As winter ends, it’s time to consider involving your business with some of the many outdoor events in Omaha. It’s a great chance to reach a spectrum of potential customers while you also demonstrate your company’s willingness to support local events.
Marketing tips for outdoor events
There is so much more to outdoor event marketing than to set up a table and offer flyers to passersby. Make your marketing efforts effective by following these tips:
- Engage with people. Every person who walks by your table is a potential customer. If you staff your table with people who spend their time glancing at their phones, you don’t paint the picture of a welcoming business. Whoever represents your business at an event should come out from behind the table and engage with people.
- Offer something. You don’t have to give a lot to make a great impression. American Express suggests you hand out paper fans with your company’s logo on them at hot outdoor festivals. Soon the festival is full of people who display your logo as they fan themselves. This puts your business front and center for very little cost.
- Collect information. A raffle for a gift basket or other prize prompts people to provide valuable information (name, phone number, email address) that you can use for follow-up.
- Have a call to action. Encourage people to sign up for consultations or to visit your business for special “festival pricing.” Consider the festival the start of your relationship with these potential customers.
You probably can’t be at every single event in the Omaha area, so be selective. Get involved with those festivals that typically attract the type of people likely to become your customers.
Upcoming events
Here is a brief list of some of the events scheduled in the Omaha area we would recommend for sponsorship consideration:
- Earth Day Omaha: April 22. The first big event to kick-off the season. Last call – THIS WEEK IS THE FINAL WEEK to be a sponsor or have a booth AND to get listed in the program. Ideal for families and young professionals. Partnered with the March for Science this year.
- Cinco de Mayo: May 5-7. Now the largest family event in the Omaha metro area, limited time left to sponsor, get a booth or enter the parade.
- Taste of Omaha: June 2-4. This is one of the largest food festivals in the Midwest. Fill out an application to apply for a booth as either a food vendor or for the marketplace area.
- Santa Lucia Festival: June 8-11. A celebration of Santa Lucia and Omaha’s Little Italy community and one of the oldest continually running festivals in Omaha, contact the organizers to discuss your possible involvement.
- The Summer Arts Festival: June 9-11. One of Omaha’s largest outdoor events with a great music line-up and a family friendly atmosphere heading into its 43rd year. Sponsorship information is available here.
- Heartland Pride: June 16-24. Celebrating the LGBTQ community, sponsorship or vendor inquiries can be made by contacting Heartland Pride. As the longest running consistent media sponsor for this event, The Reader can not say enough about what a great crowd it is.
- Shakespeare on the Green: June 22-July 9. Designed to engage, educate and entertain, this Omaha favorite enjoys high attendance numbers every year. Very culturally oriented audience, ranging from young professionals to Baby Boomers. Inquire about sponsorship here.
- Toast of the Old Market/Food Day: 30. Okay, we’re deep into helping with this one, but when your 3-year headliner makes NBC’s The Voice, this might be the year to get involved with one of the only events deep in the heart of the Old Market! Not to mention the explosive growth in the healthy and local food movement locally. Just reply to this email for more info.
Learn more about upcoming festivals and other summer events before you pick one or more to get involved with. Organizers can reveal important information to help you decide, such as past attendance and the basic demographics of attendees.
