“The secret sauce for events marketing”
Because no matter how great the content, if it doesn’t feel like it’s for them, they ain’t coming. I’ll help you fix that.
Right now you’re juggling sales and revenue targets, a mind-boggling array of ideas for features and activations, an overstretched or disjointed marketing team, and a sneaky suspicion that you don’t really have a plan for what comes next.
Most consultants will give you a strategy without words. Most copywriters will give you words without strategy. Very few can bridge the gap.
That’s where I come in.
From chaotic beginnings to a full house
Build the right foundations
Twenty weeks out, and there’s a good chance nothing’s been built yet. Before you even think about appointing agencies or support staff, you need to get the big idea behind what makes your event great, and the positioning right.
That means the big picture, getting clear about what really matters to your audience, and why they should care. From there, you can give agencies genuinely great briefs, and build the campaign around it so registrations turn into people who actually show up.
Skip this, and you’re firefighting later. Trust me, I’ve worked with many a team who has. That’s why I built this stage in from the start.
Fill the room & ensure they show up
This is where the positioning becomes a real campaign. I map out what needs to happen and when, across the whole run-up, not a content calendar bolted together after the fact, but sequences built specifically to move people from registered to waiting at the reg desk, ticket in hand, excited for the day ahead.
Speaker announcements, workshop sign-ups, app downloads, invitations to connect with colleagues before they arrive, each one a small yes that makes the big yes, turning up, feel like something they’ve already committed to.
This is the biggest piece of what I do, and where most of the thinking happens.
Implement a truly strategic close
Rebooking your attendees is something that only the smartest event organisers have cottoned on to. They’ll happily rebook sponsors all day long. But attendees? Not so much.
What a wasted opportunity. You’ve already paid to acquire these people. They are at their happiest they’ve ever been with you.
This is when you invite them back, gather what shapes next year, and start laying the groundwork for something that runs year-round, not just for six weeks before the doors open.
Your secret weapon
Hi, I’m Claire Bignall, founder of Zephyr Marketing, a marketing consultant and conversion copywriter for founder-led events and media businesses.
With 25+ years in marketing and a straightforward approach, I’ve never been a fan of marketing for the sake of it; indeed, one of my oft-quoted lines is “just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should”.
I firmly believe you don’t need more marketing noise. You need someone you trust to bring clarity, and a strategy that actually gets implemented for your event and the people you’re here to serve.
Marketing should be clear, human, and effective. Otherwise, what’s the bloody point?
I’m also extremely competitive (don’t play board games with me) and get a kick out of seeing the numbers rising every week, audiences connecting to fulfil a goal, and events throwing open their doors to their longed-for visitors. So yes, you can expect results like these:
✔️ 65% show-up rate on a brand-new event (plus 1,500 pre-registered for next year)
✔️ 72% average open rate on client email campaigns
✔️AEO Award winner (2026, year 3 – foundational years 1 & 2)
It’s strategic marketing support – someone who thinks not just does…….
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That’s the secret sauce of working with Claire Bignall…She’s basically an extension of the event marketing team – that doesn’t have the monkey of a daily run rate for delegates on her back. But here’s the thing – having someone without that constant pressure means there is someone to think, plan, be proactive, not reactive and actually grow the run rate without just frantically doing more stuff……It’s strategic marketing support – someone who thinks not just does. It’s an important and quite rare difference.
A third party that you don’t have to direct, she does as much directing as solving. Rare.“
Louise White
Non Exec | CMO. Sift.
“Creating compelling copy really isn’t easy; it’s only when you meet a specialist that you realise how transformative this skill can be in your business….
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“Creating compelling copy really isn’t easy; it’s only when you meet a specialist that you realise how transformative this skill can be in your business. Claire recently helped in an audience acquisition campaign for the Festival of Accounting and Bookkeeping (FAB). Her work was magnificent and undoubtedly helped this launch event to be so successful. Thank you Claire...”
Andrew Evans
Non-Exec Dir, Sift | Founder. Blu65 | Managing Director, Thorough Events Ltd |
A certified conversion copywriter
Conversion and direct-response copywriting is the foundational work behind most successful marketing.
But how do you know who to trust with it?
Alongside 25+ years of hands-on marketing experience, I’m a certified conversion copywriter trained to put the right message in front of the right person at the right time.
I keep my hand in with ongoing training from some of the world’s leading direct-response copywriters – every single week.
