Events. Are. Back. Yes, louder for the people at the back! Influencers and media receive invitations daily to check out the latest restaurant openings, try new products and learn about the latest trends.
We interviewed one of our senior consultants Marissa Tiano to discuss her most recent event with Wine Rack and BASK Wine and the value of in-person, immersive events in 2023.
“Everyone is doing events now—whether it’s a new product launch, new collaboration or just an opportunity to raise brand awareness,” she shared.
From lawn parties to industrial raves, brands have been going above and beyond to make waves in the industry. There’s been a significant shift in experiential marketing, with influencer events making appearances in our feeds all summer long.
“To kick off summer, one of the busiest seasons for alcohol consumption, we knew it was essential to create an immersive event for Wine Rack,” she says. “As someone with more than five years of experience in beverage and alcohol PR paired with nearly six years of experience selling alcohol, I knew it was important to curate the experience—from wine selection to acting as the wine guide extraordinaire.”
Guests were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine to kick-start the evening. Deliciously crafted charcuterie boards adorned the space for attendees to munch on while they sipped and mingled. “We also included fun food pairings and suggested servings, encouraging folks to consider turning their Moscato into sangria or the increasingly popular Vin Piscine trend, my personal favourite,” Marissa expanded. This tactic generated organic excitement and curiosity among guests, proving that successfully producing and hosting an event goes beyond the event as a whole and requires the integration of thoughtful details at every step
So, what is the major key to executing a successful event? It’s all in the WHY.
Why are we doing this? Why are we here? Focusing on the why can round out the event experience and help you bring things back to what really matters: Your brand. So, what does our team focus on?
A narrative. And it starts with asking the right questions.
We ask ourselves how people are sipping in the summer. Then we look at who’s drinking the wine. What kind of consumers are they? We dive deeper into their likes, dislikes and what would naturally fit the brand narrative.
We started with the same approach when we ran our yoga event for BASK Wine—which was a natural fit. We know our audience is a diverse mix of health-conscious and fitness-focused people—after all, BASK Wine is 0g sugar. We curated a mindful yoga session by the beach and provided event attendees with branded yoga mats. We also made sure to include a DJ and wine-tasting post-yoga class because wine not (sorry, not sorry) have the best of both worlds? We know our audience and created a balanced event—even at 0g of sugar, BASK Wine doesn’t compromise fun for flavour!
Both events were a success, allowing us to seamlessly align the brands with a larger narrative by leveraging our network of internal experts, resulting in stronger relationships with key influencers and media.
We don’t expect experiential activities to slow down, even with the colder seasons around the corner. “We are already in the planning stages for some exciting events for our brands,” Marissa shared. “This is only the beginning.” Whether you’re looking to showcase a new product or host an unforgettable opening, Media Profile has the tools to make your event dreams a reality.