Stuart WoodAlison Williams of L’Oreal closed out day one of the Event Production Show with a presentation about keeping audiences engaged in a changing events landscape.
Williams opened by highlighting the way events have evolved into a ‘4D’ space in our connected era – organisers have to consider how they can communicate with attendees pre, during and post-event.
She said that events need to be flexible with apps and social media, and that organisers have to work harder to measure data in 2019. “it’s important to simplify down what you can measure with your clients,” she said.
Williams also went into detail about the power of influencers, and the challenge they pose to established brands, particularly in cosmetics and beauty.
She pointed to Kylie Jenner as an example of someone utilising her enormous Instagram following for commercial purposes, but also stressed the importance of making sure the influencer a brand uses aligns with its values.
To this end, Williams said L’Oreal has a whole team devoted to vetting potential influencers who will represent L’Oreal.
This is a topic Access has recently covered in detail – the cover feature of our most recent magazine, which hits desks today, was the shambolic Fyre Festival and how Instagram influencers led to its demise.
Keep your eyes peeled for that on our website later in the week. We also covered it in a separate blog, which you can find here
Lastly, Williams closed by giving the audience a quick checklist of th essentials for event producers. They need to: Find the overall objective, narrow down their audience, Decide how best to engage them, work together, and work out what a successful event will look like.