Section 11

Promote My Event

The success of your event will depend largely on the promotional activities you choose. Think of it like a party – you would never throw a big party and forget to send out the invitations! There are many ways to promote your event, and you don’t always have to spend a fortune to get great results.

Below are a number of marketing and promotional activities for you to consider, including what is available on the Coffs Coast.

Marketing Plan

The first thing you should do is create a Marketing Plan. Much like your Event Plan, the Marketing Plan is the first step in ensuring the promotion of your event has a clear vision, where you set out your objectives, and ultimately form an action plan tailored to your objectives.

Consider things like:

  • Introduction or Executive Summary
  • Event objectives
  • A SWOT analysis will help identify your Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Potential Threats
  • Identify your target audience
  • What are your key messages, unique proposition, or theme
  • Identify the reach of your campaign: local, regional, state, national etc.
  • Strategies or actions to achieve goals (this will be your action plan)
  • Resources required, both financial, time, staff etc.
  • How you will measure the success or effectiveness of your marketing activities

Marketing & Promotional Opportunities

Within the Coffs Harbour LGA, 3 of the major commercial TV stations have offices, with staff on hand to assist with your media needs.

Television:

Within the Coffs Harbour LGA, 3 of the major commercial TV stations have offices, with staff on hand to assist with your media needs.

Geographic reach for local stations stretch from Gosford to the Gold Coast and as far West to Tamworth capturing a market in excess of 2,000,000 people, with links to national networks. All stations offer a variety of programming to suit a broad range of markets. 

PRIME7 TELEVISION

Address: 30 Orlando Street – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6659 7777
Channels: PRIME7 – 7MATE – 7TWO – 7flix

WIN TELEVISION

Address: 19 Park Avenue – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 56228699
Channels: WIN – One – Eleven

NBN TELEVISION

Address: 24 Orlando Street – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6651 3349
Channels: 9HD – 9Go – 9GEM – 9Life

 

Radio:

A number of commercial and community radio stations exist on the Coffs Coast and most are active in the local events scene. Some of the major stations are listed below for your convenience however for a list of all community radio stations, visit the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia website at cbaa.org.au.

Triple M
Address: 2 Peterson Road – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6652 2777
Website: www.triplem.com.au/coffs

HIT FM
Address: 2 Peterson Road – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6652 2777
1. Website: www.hit.com.au/coffs

CHY FM
Address: 30 Orlando Street – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6651 1104
Website: www.chyfm.com

ABC COFFS COAST
Address: 24 Gordon Street – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6650 3611
Website: www.abc.net.au/coffscoast

 

Newspaper, Print & Digital:

The Coffs Coast has a broad range of print and digital publications, from local news to boutique magazines. Many of these are free press reaching a broad range of markets. With offices based on the Coffs Coast the below publishers are strong supporters of events in the local region.

COFFS COAST ADVOCATE
Address: Red Rock – Nambucca – Dorrigo
Publication: Wednesday & Saturday
Phone: 1300 136 181

FOCUS MAGAZINE
Address: Elders House, Park Ave – Coffs Harbour
Phone: (02) 6650 9343
Publication: Monthly

BELLBOTTOM MAGAZINE
Address: PO Box 29 – Bellingen
Phone: 0437 641 565
Publication: Monthly

NEWS OF THE AREA

Phone: https://www.newsofthearea.com.au/contact

Publication: Every Friday

COASTBEAT

Phone:0412 211 825

Publication: Fortnightly

Print Collateral

Printed collateral refers to things like posters, flyers, postcards, bookmarks and banners. Keep in mind when distributing these types of materials, permission must be given by the land owner in which you plan to distribute or display your collateral. The Coffs Coast has a number of commercial printers capable of producing large or small high quality print runs.

 

Websites

There is no doubt that having an online presence for your event is important. An event website is a good starting point and there are many free website building options available on the internet. The Coffs Coast also has a number of companies that can assist building your website too.

It is also a good idea to utilise other organisations websites to promote your event. www.coffscoast.com.au is the perfect starting point (and Free) to ensure your event is listed on the calendar of events page for the region.

 

Social Media

Social media is a great way to build a community of people interested in attending your events. Consider platforms such as FACEBOOK, TWITTER, or INSTAGRAM, to create an event, and with permission, register your event on other organisations social media platforms as well.

The Coffs Coast has its own social media platform, and by registering your event on the Coffs Coast website (see website above), you can be included in Coffs Coast social media posts.

 

Street Banners and Flags

Coffs Harbour has nearly 200 Banner / Flag locations throughout the region including the Coffs Harbour CBD, Harbour Drive, the Foreshores Precinct, Sawtell, Woolgoolga, and the Highway.

Street banners and flags, are usually reserved for major events and scheduling banners/flags is programmed 12 months in advance. For further information contact Council’s Stadium and Major Events Team on 02 6648 4950.

 

Pop-Up Activations

Pop-Up Activations can be an effective way to promote and sell tickets to your events. These can take place at the many markets run in the region, suitable public spaces, or possibly vacant shop premises.
You can find a list of local markets on the coffscoast.com.au website. Contact Council’s Customer Service Team on (02) 6648 4000 to find out about suitable public spaces and for vacant shop premises contact the relevant owner or real estate agent.

 

Visitor Information Services

The Coffs Coast has a number of Visitor Services Locations at key sites in Coffs Harbour CBD. Trained staff and volunteers can help promote your event through the distribution of promotional material as well as providing a ticketing outlet for local events. For further information contact the Visitor Services Team on 02 6648 4990.

 

Business to Business

Engaging the local business community will not only help you get the word out about your event but will also help to ensure patrons visiting the region for your event will have a positive experience. Contact the Local Chambers of Commerce to see how you can maximise any opportunities with the business community

Coffs Harbour http://coffschamber.com.au/

Sawtell http://sawtellnsw.com.au/

Woolgoolga https://woolgoolga.org.au/

 

Free publicity

With a range of media outlets based on the Coffs Coast, good promotion and publicity will no doubt form a key promotional tool for your event. Local Media organisations are continually supportive of promoting events in the region and there are a number of locally based publicists who have strong relationships with the local media and a good feel for what these organisations consider to be good content.

A good media release is key to getting attention in the media. When creating press release, try to be as clear and concise possible, and make sure you think about an angle or approach that will get the media’s attention. A Media Release template can be downloaded from the Free Templates page