The future of marketing

The world's leading expert on below-the-line marketing is coming to Africa next month. Dan Hanover, editor and publisher of international publication, Event Marketer and a global authority on experiential marketing, will be moderating the 4th annual African Experiential Marketing Summit, which takes place in Johannesburg on 18th October and in Nairobi on 21st October.

Mr Hanover runs the world's largest collection of event marketing and trade show information. He co-launched the Event Marketer magazine (USA) franchise in 2002, in the process creating the industry's leading global information source. Nine years, thousands of articles, 10,000 conference attendees and hundreds of consulting and private speaking engagements later, he remains the world's most trusted expert on experiential marketing. He has spoken at such companies as Mercedes, Cisco, Intel, Reebok, BMW, Pepsi, IBM, General Electric, AT&T, Unilever, Symantec, McDonald's, Dell, Procter & Gamble, Kraft, and others.

Next month he will be moderating the African Experiential Marketing Summit, the #1 educational event for marketing executives, and the only executive conference 100% focused on the evolution of below-the-line marketing into full-blown "brand experiences."

"Advertising's golden age is officially gone and integrated marketing has produced a new star: experiential marketing," says Hanover. "This form of below-the-line marketing isn't growing this quickly because marketers merely think it works but because they know it does. Dollars aren't being pulled out of traditional budgets and added to the event line because of a marketing hunch. They're being redirected because a new way of marketing has evolved. No other activity gets consumers to relate to communicate with and allow a brand into their lives... all in one shot."

To counter the tendency for consumers to regard all products and services as mere commodities smart marketers have come to realise the need for creating the brand experience - a lasting impression that sets the brand apart from the competition. For share of mind they're going for share of heart. The African Experiential Marketing Summit will host hundreds of marketers and provide hundreds of ideas, trends, case studies and insights. Mr Hanover will personally moderate five sessions, including:

Below-the-Line Becomes Above-the-Line: The experiential marketing revolution is heating up here and around the world. Embrace the powerful evolution of below-the-line marketing as we open up the Summit with a list of top trends that are critical to your success.

Welcome to the Digital Age:Experiential marketing is being "supercharged" as marketers plug their below-the-line marketing into hardware, software and the web. Go inside the "digital+live" trend and then go deep inside a variety of examples and case studies that will give you a true perspective of the impact of technology on events and sponsorships.

Pushing Store Sales: The best experiential marketing Programme not only connect with consumers, but they create sales. Learn tips and best practices for connecting your marketing programmes with retail case registers. See examples of sales-crunching campaigns in action and walk away with tips for generating more sales immediately.

25 Top Case Studies: Go inside case studies from brands like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Blackberry, Burger King, Bacardi, Toyota, American Express, Vodafone, Orange Telecom, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Procter & Gamble, Nestlé, Kraft, Unilever, Visa, Kelloggs, Intel, HP, Cisco, Diageo and more.

Integrating Experiential Marketing: Experiential marketing is powerful on its own, but when linked with the rest of the marketing mix, it's unstoppable. Learn how marketers are linking events and sponsorships to their advertising, web sites, promos and more. Get some examples of integration and learn how to combine your own below-the-line and above-the-line into "one line."

Technology and Marketing: Wrap up the Summit with a look at some interesting technology in action. From hardware and software to the classy to the crazy, we will explore the role of technology in our industry now... and in the future.

For more information on the African Experiential Marketing Summit, visit www.expagency.biz/Ex-Summit-793.aspx or call Latifa Maredith on +27 (0)11 549 5340.