By Yayi Wang
Running an event is a complicated project from the very beginning, no matter if it is a concert, sport, exhibition, or seminar. With so many people putting so much effort into an event, of course you want a full house! Then ticket selling comes into play.
Ticket selling seems to be straightforward, but there’s still a lot to consider and many things to do before your audience is convinced to buy. Especially if you are selling to people from different cultural backgrounds, a combination of the right channels and the right messages are leading the way towards a popular event!
The CHIN team, with our experience and knowledge of the Chinese market (both in Australia and in mainland China), has helped various event organisers to sell their tickets. With our tailored marketing and promoting strategy, your event could be the next one to enjoy great success!
Check out below two of our most successful event promotional campaigns, and contact us for a free consultation when your own event comes up. Email info@chincommunications.com.au or call 1300 792 446 for your tailored strategy!
CHIN Case 1 – Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Covid made organising events a nightmare for the arts. Melbourne Symphony Orchestra planned its Chinese New Year concerts, targeting Melbourne’s Chinese community still wary about venturing out. CHIN was engaged to help with the concert promotions.
The campaigns focused on two social media platforms, WeChat and RED. WeChat has excellent social media attributes with several local big accounts that target Melbourne Chinese communities through videos and program details. On the other hand, RED is a trending platform for sharing food, travel, lifestyle, and more. RED also has a large user base in Melbourne. The two media platforms were perfect for reaching the target Chinese audience. Chinese digital banners were also used as part of the promotions to broaden the reach deep into the Chinese community.
The combination of various media placements and influencer promotions on these two leading platforms brought a total of 240,000+ exposures. Despite a lockdown for the first concert date and wild weather on the second, the concert was virtually sold out and a huge vote of confidence.
CHIN Case 2 – South East Melbourne Phoenix
The basketball superstar Zhou Qi returned to South East Melbourne Phoenix in the recent season. As a Chinese star player, Zhou Qi will attract more Chinese spectators to watch the games, however the SE Phoenix team found it hard to spread the word among the Chinese community. CHIN came along to help!
Different from the other project, the strategy for Zhou Qi’s campaign aimed for wider impressions with straightforward information. The platforms we chose were also different – We used RED as the influencer platform for strong visual content, and two Chinese Apps (one is Chinese news and a social app, the other is a food delivery app) for event awareness.
The campaign ran for almost 2 months, resulting in a total of 2 million impressions and 27,000+ clicks. Another sell out game delivered!
Cultural and language considerations always need to be top of mind. South East Melbourne Phoenix also engaged a Chinese MC to assist at matches and officials and players prepared with cross-cultural training prior to Zhou Qi’s arrival in Melbourne. MSO acknowledges Chinese guests with carefully curated programs, lion dances and post concert receptions.
Whether it is promoting an activity, selling tickets or delivering a culturally sensitive event, it is always a good idea to seek professional help.The flow on benefits such as membership subscriptions, social media coverage and improved attendances are lasting.