1. How Social Media Changed The World Of Event Planning By Olivia Burke

2. What is Social Media ? Social Media is an ‘umbrella term’ that encompasses a variety of online platforms where people create, share, comment and distribute content Article.. ‘’Social innovation meets social media: a framework proposal’’

3. Introduction Event marketing has evolved No longer phone calls, mail invitations newspaper & magazine advertisements. Now based on social media networking, conversations, online videos & other applications Social media is an integral part of event planning & strategies

4. Event life cycle By using social media, event planners have the opportunity to engage their potential audience at all stages of life cycle. Before: To put the event on social media channels, to promote and make it attention seeking, by ensuring interesting & valuable event information.

5. Event life cycle During: Create a online buzz by sharing videos, photos and running competitions on Facebook & Twitter After: Keep the event buzz ongoing, to extend the life of the event. Post event, upload, pictures, videos, recordings, encourage feedback & thank attendees for going

6. Building a social Infrastructure for events Facebook ‘’Largest online social network in the world, with over 1 billion users as of March 2013’’ according to www.statisticbrain.com ‘’ The average Facebook user is active for 32 min a day, most log on site at least once every day’’ Article by Park and Cho, 2012 pg.403 Facebook is key to marketing …. access to major potential audience Can share event content on it e.g. photos, videos, links to the event webpage

7. YouTube Is a video sharing website, with features such as channels, comments, ratings & recommendations ‘’Second biggest search engine, with 1.6 m Irish users in 2011 & 400 m views per month’’ Free advertising tool to use Can build event brand on it, effective channel to publish content e.g. videos, to generate a good atmosphere

8. Twitter ‘’The second largest social network, with over 200 million active users’’ according to www.constant.com www.constant.com Powerful marketing tool (real time) & simple way to use word of mouth for an event ‘’Hashtag’’ popular to create conversation Great for users to share information, tweet, give daily updates and show off the size of the event

9. LinkedIn Social networking website, whose target market is business users. Used for business networking, business education & job hunting Key network if planning professional or business events e.g. training seminars Effective channel to connect with people from a certain industry and to spread the word about a corporate event

10. Building a social Infrastructure for events Summary Each of the four channels …. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedln, YouTube …. Will significantly raise brand event awareness and have a major impact on event attendance

11. Primary Research I interviewed entrepreneur Maeve Pike regarding her previous company ‘Grapevine Event Management’. It focused on how social media has changed event planning. Events were sold and marketed through old mediums(posters etc) in the past. Sponsorship opportunities were thin then, unlike now when companies can target particular groups through social media

12. Today you cannot run any sort of event without taking advantage of a very captive audience via social media. This is key to event management, with a ready- made audience you can access very targeted markets. For the best competitive advantage you need to use a bit of every social network you can gain access to.