Just because people aren’t going to stores as often as before doesn’t mean in-store experiences are any less important. Actually, in a time where most retailers have to defer to their e-commerce arms, in-store gatherings and events yield a valuable boost to the overall customer experience retailers provide.

For starters, they’re a human way to help retailers bolster their brand awareness. Even events before the promotion help get more eyes on the brand, while invitations, promo material, and marketing collateral even help make headway with people who decide not to attend the event. Plus, in-store events can nudge customers toward making a purchase decision, either on or offline. Inside a store, customers can interact with the products, staff, and aesthetics that help inform a customer experience that shoppers are too eager to share.

Experiences have long shaped our perceptions, causing us to view the world through different filters. If we perceive something positively, the past experiences we associate with that thing were likely good ones. It’s for this reason that we’re now seeing more brands use experiential marketing to up the customer experience ante. An Event Marketing Institute study estimates that 76% of marketers use experiential to support other marketing initiatives.

Like any strategy, experiential will vary from brand to brand. But the overall goal is the same: expose people to a series of fun and unforgettable activities to create a positive association with that brand. These good vibes can serve as a foundation for loyalty, which can improve customer retention, word-of-mouth buzz, and overall sales.

Out of all the marketing tactics available, events have the highest potential to generate sales leads, create a positive return on investment, and engage consumers. It’s no surprise that 87% of C-suite professionals believe in the power of event marketing and plan to invest in more events moving forward. But unless brands extend their reach beyond the convention center walls, those investments will continue to fall short of their full potential.

Social media is the key to extending that reach, which is why it has become an increasingly important part of event marketing. But the rates of adoption are still relatively low. Only 52% of events have consistent engagement on social media throughout the day.

Event design involves more than just aesthetics. Here's how good event design can help brands maximize their event ROI sustainably.

Design is an inherently aesthetic concept. Everything we know about the way something looks or tangibly feels ties back to design.

But event design does more than establish a visual standard. It sets the scene while helping direct attendees, relay narratives, and spark engagement. When good event designs occur, you construct a motif that seamlessly blends an event’s surroundings with a brand’s ideals.

“Normal” is on an indefinite hiatus.

That’s a reality many people and businesses have had to accept during the coronavirus pandemic. In some ways, we’ve all been forced to redefine the routines and processes that were so essential to our lives as recently as this winter.

But just because the world and the way we operate might look a little different, that doesn’t mean there’s a need to abandon everything familiar. While their services might not completely align with what the public needs right now, forward-thinking businesses must look for gaps that their expertise can fill to stay both useful and relevant during this time.