I had the pleasure of attending The 2015 Redress Raleigh Eco-Fashion Show this month. It was a fantastic event, and since I had the remote to my life with me (also known as my phone), I decided to do some practice tweeting and share those strategies on our blog.
Why Tweet from an Event?
Tweeting at an event, or “live-tweeting,” has many advantages, including:
- connection to the local community
- connection to the causes/topics of the event
- connection to the brands/vendors/people at the event
- visibility for your brand/person during the event
- posts with interactive, engaging content
- posts with real-time updates
- posts likely to be shared by other event attendees or interested groups
Plus, you might as well, since you’re they’re anyway, right?
For attendees and organizers alike, live-tweeting has become a fixture at most conferences, events, webinars, and lectures. — Lindsay Kolowich from Hubspot Blogs.
What Could Go Wrong?
A quick word of caution — we’re not saying that you should use Twitter every time you attend anything requiring a ticket. But if your area has a large event, and you or others from your organization are attending, consider spotlighting your viewpoint through Twitter, even if the connection to your organization isn’t direct.
Be cautious, though, and consider…
- if there’s any way the event’s purpose would ostracize clients, vendors, employees, or other important stakeholders.
- if you truly understand the event’s mission/topic/focus; you don’t want to make assumptions that will draw negative attention or highlight holes in your knowledge.
- if you have permission to share from the event; make sure you’re not photographing proprietary content or taking video if that isn’t allowed.
- whether you have something nice to say; while many love Twitter for controversy, we wouldn’t recommend criticizing others on Twitter (also known as cyberbullying!), even if you don’t like what they have to say. Try to focus on what you do like!
- if you’re in the right state to be tweeting; if you’re over tired or having a few beverages, either have someone else sober-review your content or catch the next event — it’s not work risking your reputation.
What Do I Need to Tweet from an Event?
Not much!
- Grab your Twitter-ready smart device
- Check out if there’s a handle or hashtag for the event
- Consider possible related hashtags (like the name of the city you’re in, or the general topic related to the event — “#livemusic” for a concert, or “#artgallery” for an art gallery opening, for example)
- Consider your organization’s angle; why are you there, and why does the event matter to your organization? (Important: it could be as simple as you supporting your local community’s events, or your organization celebrating a great week with some fun!)
Great… Now What Should My Tweets Say?
Just consider yourself a tour guide. You are taking your Twitter followers on a tour of the event!
FIRST: Arrival Tweet.
Try and get a picture of yourself near a sign or memorable visual to announce your arrival, as a way to start the Tweets.
Sarah is excited to check out @RedressRaleigh tonight. Stage is ready! #sustainablefashion #FashionShow #Raleigh pic.twitter.com/IWWx47immN
— Reify Media (@ReifyMedia) May 29, 2015
THEN: Swag share.
Next, keep an eye out for memorable or unique things from the event you can share. This could be swag given away at the event, or a cool vendor prop, or a picture of the event mascot. I loved that @FshngDsgnGrl tweeted a picture of the fashion show program.
@RedressRaleigh lovely list of designers at #REFTC2015 #ecofashion #ecofashionshow #ecochic #fashion #fashionshow pic.twitter.com/rke5ehmZjd — Anna Beth Gawarecki (@FshngDsgnGrl) May 29, 2015
Repeat as necessary!
MUST: Takeaway post.
What are you learning? Why did you come? Why are you glad you’re there? Who said something neat you want to share?
I attended Redress Raleigh with my stepfather, Tom Snyder, an Industry Liaison for the ASSIST Center at NC State. He was at the event prior to participating in a Redress Raleigh Conference panel the following day, where he would discuss wearable technologies and the potential intersection with fashion, science, technology, and mobile tracking. During the event, he shared some great takeaways. Here’s one of his posts from the ASSIST handle:
Fashion and technology are about to intersect on the runway. @redressraleigh @NSF_ENG pic.twitter.com/1yWhOjbex7
— ASSIST (@ASSISTCenter) May 29, 2015
If you can tag speaker’s names in the posts, that’s also a great way to make connections. I loved this post by HQ Raleigh, which highlighted a favorite designer from the show with a link and a photo:
Loved seeing Stephanie Trippe’s fresh, fashion-forward take on hemp in the finale of the #REFTC2015 @RedressRaleigh pic.twitter.com/El7Uc81m56
— HQ Raleigh (@HQRaleigh) May 30, 2015
TRY: Video Clip.
If you can, try to share short video clips; the goal is to keep between 7 and 15 seconds. I shared this one from my personal Twitter account:
First model walks out at @RedressRaleigh. #sustainablefashion #FashionShow #Raleigh. pic.twitter.com/0NrlNWGXgY
— Sarah Glova (@chirpsbysarah) May 29, 2015
GOAL: Friend Share.
Meet someone you know, or find a way to promote another person/brand? Style points! This is a really important way to connect with others.
Repping @ReifyMedia at @RedressRaleigh and ran into Kim from @NAWBO_GR! #fashion #EcoFashion #runway #NAWBO #Raleigh pic.twitter.com/Jydd0Ab73b — Sarah Glova (@chirpsbysarah) May 30, 2015
Finally: Summary and Thanks.
If you can, share a thank you post. It’s great if you can link this back to why the event was important to you! For example, I might Tweet out a link to this post with a thank you message included—summary and thanks.
More about Redress Raleigh
The Eco-Fashion Show was held at Lincoln Theater in Downtown Raleigh. The fashion show highlighted the work of six talented designers.