Targeting the event visitor segment

The decision to attend an event is not always a simple process. Some events are inexpensive and frequently attended, often with little thought put into the purchase. Events that are more expensive and less frequently attended will require the purchaser to research competitors. Extensive research and thought will be undertaken for costly and difficult-to-understand events. Social media has changed the research process as consumers become aware of event opportunities when they view postings about attendance from other travelers. Organizations with limited marketing capacity may focus their promotion on a single visitor segment. To target multiple segments requires an event that can meet the desires of more than one group. Positioning an event means ensuring that the unique benefits are communicated to the targeted segment. Visitors are grouped into segments based on common characteristics and desires. One or more segments may be targeted. The visitors can be segmented by geographic location. The goal might be to target only local residents, those in the region or those from an even wider geographic area. Visitors can be grouped based on demographic characteristics such as age, income, gender or ethnicity. The most widely used is psychographic segmentation, which groups visitors based on values, attitudes and lifestyle.