By Eddie Stewart, CEO, Stewart Transportation Solutions, Inc.
[written for Small Market Meetings, November 2015]

Transportation is an important component to an event’s success, but meeting and event planners are often unaware of the powerful marketing potential of vehicle advertising. Wrapping a bus with your marketing message isn’t just smart, it’s a fun way to engage your attendees and get them talking about your brand.

Let’s address the obvious – 55 passenger buses are huge. They range in size from 40 to 45 feet long, and here’s the best part, they’re mobile. When you think about it that way, buses can become an excellent mobile billboard, transporting your attendees andyour marketing message.

According to the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), wrapping a vehicle is one of the most cost effective ways to reach an audience. In fact, a single vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000 and 70,000 daily impressions.* Why not use the opportunity to drive home your event’s message to an already-interested audience? Or better yet, reach a new one.

Vehicle wraps are also a great way to have a little fun with your brand. By limiting your advertisement to the length of the event, you can generate excitement beyond your standard marketing message. It’s a great opportunity to engage your audience in a new and often interactive way.

We know from experience that bus wraps get attendees talking – to each other and online. Attendees see a wrapped bus multiple times a day, so including your event’s hashtag, Twitter handle or other social media platform on your wrap will help keep them engaged throughout the event. We’ve done several shows where attendees can’t take enough pictures and selfies next to a beautifully wrapped bus. When you factor that aspect into the equation, your viral marketing potential drastically increases, along with your audience.

For meeting planners looking to provide unique and creative sponsorship opportunities, a bus wrap offers undeniable value. Most meeting and event sponsorships are focused on what’s taking place indoors, but a bus wrap can provide your sponsors with a new opportunity to reach an even larger audience. Whether you offer a full or partial bus wrap opportunity, your sponsors will certainly be impressed.

Get attendees talking about your brand beyond the convention center doors by trying a bus wrap at your next event!

*depends on market size and population