Rachel Crick recently spoke with Iva Popova the senior social media manager at the Kenes Group on the importance of social media to promote events along with how to measure its success.
Iva Popova is the senior social media manager at the Kenes Group, a global conference planning organizer dedicated to medical and scientific events. She earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing and applied communication at New Bulgarian University in 2020. While obtaining her degree, she completed an event marketing internship at All Channels Communication, then held sales and marketing roles before reentering the events industry. She’s also a member of PCMA’s 20 in their Twenties, Class of 2025.
Iva Popova
Q: What is the importance of social media marketing when it comes to events?
A: Social media is a very big part of marketing, and the way it relates to events is omnipresent. You have the strategy before, during and after the event, and that makes it so much more than the few calendar dates during the event. With the way the world is changing and evolving, social media is making it a whole new experience, a whole community outside the venue. You can offer people more, such as a behind-the-curtain look to show them what they can expect. You can tease people who weren’t able to attend and show people what they’re missing and post snippets of people during the event and make them feel like they’re part of the community. They get excited with you. In the context of events, social media is an integral part of achieving this, to make people have an experience and get more worth for their money.
Q: How does social media marketing fit into the larger strategy of event marketing?
A: For me, it’s about the brand and not just the promotion of the event. We have the habit of thinking about social media and event marketing as promotion, which I don’t really like. It’s about building a brand, which then builds a community and a staircase to success. It starts with people recognizing you as a brand when they see a logo or design. They think, “What are they doing now?” You need to make people interested in you as a brand and push promotion to the side, because if people like what they see, they will register for that event. One post that’s relevant and data-backed is more useful in the long run than several reminders to register for an event.
Q: How do you measure ROI when it comes to event planning and social media marketing efforts?
A: To me, social media marketing is a must-have. But to be honest, stakeholders are still getting there. When you have someone in their 20s telling you that you have to have social media, some people wonder if it’s worth the money because they don’t always see a tangible return on investment. But the truth is, you have a lot of ways to track it and know if your efforts and strategies are successful. You can add traceable UTM links, and if someone registers because of a social media, that’s ROI. If you gain more followers, you get a better more positive sentiment on post-event surveys, that’s also ROI. To me, client satisfaction is a big part of it; in my work, I’ve seen people complain during an event on Twitter. They complain the coffee is too cold or there’s no water in the cooler. Then we can track that person down and ask how to make things right, to make sure they know the event organizers want them to have a good time. There are also polls and surveys, games or giveaways, and things you can do on-site to engage people. You can invite them to follow you, tag you in their pictures, participate in online contests, and collect their social media information or emails for your databases.
Q: What qualities do you need to succeed as a social media marketer in events?
A: There’s a misconception that if you’re very active on social media you’re going to be a good marketing and social media manager, which is completely false. The best social media managers tend to be the ones who don’t even post on their accounts. A person who would be great for this role is someone who understands psychology. I’ll give an example: If you see a trend on TikTok or Reels that has an immediate hook and you understand why it’s funny, it’s because you know why people think it’s funny and how they think. You know what’s relatable, what’s relevant, what song is trending and will be perfect to boost the algorithm. It’s about connecting these dots to form a strategy. The best social media marketers are the people who are focusing on brand and how they present themselves and people who tailor content to specific interests.
Q: What are some misconceptions about social media marketing jobs?
A: Everyone needs to know we’re not just people scrolling through Instagram all day. It’s hard for some to accept this person is actually working when they spend their whole day in front of an Excel Sheet. They need to see the value of the content we provide and the value of having us there. There’s ROI for your company, not just your event. Content is something that’s there forever. The pictures you post, the memories people have from the event are there forever. It’s not about posting 200 posts per day, it’s about doing something valuable, which is sometimes hard to explain to older generations. They are used to having things planned out, step-by-step, whereas marketing tends to happen very quickly. This trend is the hit of today, but tomorrow we need to start something new. We’re quick thinkers; we adapt every single day and what we do is not just publish aimlessly. It’s communicating, being present and listening to what people want and need.
