5 Experiential Influencer Event Ideas Your Brand Can Try

Many brands ask niche influencers to endorse their product on social, which is an authentic, effective way to reach a target audience. But, if you want to level up your influencer marketing efforts, consider creating an experiential influencer event. As the name suggests, these events create an experience for influencers, which they share on social media to generate brand buzz.  

Experiential influencer event ideas

Need some event ideas? Here are five events to consider: 

Host a ‘reveal party’

If you have something new to introduce to your audience, host a party to reveal it. This idea works for various situations, like a product launch, film premiere, or announcing something big like a new partnership or collaboration. 

Your guest list, as you might suspect, should include influencers in your niche, along with journalists. No matter what you reveal, create a fun event that stakeholders, influencers, and customers will enjoy. 

When Dermalogica launched a new stabilizing repair cream, the brand filled a room with brand-inspired flowers, served fun snacks, and gave influencers a free sample and tutorial. Influencers like Faith Tan shared a Reel from the event:

The same idea works for movie premieres. For the “Barbie” movie, influencers were asked to attend a World of Barbie event and the world premiere to generate social buzz. Influencer Alix Earle shared several posts about the event, including the GRWM video below and pictures at the event.

Create an immersive experience

Brand partnerships are becoming more common. But, when you consider partnerships, don’t be afraid to wander outside the typical event setting.

For instance, a global smartphone creator, TECNO, partnered with IZEA to host an immersive event at the Boston Museum of the Arts to introduce a new phone AND celebrate the 150th anniversary of artist Piet Mondrian’s birth. The phone had a design inspired by the artist, so what better way to connect the art to the smartphone than to host an event at a museum showing the work?

TECNO used one of Mondrian’s paintings to inspire the shell of its CAMON 19 Pro Special Edition. When the phone is exposed to UV light, colors inspired by the artwork appear. Special edition accessories tucked inside an art-inspired package were also revealed at a launch party held at the museum. Lifestyle and tech influencers were invited and promoted the event. 

Here’s more about the unique campaign that IZEA executed:

Create a pop-up store or event

Give customers a chance to buy products from a pop-up store at a retail space or a fun local venue. Aside from pushing products at this store, turn it into an experience. You could set up a bar with custom beverages, do giveaways, or treat customers to swag bags. An influencer could greet customers at the door, pour drinks, help people shop, or manage the giveaways. 

Kylie Minogue set up a pop-up shop to promote her London tour. Influencers promoted the pop-up, where fans could buy limited-edition merch, watch videos, and grab a tour-themed drink.

Invite influencers to visit branded art 

For something a bit out of the ordinary, consider creating a branded piece of art and encouraging influencers to visit it. During the World Cup, for example, Coca-Cola built a 52-foot man out of its product’s crates. Dubbed #CrateMan on Instagram, influencers shared pictures of the larger-than-life fan sitting on the docks of Cape Town. 

Throw an influencer-focused event

Brands with an ambassador program or a team of influencers can consider hosting events designed explicitly for influencers. These events can be as straightforward or as grand as you’d like. 

Host a happy hour at your company headquarters or invite influencers to a branded brunch. An influencer shared this cute snap from an influencer brunch hosted by the drink brand LaCroix:

Bigger events could include an annual holiday bash or weekend-long conference. 

Influencers make their living by creating relationships. Many are eager to attend events that give them a face-to-face connection with a brand and a chance to network with others in their niche.

There are so many ways to work with influencers. Collaborating on content creation is a great start, but events can nurture influencer relationships while promoting your brand. While events take time, effort, and money to plan, experiential influencer events can have long-lasting, positive impacts on your brand’s marketing efforts.

Influencers:

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