Incorporate seasonal favorites in your food, beverage and d’cor choices
   Utilizing the natural beauty of the season, is an easy way to lend your event some spectacular ambiance. Choose lighter fare foods and beverages that reflect the spring and summer, like fresh fruit and veggies, and even a local speciality that may be only available at this certain time of year. Keep your guests hydrated with lots of refreshing beverage options and try using fresh flowers and/or plants as part of your decorations. If you want to truly get into the spirit of the season, you might structure the look of your brand experience around a beach, cruise or vacation theme.

Whatever choices you make in planning your event this spring and summer, make certain that your guests leave with the feeling that your business valued their participation. This will encourage future attendance at later brand events and give them a reason to think and speak highly of you, which is the ultimate goal of creating a memorable outdoor brand experience.