Event marketers know the struggle. Budgets are shrinking, competition for attention is growing, and the days of “show up with a booth and hope for the best” are over. That was the backdrop for our latest webinar, where Kimmie Coules, Strategic Events Lead at Writer, and Greg Wise, Co-founder and CCO of OneScreen, joined Nick Bennett to discuss how out-of-home (OOH) advertising can unlock more impact from your event strategy.
We covered why OOH matters, how companies are using it creatively, and what it takes to measure success. Here’s the recap of what you missed.
Why OOH is More Important Than Ever for Event Marketing
Events today aren’t just about the people inside the expo hall. The real opportunity comes from owning the environment around the event — airports, hotels, restaurants, and even the routes attendees take to the venue.
Greg explained it well: if you’re only spending inside the four walls of a conference center, you’re missing 90% of the decision-makers who are in that city or in your target audience but not attending the event itself. OOH gives you a way to extend your presence and create the perception that your brand is everywhere.
And that perception matters. For high-growth companies, showing up big with OOH signals credibility and maturity, even when the marketing team behind it might be small.
Real-world examples that worked
Kimmie shared how her team at Writer tested OOH for flagship events and quickly saw its impact. At the Cannes Festival of Innovation, they went all in:
- An airport takeover greeted attendees the moment they landed.
- Mobile LED bikes and walking billboards carried Writer branding through key streets.
- An ice cream cart on the main boulevard drew crowds and created social buzz.
The results were hard to ignore. Attendees told Writer’s team they saw the brand “everywhere.” Some even walked four stories up to Writer’s hospitality suite just to say they noticed the activations. That kind of unsolicited engagement is exactly what OOH can deliver when paired with the right creative ideas.
Greg added that more companies are exploring creative alternatives like wrapped Ubers, branded food trucks, backpack billboards, and LED trucks. These formats allow marketers to get as close to the venue — and their audience — as possible, even when traditional billboards aren’t available.
Outdoor Ads: From Brand play to pipeline Driver
A common mistake, Kimmie noted, is treating OOH as “just a brand play.” The reality is that OOH can be tied directly to demand. Simple tweaks, like including your booth number or a clear call to action, can turn awareness into measurable traffic.
Greg emphasized pairing creative execution with context. For example, wrapping Ubers and offering free rides to the conference can drive both goodwill and direct booth traffic. And when paired with sales outreach, OOH becomes the air cover that makes it easier to book meetings and start conversations.
Budgets and Aligning OOH to Marketing KPIs
Marketers often assume OOH requires massive budgets. Not true. Greg shared that effective OOH campaigns for large events can start around $20K to $30K, with larger budgets reserved for big shows like Dreamforce or Inbound.
The key is to be targeted. Instead of trying to own an entire city, identify high-impact placements: hotel ads, key commuter routes, or activations tied to offsite events. That focus keeps costs down while still making a strong impression.
Kimmie added that alignment across teams is just as important as budget. At Writer, her team looks for overlaps across brand, field, and demand marketing.
When Dreamforce and Writer’s AI Leaders Forum were scheduled just two weeks apart, both in San Francisco, they extended a single OOH campaign across both events. One investment supported two business cases, making it an easy “yes” for leadership.
Measuring OOH Success
How do you prove OOH worked? Both speakers stressed the importance of looking at more than impressions.
- Share of Voice: Partners like OneScreen provide post-campaign reports showing how visible your brand was compared to competitors.
- Social Media Shares: OOH often sparks posts, tags, and photos that extend your reach digitally.
- Engagement Counts: At Cannes, Writer measured 900 ice cream cups given away — 900 direct touchpoints with attendees.
- Geo Data: For larger activations, mobile ID tracking can show who was exposed to your OOH and whether they engaged with your brand later.
Kimmie also pointed out the power of FOMO. Competitors showing up big with OOH is often enough to make the case internally — no CMO wants their company to be invisible at a flagship event.
Tips to Stretch your Event Marketing Impact with OOH Ads
OOH works best when it’s integrated into your full event lifecycle:
- Pre-event: Use activations like food trucks or coffee carts as meeting spots. Invite prospects to join you there.
- During the event: Capture activations on video and post them in real time. This extends reach beyond those walking by.
- Post-event: Keep the campaign running 1–2 weeks after the show. With long sales cycles, those extra impressions reinforce your brand while sales follow up.
Greg summed it up: OOH is about creating a before, during, and after presence. When sales and marketing are aligned, it stretches the impact of your event spend far beyond the booth.
Final Takeaways
- Anchor OOH campaigns to your tentpole events where standing out matters most.
- Start small and targeted — $20K to $30K can be enough to make an impact in big markets.
- Don’t stop at awareness. Use CTAs, activations, and sales alignment to tie OOH directly to pipeline.
- Measure results across share of voice, social buzz, and real engagement.
Out-of-home is no longer an afterthought. It’s a powerful way to make your brand feel bigger, extend your presence across an entire city, and drive ROI before, during, and after the show.
👉 You can watch the full webinar on demand for free here.
Looking to level up your event marketing with strategically placed OOH? Let our experts show you how here.