How to generate buzz at big events (without a booth or sponsorship) 🥁
28 unconventional ways to make noise at conferences
Last week, Zendesk pulled off a genius marketing stunt:
🌃 They flew an army of drones over the venue of a Foo Fighters concert, right when the show ended (and everyone walked outside). If you scanned the QR code they displayed in the sky, you got free food from nearby food trucks.
Now, here's the twist: At the same time, in the same city – San Francisco, there was a Dreamforce conference in motion, organized by Zendesk's biggest competitor, Salesforce. That message in the sky wasn't meant for the Foo Fighters fans; it was a clever jab at their competition.
A few years ago, Brex, a credit card startup, faced a similar situation: They couldn't secure official sponsorship at SXSW (South by Southwest).
So what did they do?
🛎️ They teamed up with the hotel where attendees were staying — and made the hotel room key cards look like Brex cards. This simple key card ad became a huge growth engine for them.
A third one I love:
🎁 Do an airdrop stunt like Adidas.
Adidas once dropped a custom sneaker image via AirDrop to iPhones at a stadium. People went wild — not just for the surprise, but because it felt like a secret just for them.
You can hijack AirDrop the same way at conferences: Create a custom image or QR code (with a fun message or giveaway), then AirDrop it to nearby iPhones during break sessions.
These 3 stories show a powerful marketing idea: Instead of sponsoring the event, create branded experiences around it. Zendesk stole the moment right after the concert, while Brex got their brand into the pocket of every single attendee with room keys.
💥 How to create event buzz without official sponsorship?
Here's how:
Step 1: Map out the entire "Attendee Journey” (it’s like a customer journey, but at conferences).
Step 2: Participate in as many parts of the journey as we can. Bonus points if our involvement connects with our brand or product (e.g. Brex and cards).