If you haven’t caught up with our articles, 7 NFT use cases for business or NFTs for loyalty marketing those are great resources to learn more about NFTs and why they are rapidly advancing as a viable and effective tactic for business and marketing initiatives. We are already seeing NFTs disrupt different industries by amplifying social media followers and promoting campaigns. As a result, more and more brands are using NFTs to market new launches, promote milestones, or show support for a charity or social movement.

Events and event marketing are fantastic areas to explore NFTs to heighten your programs and elevate your customer experience. As we know, events run the gamut from corporate functions to experiential to non-profit and social gatherings. There are hundreds of types of events that could benefit from implementing NFTs in many different ways.

NFTs in business could be seen two-fold, as a novelty item or a functional tactic. Novelty would refer to the value of the NFT coming from the “novelty” of owning the NFT, say as a piece of art or memorabilia. Utility is the value given based on special access, perks, or opportunities. Both have advantages in the events space.

Event Marketing and Sales

Marketing your event can sometimes be as vital as the event itself starting with ticket sales. First and foremost, you can design your NFT ticket to be part of the event. This means you can offer an exclusive piece of art (or collectible, memorabilia, etc.,) for your event that will drive more interest in buying tickets. The easiest thing to think of is offering fans a piece of history, such as a musician offering a song only found on the NFT, or a movie providing a video clip exclusive to the NFT. Outside of the world of entertainment and sports, you could have a local artist design the ticket or link to another exclusive offering that would resonate with your audience.

Partnership is another draw. You can team up with a sponsor or creator to create a one-of-a-kind NFT. Charities are starting to collaborate with celebrities, musicians, athletes, and other influencers to create and sell their own NFTs. Recently, Kinetic Sand collaborated with artist Dan Lam to create and sell NFTs to help raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, so that they can grow their arts and creative experiences programs.

You can also market that the NFT ticket includes fixed rewards or random prizes assigned to a certain number of seats for the event.  For instance, the ticket could provide an extra raffle ticket, an extra drink, an opportunity to speak with the keynote, or entrance to an after party.

The Event and Swag

Dynamic ticketing provides value to your audience but also provides better attendee verification and event logistics for your staff. NFTs eliminate ticket fraud and help your event staff run the show. NFTs don’t just enhance the look of your event ticketing–a dynamic ticket can hold other information–like drink tickets, proof of dinner service, or letting the event know any additional pertinent information about your attendance.

NFTs as a novelty item can be leveraged in a similar way to organizational swag. Whether it’s digital artwork specific to your event, physical swag, or just some unique content you’ve designed, gifting and creating NFTs can quickly help with merchandising.

And once you are at the event, rewards, raffles, auctions, contests, games, etc., can all be part of the NFT. UNICEF just launched 1,000 NFTs to celebrate its 75th anniversary in the United Nations to raise money and awareness for education and children. 

Virtual events can operate the same way as any other event–except it’s online. In fact, your event can use NFTs in the platform itself. When entering an event, you can present attendees with virtual event gamification elements and tasks. Increased and improved gamification can help event organizers to increase engagement.

For example, in exchange for completing these tasks, attendees can receive NFT rewards that are usable in the metaverse or even tokens that have real-world monetary value. Tasks could include visiting five tradeshow booths, watching a session, or networking with ten people.

Moreover, attendees will have the ability to serve as brand ambassadors. In a virtual world, or the metaverse, users’ will have the ability to customize their online personas. If you give your attendees unique items, many will proudly display them in other venues and user interactions, further increasing your brand’s reach.

Corporate Events

Corporate America can also benefit. Trade shows, conferences, sales meetings, and any other event for your work can offer the owner special incentives; perhaps the NFT gives access to a baseball game or access to the convention where your brand will be exhibiting. You could use them for games, contests, or charitable giving. Plus, they could be used for exclusive access to one-on-one Q&A sessions with brand representatives, customer service reps, or even well-known thought-leaders. 

Educational credits are a must for association events. NFTs allow you to secure credits on the blockchain, as well as allow you to create badges and other recognition upon completion.

What’s Next?

NFTs give event attendees access to new experiences while also leaving them with a special keepsake.

As you start to think about your next event, here are some questions that might help determine if experimenting with NFTs is right for your event.

• Does your event have tiers? Would distinct rewards or perks be of interest to those tiers?
  

• Are unique experiences expected by dedicated members or are you looking for new ways to engage with them? 
  
• Would you like new ways to amplify awareness of your event and product or cause?
  
• Do you need something to help your event stand apart?
  
• Are you doing more virtual or hybrid events?

The best news is that you can experiment with NFTs for minimal costs, little to downtime or disruptions. Get in touch to learn more about using NFTs to promote and heighten your event.