Events Are Back – Time to Cash in

It’s time to shake the rust off and get moving. Whether it’s sports, concerts, festivals, or something else, live events are back. People are demanding live entertainment and the chance to have fun with other people.

While the Delta variant adds uncertainty to the world of live events, many events are moving forward. More importantly, they’re attracting crowds. Just recently, Chicago’s Lollapalooza averaged about 100,000 daily attendees.

Those crowds mean new opportunities for you and your advertisers. There’s pent-up demand for people to attend live events and mingle with others. Advertisers’ demand to be part of these events is even greater, so it’s your job to take advantage of it. But be careful – matching up the right advertiser with the right event takes a little research.

Stations that are financially tied to an event have made a significant investment and expect salespeople to turn that investment into sales. However, even if the event is small or your station does not have a direct tie-in, there are often opportunities to connect.

Events are one of the few places where a radio station can get up close and personal with its listeners. This is a chance for your advertisers to get up close and personal with those same consumers.

While big events and large crowds are highly desirable, sometimes the right small gathering can also be very effective. Know your listeners and know what they like. Not sure? Most qualitative reach sources allow you to profile what kinds of consumers are attracted to various events.

Having your van show up to the local farmers’ market or community concert can be beneficial if that’s where your listeners go. It can be a triple win.

• Help build your station brand.
• Give back to the community.
• Generate new revenue without using on-air time.

The relatively minimal cost of sending your street team to these smaller events can raise significant revenue by getting your advertisers involved. Add in some promotional announcements and the event coordinators and/or advertisers may pay for the added exposure.

Again, while many focus on the “BIG” events, often the smaller and more focused happenings can generate greater rewards for you, your station, and the advertiser.