Think like a visitor with a map open
Abbotsford hosts events that draw people from outside the city, such as the tulip festival in bloom season and the airshow at the airport. A visitor planning a day around one of them is not searching for your business yet. They are searching for the event, then for parking, a meal, a coffee, a place to stay, something for the children afterwards.
Each of those searches is a door. A café on the route, a hotel near the airport, a gift shop downtown or a photographer can step through if their pages and map listings answer the question the visitor is asking. Start by listing those questions in the visitor's own words.
- Where can we eat before or after?
- Where do we park, and what is close to it?
- Is there somewhere to stay nearby?
- What can we do with children or visiting relatives?
- What is open early, or late?
Use the event's name with care
It is tempting to plaster a festival's name across every post. Take care. Event names, logos and photos often belong to organizers, and implying you are an official partner when you are not can cause trouble and confuse customers. Wording such as open for festival visitors, or a stop on your way to the airshow, describes your link honestly.
If you want to be an official sponsor or vendor, ask the organizers directly about their programs and costs, which we do not list here. For everything else, rely on your own photos and your own words, and check the organizer's website for any guidance on using the event name.
Build one page for the weekend
Create a dedicated page for each event you want to target. Give it a clear title, the offer, your hours during the event period, directions and parking, and a way to book or order. Keep the same page address each year and update the details, so it builds history and ranks sooner next time.
Link to it from your homepage and your Google profile during the event period, then switch the wording once it is over. Add the event hours to your profile as special hours, so map users see the right information at the moment they need it.
Pay for the right moments
Event interest rises and falls quickly. Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram can introduce your business to people in the region as they begin planning, using photos from your own work. Google Ads can catch searches such as dinner near the festival or a hotel near the airport once plans firm up.
Run short flights rather than all season: a lead-up phase, the event days and a thank-you phase. Keep budgets modest at first and track calls, bookings and visits. Our social media, Meta ads and content teams can plan the sequence and prepare the creative in advance.
Keep the attention after the crowds leave
The weekend ends, but the audience does not have to. Invite visitors to follow you on Instagram or join your email list in return for something real: a recipe, a seasonal offer or news of next year. Photograph customers with permission, and share a recap that thanks them.
Afterwards, compare what worked: which posts, ads and pages brought people through the door. Write the lessons down while they are fresh and start next year's page early. Over several years, a business that shows up well for the same event becomes a familiar name before visitors even arrive.
Where event marketing is heading
More visitors now ask an assistant to plan a whole day, and the answer stitches together an event, a meal, a stop and a place to stay. Businesses that publish clear event pages, accurate hours and recent reviews are easier to include. Organizers' own channels will keep growing too, so look for ways to be mentioned honestly alongside them rather than competing for the same attention.
- 01AI-planned days combining an event with food and lodging
- 02Event pages that stay live year after year gaining search strength
- 03Short video recaps extending an event's reach for weeks
Questions & answers
Be careful. The name and logo may belong to the organizers, so check their guidelines or ask them first. You can usually describe your business honestly, for example as open for festival visitors, without implying an official partnership. Avoid wording that suggests you are endorsed when you are not.
Start preparing weeks ahead, because planning begins early. Build your page and update your profile first, then run a short campaign as the event approaches and a brief one afterwards. Check the organizer's website for current details rather than relying on last year's schedule.
Not always. A strong map listing, a dedicated page and good photos can capture a share of event searches. Paid ads help when competition is high or your offer needs a quick push. Start small, measure calls and visits, and increase only what pays for itself.
Yes. Our social media, Meta ads and content teams can build event pages, creative and short campaigns for Abbotsford businesses. We work from our studio on South Fraser Way and begin with a free marketing audit, so you can see what to prepare first.
