Top 5 Ethnic events to run a sampling activation
Here at GottaBe! Ethnic, we understand the importance of reaching the consumer directly and often support our clients at events and cultural holiday celebrations. Over the years, we have seen success at various events, so we have compiled our top 5 suggestions for events to run a sampling activation. However, the best location for your brand may vary, so feel free to contact the team who will help you present your brand at various events across the UK.
London Muslim Shopping festival
25-26th February 2023
The team recently headed to the London Muslim Shopping Festival to support one of our clients in their awareness campaign. The event sees over 20,000 people over the weekend and is targeted South Asians and specifically Muslims from the UK and globally. The event held at the London Excel Centre has several shell scheme stalls available to promote your brand or, even better, sell your product. People travel from the UK and overseas to experience various companies, brands and products. But the main focus is the pre-shopping experience ahead of Ramadan. So, if your brand is considering this event, your product or service should be altered to ensure it is culturally appropriate for the target audience.
A study found that British Muslims make an estimated £31+ billion contribution to the UK economy. But our research shows that only 1 in 4 brands reach this audience through marketing. By altering your marketing plan to be inclusive, your brand could benefit from this contribution seen by the British Muslim community.
Diwali on Trafalgar Square
Early October
GottaBe! Ethnic have attended Diwali on Trafalgar Square on behalf of our clients over recent years and have seen great success in our activations. Diwali on Trafalgar Square is organised by The Diwali in London (DiL) committee in partnership with the MAYOR OF LONDON. The event sees over 25,000 people attend to celebrate the cultural holiday.
Due to the nature of the celebration, the target audience at this event is mainly Hindus, but many Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists also celebrate the holiday. The event is free for the public to attend, but the number of attendees is limited throughout the day due to its popularity. Your brand must be aware of the different behaviours/needs of those attending and ensure any delivered campaign is not offensive and should benefit the audience by bettering their experience. For example GottaBe! worked with Western Union to provide an awareness campaign that saw BA’s hand out tea lights and over 1,000 bamboo boats to the public to float in the famous Trafalgar Square fountains. The floating tea lights allowed the public to write their Diwali messages or prayers; the lights represent the traditional Diya, an integral part of prayer.
Birmingham Mela
22-23 July 2023
Birmingham Mela is one of the largest South Asian music festivals in Europe, with 50,000+ Attendance. GottaBe! Ethnic supported one of our clients last year at the festival, which was an excellent opportunity to raise awareness of the client’s services. There are large partnerships at the event with Lidl, showcasing tailored recipes, products and live cooking demonstrations to the audience.
Whilst at the festival, audiences can browse around 100 stalls ranging from food, fashion and services. The Bazaar has room for all exhibitors, from brand experiences to sampling opportunities and product launches. It is the place to raise awareness amongst the South Asian community.
The celebration of Mela linked with the festival’s popularity means your brand is directly placed into a range of consumers in a buying mindset who are less price sensitive due to the emotional connection the holiday brings. Capture that audience with your activation, and your brand is likely to benefit from the loyalty of those consumers.
Barrio Fiesta June
10-11th 2023
The largest celebration of The Philippines Independence Day is held in London, and each year, over 10,000 guests and performers attend. The day is full of entertainment, food stalls and a fun fair. Still, it is also the perfect opportunity for your brand to target the Filipino community through appropriate marketing. This could be through sampling, merchandise, or an experiential activation.
The 2023 celebration will be held at Lampton Park, Hounslow, Hampton, United Kingdom and should not be missed!
Ghana Party in the Park
15th July 2023
Trent Park, London, will host the 2023 annual outdoor festival for the Ghanaian Community. The festival attracts over 10,000 people, making it the largest Ghanaian event outside of Ghana and attracting visitors from the UK, Europe, the USA, Canada and Ghana.
The event is supported by the Ghana High Commission UK & Ireland and the Ministry of Creative Art, Tourism & Culture and sees acts from across the Globe perform. Trade Exposition are also available in partnership with Global Afrique Ltd to promote products and services. The event is an excellent opportunity for both SME’s and LSE’s to interact directly with the target audience.
If you have a specific target audience you are looking to engage or just want to extend your reach into new audiences then contact the GottaBe! team today! We will provide you with solutions to your marketing challenges and help you successfully engage audiences. It really is your product our people.