To build a brand today, you need to be known for more than just your product. You need to be known for your knowledge, expertise and experience. Events can be a great way to engage others and immerse them in your brand.

Just look at Dreamforce, the annual event hosted by Salesforce that brings together more than 170,000 marketers and digital technology experts from 91 countries. It's an experience that includes speakers, motivational keynotes, a top-of-the-line trade show, concerts, philanthropy and more that all contributes to the brand equity of Salesforce.

In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we're sharing these tips from Tony Delmercado, COO of Hawk Media, to help you creating events that epitomize your brand.

1. Know the "why" behind your event. The first thing you need to do—before anyone will trust you or become a loyal fan—is consider what real, emotional connections you can build between your customers and your brand. Then you need to understand why you are hosting the event. Why do you incorporate your brand when you do? Any event you plan should embody your brand's values and message, so try to infuse your company's core values into the activities wherever possible to produce a unique and memorable experience.

2. Focus on the right things to develop your event. There are a many logistics involved in event planning. The key to developing the most engaging events lies in knowing who you are as a company and why you exist in the world. What are your core values that need to be represented? Your reason for existing, in other words, needs to spur everything you do, large or small.

3. Involve your most enthusiastic staff and customers. This isn't just about the people working the event. Proactively seed the audience and the venue with people who are superfans of your brand, even if they're not the most knowledgeable on how your company works. Enthusiasm spreads.

A great way to create a strong emotional connection to your brand is to hold an event packed with your most ardent supporters. These people can help shape a more personalized vibe at the event, so that the overall experience helps your guests see and understand how your company truly "gets" them.

Also, cherry-pick your own team members and put people either on the agenda or in the audience who you think will have a positive impact during smaller, one-on-one conversations. This is akin to getting your three best guests on your list because you know they'll be the life of the party and set the tone for the room.

4. Align the event with your broader mission. Can you take your brand's purpose in the world and grow an event around it? Dreamforce is a primary example of this. At this event, they had 20 monks leading daily mindful sessions and attendees help stuff 1,500 backpacks with school supplies for hurricane victims—both representative of the core values of Salesforce.

Hosting events is a fun and exciting way to grow your brand. If you focus on your why, you'll get to connect with people in strategic positions, craft killer experiences that build affection and loyalty in your customer base, and grow your business by introducing it to new potential customers.

Source: Tony Delmercado is the COO at Hawke Media and the founder of 1099.me.