9. Make Them Public—In a Big Way
![9. Make Them Public—In a Big Way](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/mail_attachment_1_2_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Sure, promoting hashtags within the boundaries of an event can get guests interacting. But put them outside the event's official walls and you're more likely to capture a bigger crowd. At the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, a 3-D projection of tweets using the official event hashtag appeared on a 35- by 65-foot billboard. The digital activation, created by Incredible Machines, ran at night, while during the day the billboard showed a static image of the hashtag printed on canvas. Similarly, AOL placed its hashtag on a giant billboard outside the venue of its upfront event during Advertising Week in New York.
Photo: Courtesy of Twitter
1. Write It on the Wall
![1. Write It on the Wall](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/113011_wiredstore_jika_gonzalez_bizbash.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
A simple way to draw attention to an official hashtag is to place a call to action on a wall. Promotions like Wired magazine's pop-up, which took place in New York last November, used wall decals to encourage consumers to promote the store while on-site.
Photo: Jika González/BizBash
2. Put It on Signage
![2. Put It on Signage](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/e20589sweetlife_selects_4.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Signage is a more prominent way to direct guests to the designated hashtag, a strategy employed by last year's Sweetgreen festival in Maryland. The resulting tweets were broadcast on the large screens placed around the stage.
Photo: WanderingHat
3. Make It Larger Than Life
![3. Make It Larger Than Life](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/target_nilayasabnis.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Increasingly common at events is the use of large video screens to display Twitter chatter. For the "Shops at Target" launch in New York on May 1, the producers took advantage of the IAC Building's 120-foot-long video wall to magnify posts marked with #TheShopsatTgt.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis
4. Provide a Memento
![4. Provide a Memento](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/bfa_embedded_credits.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Services like Instaprint are popping up at many affairs, proving popular with guests as a tangible record of their active social media use. At a fashion show held by USA Network in New York, even the wall the machines were mounted on sported the hashtag, motivating curious attendees to snap a photo and post it via Instagram.
Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com
5. Make Staffers Wear It
![5. Make Staffers Wear It](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/img_7202png_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Staffers are a common sight at events, and some event producers have put hashtags on the outfits worn by greeters, caterwaiters, or even hosts. In February, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival advertised its official Twitter phrase on the T-shirts worn by participating chefs like Rocco DiSpirito.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash
6. Add It to the Red Carpet
![6. Add It to the Red Carpet](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/brian_brooks_mb_productions.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The arrival areas of events involving celebrity guests tend to draw large crowds. To turn that to their advantage, the planners behind USA Network's upfront in New York placed a large canvas emblazoned with the official hashtag high above the carpet where passersby could see it.
Photo: Brian Brooks/MB Productions
7. Place It at Entry Points
![7. Place It at Entry Points](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/041912_agomassive_emmamcintyre.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Just as common as a red carpet are the rope-and-stanchion barricades that denote an entrance or V.I.P. area. Among the ways the Art Gallery of Ontario displayed the hashtag for its annual Massive Party fund-raiser on April 19, was the use of small signs placed atop stanchions.
Photo: Emma McIntyre for BizBash
8. Mark It on Tickets
![8. Mark It on Tickets](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/moma.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The colorful plastic and paper wristbands used at concerts, festivals, and other big events can be customized to show a designated hashtag. To encourage guests at its Party in the Garden fund-raiser to upload photos via Instagram, the Museum of Modern Art in New York handed out entry bracelets printed with the hashtag #PitG2012.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
9. Include It in Printed Materials
![9. Include It in Printed Materials](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/shortys.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Invitations and programs serve as physical reminders of an event's basic info—the date, time, location, and even dress code. An additional step would be to add the hashtag to such materials, which is what the Shorty Awards did in New York on March 26.
Photo: Rose Chevalier/BizBash
10. Put It Onstage
![10. Put It Onstage](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/061212_usanetworksuitpromotion_as.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
When the stage—or runway—is a central element of an event, a backdrop can call attention to something in a big way. The producers of USA Network's fashion presentation in New York on June 12 utilized the 60-foot-long LED video wall that served as the main decorative element of the catwalk to display its hashtag as well as the premiere date of show Suits.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
11. Make It the Focal Point
![11. Make It the Focal Point](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/project_x_4_c_mark_davis.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Not every event has a stage, but any eye-catching area can be a smart spot to place a hashtag. That was the case with the June 5 release party for the Project X Xtended Cut DVD in Los Angeles. Produced by the Visionary Group, the backyard-bash-style affair for Warner Brothers and Break Media included an 18- by 10-foot pool, which had a banner marked with the event name and hashtag sitting at the bottom.
Photo: Mark Davis
12. Print It on Functional Items
![12. Print It on Functional Items](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/060712_travel_leisure_smittys_as.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
A more subtle approach is to use the hashtag on the cocktail napkins. The organizers of Travel & Leisure's first Social Media in Travel & Tourism Awards (the Smittys) in New York on June 7 made sure attendees saw the hashtag when grabbing a bite from a passing waiter or when taking a cocktail from the bar.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
13. Use It as Decor
![13. Use It as Decor](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/080911_betseyjohnsontootoolaunch_as.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Similarly simple was the approach taken for the August 2011 press preview of Betsey Johnson's fragrance Too Too. The planners incorporated the event hashtag and the designer's official Twitter handle into the overall event design by placing the call to action in frames.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
14. Turn It Into an Activity
![14. Turn It Into an Activity](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/060712_travel_leisure_smittys_as3.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
A playful, original idea created by the planners behind Travel & Leisure's Social Media in Travel & Tourism Awards replaced entrance bracelets with sweatbands and invited guests to embellish them with quirky pins, one of which displayed the hashtag.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
15. Put It Where Guests Gather
![15. Put It Where Guests Gather](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/060712_travel_leisure_smittys_as2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Bars are almost always the most crowded areas of an event, and in addition to displaying the affair's signature cocktails, drink menus can be marked with a hashtag.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
![Lacoste provided colorful beach towels for guests who tweeted about the event.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/08/image_9.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Lacoste provided colorful beach towels for guests who tweeted about the event.
Photo: D. Channing Muller for BizBash
1. Put Them Where Guests Snap Pics
![1. Put Them Where Guests Snap Pics](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/181822302.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
If your event has an oversize prop, eye-catching decor piece, or some other feature guests are likely to want to photograph, that element is a smart place for a hashtag—and it's bound to make its way online throughout the night. For instance, a Los Angeles event for British Airways and Variety saw hashtags splashed in the front windshields of traditional British black cars. Similarly, Diesel printed the hashtag for its Reboot campaign last September on large-scale installations in New York's Union Square.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Variety
2. Place Them Where Guests Can't Miss Them
![2. Place Them Where Guests Can't Miss Them](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/bbeb0d7c7c6411e2b1f822000a1f9751_7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Hashtags printed on items that guests hold in their hands throughout the course of an event—say, a fan giveaway at a promotion, or a table card for a seated meal—cannot be easily ignored or forgotten. At Essence magazine's Black Women in Hollywood Oscar luncheon in Beverly Hills, hashtags and handles decked seating cards for easy reference.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
3. Add Them to Activities
![3. Add Them to Activities](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/c706fa82224e11e3ba6922000a1fb733_7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
When events offer beauty and grooming treatments, guests are likely to feel compelled to share their post-experience transformation, whether it's a new hair look or a fresh manicure. At HBO's Luxury Lounge during the Emmys in Los Angeles, mats under mani stations encouraged social snaps for guests receiving Marc Jacobs Beauty manicures. And at Herbal Essences lounge at BMF's Hard Rock Hotel party during Lollapalooza in Chicago, hashtags on nearby signage encouraged guests to post beauty shots.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
4. Use Them to Encourage Interaction
![4. Use Them to Encourage Interaction](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/nilaya_7994_2586188356_o_1.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Hashtags that encourage interaction on site through gamification or another kind of activity are sure to facilitate broad interaction online as well. At Target's Feed U.S.A. event, menus encouraged guests to interact and mingle with tablemates through social media prompts on menus.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis
5. Create Subliminal Reminders
![5. Create Subliminal Reminders](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/sk2_9495.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Sometimes, it's not the biggest message that makes an impact, but the subtle and cleverly rendered one that gets guests' attention. For a look that was well integrated with the venue's existing decor, Pandora launched a new jewelry collection in Los Angeles and emblazoned the Mondrian hotel's bold oversize planters with hashtags.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan
6. Put Them Where Guests Are Likely to Linger
![6. Put Them Where Guests Are Likely to Linger](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/sbwff_17.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Hashtags get noticed in places where guests spend much of their time on event day—and where they have physical space and incentive to hang out. Certainly, a photo activation is a compelling incentive: Evian's photo activation at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami put a hashtag right above the action, where it was sure to make its way online.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash
7. Offer Rewards for Using Them
![7. Offer Rewards for Using Them](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/e16452c4f17211e287db22000aa803d4_7.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Turning tweeting into a competition drives major social media engagement—not to mention huge buzz at the event. During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, prompts directed guests to use a tweet-operated Polaroid vending machine at the Ocean Drive Sun Covered Pool Party.
Photo: Tracy Block for BizBash
8. Pick a Medium That Gets Them Noticed
![8. Pick a Medium That Gets Them Noticed](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/186146813.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Hashtags printed on ordinary signage might get overlooked as guests' eyes glaze over to unremarkable displays. But employ a surprising medium to communicate the message and it's sure to get noticed—and photographed for social media. For example, Sonos used lipstick to playfully jot its event hashtag in an unmissable way.
Photo: Alex Porter/Getty Images
10. Supply the Technology
![10. Supply the Technology](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/5f7360263ea611e3980e22000ae90a1f_8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Every guest is likely carrying a smartphone in his or her pocket. But making social sharing as easy for guests as possible can only further encourage the behavior—so try printing hashtags right alongside displays of smartphones or other devices. At Samsung's tent at the Life Is Beautiful festival in Las Vegas, attendees ordered free frozen yogurt and designed T-shirts from devices at stations emblazoned with the activation's hashtag.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
11. Make It Edible
![11. Make It Edible](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/img_3051.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Putting hashtags on food isn't just a tasty idea—it's Instagram bait to boot. An event invitation to the Time Warner Cable Studios pop-up in New York before the Super Bowl came with a hashtag printed right on top of a cake.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
12. Make Them Selfie-Friendly
![12. Make Them Selfie-Friendly](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2014/01/ecc7d14c7af511e3bb1012ce3f9f688e_8.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
It's no secret that guests want to photograph themselves—and their friends—for their social media profiles. So if you put your message right in their field of view, you'll capture their attention—and social media impressions. At Prive Salon in Los Angeles for the Colgate Optic White beauty bar ahead of the Golden Globes, handles and hashtags decked mirrors.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
![Hashtag](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2013/02/hashtag.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
Illustration: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash