Has your event got a tone of voice?

The Barbercraft event had a tone of voice and a mood like no other!

In 2024, we’ve been doing communications for events ranging from a conference of panel beaters to an international gathering of tech experts from 50 countries around the world. The way we talk to these different audiences is wildly different. We need a tone of voice that works for each one. And that got us thinking about tone of voice for events…

Branding and marketing people love to talk about tone of voice, but does it have any place in the world of events?

Of course it does!

Building an event or experience is only a small part of the process—you need to fill that event with people; otherwise, it’s just a cool-looking space. And filling it with people takes marketing. See how we’ve circled back there?

Tone of voice is how you communicate with your audience. It’s the language you use, the topics you cover, your formality (or informality), and the attitude you give off. Tone of voice is an excellent tool for letting people know what type of event to expect.

The tone of voice can let your audience know if it’s a serious or fun event, casual or buttoned-down, scientific or silly. It’s a great tool to help get people excited and set expectations.

But most events don’t do a great job of finding the right tone of voice.

If you’ve got an event or experience associated with a brand that has an existing tone of voice, you are a little further ahead. That’s a good place to start. But does that tone of voice need to go further? Take, for example, a Halloween event. In communicating with the intended audience, you might want to add a bit of a spooky tone to the existing brand voice.

But when working with existing brand voices, you must be careful. You can’t completely work against the brand. Maybe using a spooky tone is too cheesy for the existing brand. Luckily, you should have examples of other marketing and communications by the brand to help steer you in the right direction.

How about if there’s not an existing brand? Or if you don’t have a tone of voice to work with? There are a few things you can look for to help you find your event or experience’s voice.

Who do you want to attract? Think about your audience and how they like to be communicated with. If they are a scientific community, then some science jargon is OK; it might even be necessary to give your event some credibility. No one’s going to fly around the world to attend an event that is “stuff that’s super useful about eyes,” but they may want to know about “the latest developments in ophthalmologic procedures.” For other audiences, “procedures” might just be too formal; they might want to hear about “tips and tricks.” Using the sort of standard language that fills up most business communications can be off-putting for audiences that don’t use that language all the time. Yet a good chunk of the communications that we see for events is just this.

What motivates your audience? To follow up on the first point, think about what motivates your audience. If they are about status, then dropping words like “exclusive” might be perfect. But if they are a party crowd, then maybe you want to talk about “unforgettable nights with mates.”

What’s the mood of your event? If it’s a formal event, then formal language is probably best. But if it’s a relaxed vibe you are looking for, then “cordially” probably shouldn’t be part of your vocabulary.

What’s the theme or subject matter? Like the Halloween example earlier, a bit of thematic language might help create a mood. It doesn’t need to be over-the-top, either. If you want a high-end event, then words that suggest luxury are the right idea.

What do you want your audience to do? Give them clear instructions – the classic “Call to Action”. We’ve all got lots going on in our lives, so when someone clarifies what we need to do, and the tone of voice helps us gauge how urgent that is, you’ve made things a bit easier for your audience. If this is an early piece of communication, don’t come on too strong. Telling people to “hurry” in the first couple of messages leaves you nowhere to go when they do need to hurry. And it can sound a bit desperate.

Those four questions help you work out where you need to pitch your tone of voice. When you start to write in that tone of voice, remember one other thing – make it authentic. Trying a tone of voice that really isn’t you or trying a little too hard can be off-putting. Using buzzwords or jargon, you don’t really understand is a surefire way to alienate your audience. So, find other aspects of a tone of voice that work. A classic example is when older writers try to sound “down with the youth” and throw around the (almost) latest slang. Using a less formal and relaxed tone of voice will do the same without labeling everything “dope.”

To non-marketers, tone of voice might seem daunting, but it can give your event communications a little bit extra to help get your audience off the fence and along to your next event or experience.