Top Event Hashtag Strategies for Event Planners

Boost Engagement & Visibility In A Big Way

How’s your hashtag game these days? Considering how wildly impactful social media can be for your events, it’s hard to create a marketing strategy without coordinating hashtags. But there are hashtag-specific strategies to know if you want all your attendees to post and tag. As an event planning professional, knowing how to squeeze every drop of buzz and excitement of your event moments matters. And your hashtag strategy is the key to doing just that. 

Inspire all your event guests to # about your NYC events. Here are some of the best practices to elevate your hashtag game, and thus, your social media impact. When more people are sharing and tagging, the more exposure your events (and your event planning business) will enjoy.

Understanding Event Hashtags

A brilliantly strategized hashtag can seriously boost your NYC event’s visibility. It can also create a layer of buzz and excitement among your guests sharing it. 

The Importance of Hashtags in Today’s Events

Hashtags serve multiple purposes, especially for events. 

• • Boost Visibility: Hashtags make your event content easier to find across social media.
  • Centralize Content: They pull attendee posts into one easy-to-follow stream.
  • Build Community: Hashtags encourage sharing, helping attendees connect and engage.
  • Amplify Your Message: A strong hashtag makes it easier for people to join the conversation and spread the word about your brand.

Key Components of a Successful Hashtag

• • Keep It Short: Stick to six characters or less. Short hashtags are easier to remember and quicker to type.
  • Make It Relevant: Tie your hashtag to your event’s theme or vibe. If it feels personal to your audience, they’re more likely to use it.
  • Be Original: Come up with something fresh. Do a quick search first to make sure it’s not already crowded with other conversations.
  • Keep It Simple: Easy to spell, easy to say. Skip tricky words that could trip people up.
  • Stay Consistent: Use the same hashtag everywhere — promos, signs, emails, social posts — so it sticks with your crowd before, during, and after your event.

Crafting Your Event Hashtag

Creating a unique and impactful event hashtag fosters engagement and ensures your event stands out on social media. Focus on clarity, creativity, and relevance in your hashtag strategy.

Tips for Creating Memorable Hashtags

• • Keep It Short: Aim for six to ten characters. Short hashtags are way easier to remember and type.
  • Make It Unique: Look up your hashtag before using it to make sure it’s not already associated with something else unrelated to your event.
  • Use Keywords: Incorporate relevant keywords that reflect the event's theme or purpose.
  • Numbers: Consider adding numbers for specificity, like the event year or edition. Like, #TheEventPlannerExpo2025.
  • Focus on Readability: Avoid complicated words. Use camel case (capitalizing the first letter of each word) for better legibility, e.g., #SocialMediaSummit.
  • Test It: Share your hashtag with a test audience. Gather feedback to make sure it’s easy to remember.

Dos and Don'ts of Hashtag Creation

Dos

• • Do Research Existing Hashtags: Review similar events. Identify trends in language and formatting.
  • Do Encourage Interaction: Promote your hashtag in pre-event marketing. Encourage attendees to use it before, during, and after the event.
  • Do Monitor Engagement: Track hashtag usage through social media analytics. Adjust your strategies based on real-time data.
  • Do Update Regularly: Refresh your hashtag for future events. Maintain relevance by adapting to new evolving trends.

Don'ts

• • Don't Overcomplicate: Avoid long or complex phrases. Complicated hashtags won’t be easy to use or share.
  • Don't Use Special Characters: Stick to letters and numbers. Special characters can disrupt searching and engagement.
  • Don't Duplicate Existing Hashtags: Keep things original. Using too popular hashtags can dilute your event’s visibility.
  • Don't Ignore Feedback: Take attendee reactions into account. 

Promoting Your Event Hashtag

Promoting your event hashtag effectively boosts its visibility and engages attendees. Utilize various strategies across multiple platforms to enhance the hashtag's reach and impact.

Smart Moves for Promoting Your Event Hashtag on Social Media

1. 1. Get the Buzz Going Early: Start dropping hints about your event before it even kicks off. Use platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to roll out teasers, countdowns, and sneak peeks. The goal? Get people excited and use your hashtag ahead of time.
   2. Team Up with Influencers: Find well-known voices in your industry and bring them into the fold. When influencers start using and talking about your hashtag, their followers will, too — giving your event a major visibility boost.
   3. Make it Visual: People scroll fast. Stop them in their tracks with attention-grabbing visuals — think slick videos, animated graphics, and colorful posts. The better your content looks, the more likely it is that your hashtag will get noticed and shared.
   4. Cover All the Platforms: Don’t stick to just one social media channel. Spread your hashtag across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok — wherever your audience hangs out. Adjust your posts so they feel native to each platform, but keep that hashtag front and center.
   5. Bake It Into Your Marketing: Make your hashtag impossible to miss. It should show up on everything: flyers, event emails, your event website, and event tickets. When it's everywhere, people are more likely to remember and use it.

Keeping Your Event Hashtag Alive and Kicking

1. 1. Run Contests and Giveaways: Nothing gets people posting faster than the chance to win something. Host a fun contest where attendees have to use your hashtag to enter. Prizes don’t have to be huge. It’s the excitement that drives engagement.
   2. Make it Visible: Out of sight, out of mind. Keep your hashtag top of mind by putting it on big screens, session signage, and event handouts. A few well-placed reminders can spark a lot more posts.
   3. Push for Live Posting: Encourage guests to post in real-time during key moments, sessions, performances, and behind-the-scenes moments. A lively stream of posts will make your event feel even more electric, both in person and online.
   4. Show Off Attendee Posts: Spot someone using your hashtag in a creative or fun way? Share it on your official event page or screens. Highlighting user-generated content makes attendees feel valued and inspires others to join in.
   5. Stay in the Conversation: Don’t just set it and forget it. Keep an eye on your event’s hashtag throughout the event, too. Jump into conversations, like posts, and comment where appropriate. Build a real connection with your audience while the energy is high.

Measuring Hashtag Success

Just like you would with any of your event marketing efforts, you’re going to need a measuring stick for your hashtags. You’ll want to review (after each event) how many people shared it, who’s still using it, and who it engaged with the most. And there are plenty of tools out there designed to do precisely that. Check these out to help you manage your event hashtag performance.

Tools to Track Hashtag Performance

1. 1. Sprout Social: Track hashtags across platforms and see how they boost your engagement.
   2. RiteTag: Get real-time tips on which hashtags are hot and trending for better reach.
   3. Hashtagify: Find out how a hashtag performs and spot related tags to grow your audience.
   4. Keyhole: Dive into deep hashtag stats, track sentiment, and measure real engagement.
   5. Hootsuite: Monitor hashtag success, track reach, and pull easy-to-read reports.

How to Read the Story Behind Your Hashtag Stats

• • Impressions: Think of impressions like glances. It's the number of times your hashtag showed up on someone’s screen. More impressions = more eyeballs on your event.
  • Reach: Reach tells you how many actual people saw your hashtag. Big reach? You're getting real attention.
  • Engagement Rate: This is where the magic happens. Take all the likes, comments, and shares, and divide by impressions. A higher rate means your crowd isn’t just seeing your posts. They’re loving them.
  • User-Generated Content: Check how many people posted with your hashtag. The more they post, the more they’re hyped about your event,and that’s priceless free buzz.
  • Sentiment Analysis: Dig into the vibes. Are people leaving glowing comments or throwing shade? Positive chatter means you nailed it. If not, it’s a chance to tweak and improve.

Find All Your Marketing Strategies at The Expo

Hashtag strategies are just going to complement your overall event marketing and create buzz in a big way. Learn how to make every event shine on social with these insights. And remember, the best place to be to learn all the latest marketing strategies to propel your event business forward is at The Event Planner Expo 2025. Limited spots are available for the iconic Tradeshow Floor on Day 3 - be sure to reserve your booth space soon!

#Hashtag Strategy Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of an event hashtag?

An event hashtag serves to increase the visibility of your event on social media, aggregate related posts, and foster community among attendees. It helps create a centralized stream of content, allowing participants to connect and engage more easily.

How do I create an effective and catchy event hashtag?

To create an effective event hashtag, keep it short (six to ten characters), relevant, and unique. Use relevant keywords and numbers for specificity, ensuring it’s easy to read and remember. This strategy enhances engagement and visibility.

Why is consistency important in hashtag use?

Consistency is a must in hashtag use. It reinforces your event branding and makes it way easier for attendees to recognize and use it. 

How can I promote my event hashtag?

Incorporate your chosen event hashtag into all your event materials. You can also use it in pre-event campaigns on social media, when collaborating with influencers, and as engaging visual content. Make it fun and easy to use and share it. 

What tools can measure the success of my event hashtag?

Tools like those mentioned above allow you to track every share and your hashtag’s overall visibility. They provide insights into usage, engagement levels, audience reach, and other key metrics essential for measuring success.

Can I use symbols in my event hashtags?

Steer clear of special characters if you can since they can complicate hashtag memorability. Instead, stick with letters and numbers. And it helps to capitalize the first letter of each word in your tag.

What are some common mistakes to avoid with event hashtags?

Big mistakes include using existing, popular hashtags (it’ll dilute your event’s impact,) ignoring hashtag feedback, and over complicating your string of hashtags. Do your homework before choosing your event hashtag and keep things simple for best results.