Some brands are eager to venture into the world of experiential marketing, however they aren’t willing to step outside of their comfort zone and plan an event with unique experiences. As a result, many of the experiential marketing events consist of the same tried and true experiences. Your guests may enjoy these experiences, but not nearly as much as they would enjoy something more original. Set yourself apart from competitors and create a memorable event for your audience with one of these unique experiences:

Classes

Don’t just introduce your guests to your products—show them the best ways to use your products during free classes hosted at your experiential marketing event. For instance, a company that sells spices could host cooking classes to teach people how to incorporate the spices into popular recipes.

Some brands may have a harder time coming up with ideas for classes if their products are fairly self-explanatory. But, there are still ways to host events even if you are promoting a product that fits this description. For example, a brand selling athletic apparel could host an experiential marketing event with free yoga classes. During the class, the brand could teach guests how wearing their clothing increases flexibility and improves their yoga practice. This class isn’t centered on how to use the product, but rather why you should use it. Avid yogis will walk away with a better understanding of why they should wear the brand’s apparel.

Behind the Scenes Tours

Hosting a behind the scenes tour for your guests is another unique activity to incorporate into your next experiential marketing event. But, the brand must make sure that their target audience would be interested in taking a peek behind the curtain before planning this event. A look at how beer in a brewery is made would probably attract more people than a behind the scenes tour of a paper factory, for example. If you have something interesting to share with your target audience, an experiential marketing event is the perfect time to make your big reveal.

Guests who sign up for the behind the scenes tour should hear about the history of the company, get opportunities to take photos, and receive product samples, if applicable. The tour should also show guests how the brand’s products are made. Brands can even turn it into a hands-on experience by asking guests to participate in certain steps of the manufacturing process. For example, a wine company could invite tour guests to stomp grapes so they can experience this important step in the wine-making process. At the end of the tour, guests will feel a genuine connection with your brand thanks to this memorable experience.

Competitions

A lot of people are driven by the desire to win, so hosting a competition within your experiential marketing event is a great way to generate buzz and draw crowds. The competition can range from something as simple as a trivia game with buzzers to a flying contest such as Red Bull’s Flugtag. At this event, guests are encouraged to compete by building home-made flying machines and launching them off of a pier to see who can travel the furthest. This is a large-scale event, so most brands won’t have the budget to pull something of this size off. However, there are plenty of ways to incorporate a little friendly competition into your event on a smaller budget.

Make sure to promote the competitive experience in the weeks leading up to your event. The people who are interested in competing will most likely share the details of the experience with their followers, which is free publicity for your brand.

Simulations

Sometimes, the nature of a product makes it impossible for a brand to let guests at an event sample or test the product. Consider a raincoat, for example. Guests at an event can try on the coat to see how it fits or touch it to see how the material feels. But, they will not know how well it works in rainy conditions based on how it looks, feels, and fits. In situations like these, brands should consider allowing guests to test their products in simulated conditions. The brand can build a rain chamber, for instance, that gives guests the opportunity to see how the raincoat holds up in a simulated rainstorm.

This is a unique experience that guests will likely remember for the rest of their lives. Plus, it will help guests understand the benefits your product has to offer. Now, they’ve been given an opportunity to truly test your product, so they may be more likely to buy it in the future.

Adventures

Millennials are known for loving adventures, so brands that want to connect with men and women in this demographic should focus on creating an adventure that they’ll never forget. This generation will flock to experiential marketing events with obstacle course, scavenger hunt, and escape room activities. Adventurous experiences like these allow Millennials to work together to solve puzzles, test their endurance and physical strength, and think outside of the box. During the planning stages, make sure you think about how you can incorporate your brand or specific products from your product line into the activity. Millennials will never forget fun experiences like this, but if your brand is not connected to the activity in some way, they may forget that you were the company that hosted the event.

Are you interested in incorporating one of these unique experiences into your next experiential marketing event? If so, contact the team of skilled marketing professionals at Factory 360 as soon as possible. Let our experiential marketing experts get to know your brand so we can design and implement the perfect event for your target audience.