Event Support and Funding Clarification

The Hampshire County Convention and Visitors Bureau is dedicated to promoting our region’s vibrant community and the multitude of events that take place throughout the year. Given the high volume of local events, with at least 20 occurring annually, we are currently unable to provide direct funding or sponsorships for individual events. 

We employ a variety of innovative marketing tools to support our community:

• Event Calendar: We offer an event calendar that increases visibility for local events among residents and visitors.
• Social Media Marketing: Our active marketing on social media channels helps draw attention to local happenings and engages a broader audience.
• Advertising: We continuously advertise the county/municipalities as a whole, highlighting our region’s attractions and offerings.
• Email Promotions: We leverage our email list of 5,991 subscribers to distribute a monthly newsletter during our busiest months. This newsletter features upcoming events and news, providing another valuable channel for promoting local activities and engaging with a broad audience.
• Innovative Promotions: We leverage creative marketing strategies, such as digital contests and interactive social media campaigns, to promote local businesses and events. These tools are designed to be both effective and economical, ensuring that we can maximize outreach without substantial costs.
• Earned Media: We actively pursue earned media opportunities by pitching stories to journalists and media outlets, which provides additional exposure without the direct costs associated with advertising.
• Paid Media: Our strategic use of paid media complements our earned media efforts, allowing us to target specific audiences and boost the reach of our promotional activities effectively.

These strategies not only enhance the visibility of Hampshire County’s tourism attractions but also support the local economy by attracting visitors and promoting community engagement.

Community Event Planning

The Hampshire County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is committed to supporting event planners and enhancing the quality of community events throughout our region. Here’s how we can assist you:

Support for Event Planners

1. Event Calendar Listings: Planners can submit their events to be listed on our CVB event calendar, a great tool to increase visibility and attract attendees.
2. Social Media Promotion: We can share your events through our social media channels. The CVB will actively promote your events through our social media channels according to a set schedule. To ensure timely promotion, please submit event details, photos, and any graphic content at least 6 weeks in advance to cometohampshire@gmail.com. This lead time allows us to assist with graphic design and content creation if necessary. While we cannot post directly on your behalf on your social media, we can share from your social media posts.

3. Schedule: The Hampshire County CVB will promote your events on social media according to the following schedule:

   • Initial Announcement: 6 weeks before the event to generate initial interest.
   • Reminder Post: 1 month before the event to keep the momentum.
   • Countdown Post: 2 weeks before the event to build urgency.
   • Daily Posts: Starting one week before the event, daily posts to intensify engagement and provide final reminders.                                                     
4. Marketing Consultation: Our team offers advice and support in marketing strategies and visitor services to ensure your event is a success. This may include helping design promotional materials if our resources allow.

5. Equal Treatment and Discretionary Promotion:  While we treat all events equally in terms of opportunity for promotion, we reserve the right to adjust the level of promotional support based on the potential impact of the event on local tourism and community engagement. This approach ensures that our resources are utilized in a manner that maximizes benefits to the entire Hampshire County community.

Best Practices for Event Planning and Promotion

Effective event promotion is crucial for ensuring the success of any event. Here are key strategies and best practices to help event planners maximize their promotional efforts:

Focus Your Messaging

• Consistent Branding: Use a consistent theme and logo across all promotional materials. Changing visuals or themes across different posts or flyers can confuse your audience. Ensure that your branding is recognizable and uniform to maintain clarity.
• Prioritize Your Own Events: While supporting other community events is commendable, ensure that your primary focus is on promoting your own events. Utilize your social media channels and website primarily for your own events to avoid diluting your message.

Promotion Schedule for Planners

• Early Teasers: Start teasing the event on social media and your website at least 8-10 weeks in advance to build anticipation.
• Official Announcement: Make your official event announcement 6 weeks before the event date. Include key details such as date, time, location, and ticket information.
• Regular Updates: Post weekly updates leading up to the event. Each update should add new information or highlight different aspects of the event to keep the audience engaged.
• Final Push: In the last two weeks, increase the frequency of your posts. Share final details, last-minute additions, and urgent calls-to-action to boost registrations or ticket sales.
• Live Updates: On the day of the event, post live updates to create FOMO (fear of missing out) for those who didn’t attend, and to engage your audience in real-time.

Leveraging Digital Tools

• Event Hashtags: Create and use a unique hashtag for your event. Encourage participants and attendees to use it in their posts related to the event.
• Social Media Features: Utilize features like countdown stickers on Instagram Stories, live videos, or Facebook events to keep your audience informed and engaged.
• Email Campaigns: Use email newsletters to reach out to your mailing list with important announcements and reminders about the event.

Collaborative Promotion

• Partner with Influencers: Collaborate with local influencers or community leaders who can help amplify your message to a broader audience.
• Cross-Promotion: Partner with other local businesses or sponsors to cross-promote each other’s events. This can expand your reach to new but relevant audiences.

Analytics and Feedback

• Monitor Engagement: Use social media and website analytics to track engagement and determine which types of content are most effective.
• Gather Feedback: After the event, gather feedback through surveys or social media polls. This will help you understand what worked well and what could be improved for future events.

These best practices are designed to help event planners create a focused, effective promotion strategy that maximizes event attendance and overall success. By maintaining a clear focus and using the right tools and strategies, you can ensure that your event stands out in the community and achieves its goals.