Multimarketing: Building on experience and stepping up to lead major event marketing in Auckland

Much of the credit for the impact of NZIBES 2021 goes to its co-organiser and marketing team, Multimarketing. Years of experience marketing major events, combined with wholehearted commitment to every project, underpin the team’s ability to build on its strengths and consistently lead public relations and communications for major Auckland events. There are no shortcuts to success, and no one knows the hard work and sacrifices involved better than Multimarketing founder Pauline Gao:

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YIJU: What responsibilities did Multimarketing take on at NZIBES 2021? What did you achieve, and do you have any regrets?

Pauline Gao：Multimarketing was involved throughout NZIBES 2021. We worked closely with the organiser, the New Zealand Chinese Building Industry Association (NZCBIA), to create this major event for the property and construction sectors. In the early stages, Multimarketing was primarily responsible for preparations, recruiting commercial participants and publicity. This included planning and designing commercial participation proposals and communications plans, and preparing and designing communications materials. During the next phase, we focused on promoting the event. We built anticipation through our own channels, including the official YIJU website, WeChat official account and video channel, YIJU New Zealand magazine and email newsletters. We also developed a series of digital marketing plans, placing advertisements and conducting social media marketing on YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google, and liaising with various media outlets about articles and advertising. Our aim was to amplify the event’s profile as much as possible and achieve the exposure a major event needs. In the final phase, we provided timely coverage on the day and after the event, then reviewed the overall marketing results and compiled a report with detailed data for the organiser’s reference. This also provides a useful foundation for our work next year.

Alongside marketing communications and advertising to increase the expo’s profile and influence, Multimarketing also handled most of the recruitment of commercial participants and exhibitors. Through many years of working in the industry, we have built a large base of loyal, high-quality clients who have confidence in events involving Multimarketing. Years of cooperation have also given us a deep understanding of their needs. The event plans and marketing proposals we offer are tailored to each client and help maximise their returns, earning their unconditional trust. To honour that trust, my team and I are all the more determined to give every event, large or small, our full effort and commitment, and do the best possible job.

NZIBES 2021 attracted unprecedented interest. Participation, visitor numbers and advertising performance across platforms all reached new highs. These are our achievements. However, many details in the marketing of this major event could still be improved. My team and I continue to grow and refine our work. We keep moving forward, becoming more professional, efficient and composed through the experience of each event. I believe we will handle every future event more thoroughly, with greater attention to detail and a smoother delivery.

As for regrets, I have one small regret: we never took a full team photograph. My team was busy with preparations, at the venue, at the gala dinner… across every aspect of NZIBES 2021, yet we had no time to stop for a photograph to commemorate what was such a memorable occasion for us.

YIJU: This is Multimarketing’s second year of involvement in NZIBES. How did this year’s marketing strategy differ from last year’s?

Pauline Gao：2019 was the first year Multimarketing became a co-organiser of NZIBES. Before joining, Frank and I had several discussions and reached a shared view: with the property market improving and NZCBIA growing stronger and more established, the time had come for NZIBES to build on its foundations and take a major step forward. With years of experience in property and construction and strong marketing expertise, Multimarketing was the ideal partner. Through our close cooperation, news about the association and NZIBES began appearing frequently on New Zealand’s English-language television channels, in newspapers and across social media. Its influence expanded beyond its immediate circle, gaining recognition from more and more industry peers in New Zealand.

I have already shared Multimarketing’s marketing strategy in the magazine’s October 2019 issue. This year, our communications strategy was broadly similar to that of 2019, but we refined our previous approach. For example, we targeted audiences more precisely for each communications platform and channel. As everyone knows, the property and construction boom has continued to gather momentum since the pandemic began. Our campaign audiences therefore extended beyond property and construction to include finance, law, insurance, civil engineering, property management and even smart homes.

Many people will know that NZIBES 2020 had to be suspended because of the pandemic. What many do not know is that the decision to resume NZIBES 2021 was made only after careful consideration by the organiser. The promotional period was actually just 3–4 months. Maximising the event’s communications impact in such a short time was a major challenge for us. I am therefore deeply grateful to my team. Each member has a specialist skill, whether in copywriting, design, event management or account management, and brings extensive experience and resources in their field. My team is small but highly capable: professional, efficient and united. They can look ahead to develop the overall plan while also working diligently to deliver it, moving together towards the same goal. They make me proud.

YIJU: Apart from NZIBES, what other major events has Multimarketing been involved in? What types of events are its particular strengths?

Pauline Gao：For Multimarketing, events are not really divided into large and small. They simply differ in their lead times, audiences and scale, and we adjust our approach to their needs. What we can promise is that every event entrusted to us, whether grand and impressive or small and carefully crafted, receives the same attention and the same commitment to doing our best.

In terms of the events Multimarketing specialises in, these currently include property- and construction-related seminars, training sessions and exhibitions, as well as gala dinners and awards ceremonies. In 2021, Multimarketing organised the New Zealand satellite event for the Shenzhen International Exhibition for Fully Fitted Homes; the Asian Health and Safety Forum, designed to provide effective guidance on health and safety practice in New Zealand construction; the 2021 Legal Year series of five events; and the 2021 home renovation event, featuring 2 industry seminars and a small exhibition. These events addressed many practical problems for people with relevant needs and gave participating businesses an effective platform to reach their target customers.

YIJU: The pandemic has had a profound impact on New Zealand’s construction industry. As New Zealand’s most trusted property and construction information platform, how will Multimarketing’s YIJU platform help Chinese property and construction businesses regroup?

Pauline Gao：After ten years in New Zealand, YIJU has become a platform that brings together resources across the construction and property sectors, connecting major industry businesses with users and providing professional industry news and information. Daily updates on YIJU’s WeChat official account, its magazine, official website and weekly email newsletter are all tools through which the platform communicates with clients and users.

YIJU’s comprehensive, integrated online and offline communications channels, in-depth content and precisely targeted distribution have helped many local businesses gain access to both European and Chinese markets.

For example, our longstanding strategic partner Plaxo Mortgage chose YIJU because our audience consists of the precise users it wants to reach, rather than large numbers of low-quality, ineffective leads. Over three years of close cooperation, our online and offline communications have strengthened Plaxo Mortgage’s brand image while bringing it a substantial number of well-targeted customer leads.

Our achievements also include brand repositioning and Chinese market development for James Hardie, one of the world’s best-known building brands and a global leader in fibre cement production; managing a WeChat official account for PlaceMakers, the largest supplier to New Zealand’s commercial and residential construction markets; and establishing a YIJU column for Barfoot & Thompson. These brands’ decisions to maintain long-term partnerships with YIJU’s information platform are endorsements of YIJU.

We are therefore fully confident in our ability to help Chinese property and construction businesses regain momentum after the pandemic. By integrating YIJU’s online channels, including the YIJU New Zealand WeChat official account, YIJU website and YIJU video channel, with offline channels such as YIJU New Zealand b+d, we help businesses deliver comprehensive public relations and communications. We help build their corporate image through WeChat official account management, brand marketing and promotion, integrated project marketing, and website design and operation. Through in-person training, seminars and events, we also help businesses connect with valuable industry resources and reach target customers directly, facilitating cooperation and shared success.

YIJU: Apart from NZIBES 2022, what other events can we look forward to from Multimarketing?

Pauline Gao：In recent years, Multimarketing and NZCBIA have established a long-term strategic partnership. Beyond NZIBES, we will continue to serve the property and construction sectors by providing a range of opportunities to communicate and connect, such as annual trade ordering shows and small building materials exhibitions. We will also continue to connect industry experts with audiences, bring together industry resources and hold a series of professional seminars on topical issues, providing genuinely useful professional information and services to New Zealand’s Chinese community.