"Eventually, you will bond for life"

In this final section of my thesis, a short reflection will be given on the previously presented chapters. The problem statement accompanied by the formulated subquestions were answered with the help of a literature search. The findings were undermined by interview results. Conclusively, the main goals of this study seem to be obtained. Furthermore, personal experiences made were integrated in the chapters and additionally fortify the presented findings. Therefore, according to my opinion, this study contributes to giving a deeper insight in the complex use event marketing as a means to strengthen customer relationships and gives room to further discussion of the topic presented. [...]

The goal of this study is to reflect upon event marketing and the advantages and disadvantages of its use with regard to building customer relationships. As this study uses mainly literature as a basis, statistically relevant findings can only be found in the AUMA report. The number of interviews used in this study is rather low and can therefore provide only a short insight. Furthermore, one has to keep in mind, that no distinction has been made between products and services. Fairs might be more effective for some products than for others. Also, the type of event to be used has not been statistically tested for products and services. Consequently, the findings presented in this study may not give a reliable view to be applied for all products and services. Additionally, this study neglects the fact that the use of various types of events can also depend on the industry a company belongs to. The use of a certain type of event might not be part of business practices within a specific industry. No attention has been paid to varieties in findings across industries. Moreover, this study neglects the cultural background of companies and the question whether the use of events fits into the overall corporate strategy of a company. The application of event marketing has to comply with already set strategies to build a company’s image and reputation. [...]

marketing, PR, sponsoring, etc. Events can also be used to achieve strategic aims such as enhancing the image of the company and its products, product presentation and others. One has to keep in mind though that events should always pursue the general marketing strategy of a company. Conclusively, it can be said that the effectiveness of events on developing long-term customer relationships depends on the consideration of the following aspects: • • • • • The selection of the right customer to bond with The integration of events in the communication mix The integration of events in the overall marketing strategy The integration of events in the concept of CRM The careful control of the success of events [...]