If you’re looking for a way to put your clothing company in the spotlight, why not host a fashion show? Creative marketing can have a significant impact on building brand awareness and improving sales. A fun, exciting event is sure to be more memorable than a social media post and much more exciting than yet another marketing email.

As with organising any event, there’ll be a few things to think about as you plan your fashion show. You’ll need to pick an appropriate venue that suits your budget, and you’ll need to promote your event as much as possible to ensure you have a good turnout.

Here, we explore how to successfully promote and host a fashion show.

Advertising

Advertising will be crucial to the promotion of your fashion show. Utilising social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn will allow you to reach a much wider audience than if you only advertise the event in your local area.

Print marketing will be useful for advertising your fashion show more locally, so consider getting custom made pop-up banners designed to promote the event. These will also come in handy on the day of the event, as you can use them to direct guests to where you are in the venue.

Influencers and partnerships

Influencer marketing has grown in popularity in the UK, and for good reason. Partnering with local bloggers, magazines or influencers will help spread word of your event and is likely to reach a wide audience who you may not ordinarily have access to.

Collaborating with designers and celebrities would significantly raise the profile of your fashion show, so it’s worth considering whether your budget will allow this.

Venue

Research different options for venues for your fashion show and obtain quotes up front. This will allow you to weed out any which don’t suit your budget or requirements.

Once you’ve found a few potential venues, arrange viewings so you can see the spaces in person and determine how well each will work for your event. A viewing will also be a good opportunity to ask any questions to the onsite events team.

Catering

Remember to factor in the cost of catering and drinks when you’re researching venues. Consider whether you’d like to provide food for your guests or whether it will be a drinks-only affair. Depending on the time of day of your fashion show, you may wish to serve alcohol such as wine or prosecco, so speak to the venue staff to discuss what your options are for these.

Event schedule

Set aside some time to plan a detailed event schedule for your fashion show. You should include what will happen and at which time of day. For example, when people will arrive at the venue and which model will be on stage at which time.

Ensure every member of your team and the venue’s events team has a copy of the schedule and is aware of what their responsibilities are throughout the day.