ICON 2025 Marketing
Context
ICON (which stands for “international conference”) is the flagship annual event produced by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). The conference brings together communication practitioners and students for 2.5 days of learning and networking. The location changes every year, providing opportunity for each event to have a unique flavor while staying true to its core mission of delivering professional development, inspiration, and career-building connections.
Objective
With the confirmed location in Washington, D.C., ICON 2025 was a major contributor to PRSA’s overall revenue, with ambitious attendance and sponsorship goals. My team was tasked with the development and implementation of a comprehensive event marketing strategy to drive conference registrations and increase attendance while operating within a very modest budget.
Integrated Marketing Plan
Every successful marketing plan starts with a strong brand, so ICON 2025 brand development was the crucial first step to ensure the conference had a compelling and differentiated visual identity. Using a bold combination of red and blue, I directed the design of a logo that featured iconic DC landmarks as well as graphic elements emphasizing connection—drawing on research from Fuse, JDC Events, and Bear Analytics that found connections were the top reason for professionals to attend a conference.
Once a strong branding platform was established, it was time to activate it across different channels and develop a funnel to guide prospective attendees from awareness all the way to clicking the “register” button and completing the online registration process. This is arguably my favorite part—seeing how a brand comes alive, connects with its target audience, and drives it to the desired action. The following tactics were implemented for ICON 2025:
- Organic social media featuring past attendees and their ICON experience, with a heavy focus on video storytelling.
- Online display ad campaign that targeted communications professionals using keywords, industry affinity lists, and lookalike audiences to build awareness and interest.
- Press releases announcing major keynotes including award-winning actress Lauren Graham, best known for her portrayal of Lorelai Gilmore in “Gilmore Girls”.
- Automated email journeys and retargeting campaigns across LinkedIn and Meta to nurture interest and move the prospects from awareness to conversion.
- Direct mailings of post cards to “most likely to convert” prospects to supplement digital tactics while keeping costs low.
- Text campaigns around key announcements and deadlines.
- Limited-time promotions, flash sales, and special pricing bundles with the PRSA membership.
- Toolkits for PRSA’s local chapters with key messaging, branded assets, and ready-to-post social media content to amplify organic reach at no additional cost.
Results
- 10% year-over-year increase in conference attendance, with over 2,000 gathering in Washington, D.C. despite the government shutdown and economic uncertainty.
- $32 CPA for a conference with average registration value of almost $2,000.
- 190,000+ organic social media impressions, with the average engagement rate of 4.4%.