Why Most Brisbane Business Owners Waste Money on Events
I was talking to a landscaper in Coorparoo last month. He’d just spent $2,500 on a stall at a local community fair. He had a nice gazebo, some printed flyers, and spent eight hours on a Saturday handing out lollies to kids.
When I asked him how many new jobs he got from it, he looked at me and sighed. "None. Not a single phone call. But hey, at least people saw the brand, right?"
Wrong.
"Brand awareness" is a fancy term marketers use when they can't prove their work made you any money. If you’re a small business owner in Brisbane—whether you’re a sparky, a boutique owner, or a mortgage broker—you don't need "awareness." You need customers who open their wallets and pay you for your services.
Local events can be a goldmine or a massive money pit. Most people do them wrong because they treat an event like a social outing rather than a business transaction. In this guide, I’m going to break down the different ways you can approach local events and show you exactly how to ensure the next time you show up at a school fete or a business breakfast, it actually puts money in your bank account.
The Three Ways to Play the Event Game
Not all events are created equal. Depending on what you do for a living, you’ll find success in different ways. I generally categorise event marketing into three buckets:
1. The Community Stall (The Broad Reach) 2. The Targeted Workshop (The Expert Play) 3. The Local Sponsorship (The Long Game)
Let's look at how these compare and which one is actually going to get you the best result for your specific business.
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1. The Community Stall: Being Where the People Are
This is the most common approach. Think the Brookfield Show, the Pullenvale State School Fete, or a weekend market at Milton.
The Mistake Everyone Makes
Most business owners show up, put a bowl of chocolates on the table, and wait for people to talk to them. They think that by simply being there, people will remember them when their toilet leaks or they need a new deck built six months later.They won't. People have short memories.
How to Actually Make Money Here
If you are going to pay for a stall, your only goal should be to get contact details. You want names and phone numbers.We worked with a pest control guy in Chermside who used to just hand out magnets. He’d go through 500 magnets and get zero calls. We changed his strategy: he ran a "Win a Free Termite Inspection worth $250" raffle. To enter, people had to scan a QR code and enter their name, suburb, and phone number.
By the end of the day, he had 120 local leads. He called them all on Monday. He booked 15 jobs that week. That’s how you get more local customers without hoping for luck.
The Cost: Usually $100 to $500 for the site, plus your time. The Result: Instant leads if you have a hook; total waste of time if you don't.
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2. The Targeted Workshop: Proving You Know Your Stuff
If you are a professional service provider—an accountant in Indooroopilly, a physio in Ashgrove, or a real estate agent—stalls are usually a waste of time. People don't go to a school fete to talk about their tax returns.
Instead, you should be looking at targeted workshops or speaking slots.
Why This Works better for Professional Services
When you stand in front of a room and explain how to solve a problem, you aren't a "salesperson" anymore. You are the expert.I know a mortgage broker who hosts "First Home Buyer Information Nights" at a local RSL. He spends $200 on some platters of finger food and invites people via local Facebook groups. He doesn't sell. He just explains how the grants work. By the end of the night, half the room wants him to check their borrowing capacity.
He isn't competing on price; he’s earned their trust. This is a much smarter way to win local customers for less than spending thousands on generic advertising.
The Cost: $200–$500 for a room and some food. The Result: High-quality clients who trust you before they even hire you.
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3. Local Sponsorship: The "Good Guy" Strategy
This is when you put your logo on the jerseys of the local footy team or pay for a banner at the bowls club.
The Brutal Truth
For most small businesses, this is a donation, not marketing. If you think a logo on a jersey is going to make your phone ring off the hook, you’re dreaming.However, it can work if you use it as an entry point. Don't just put your logo on the shirt. Ask the club if you can send one email a year to their members offering a "Member Only" special. Or, show up to their presentation night and be the person who hands out the trophies.
Sponsorship only works if you are active. If you’re just a logo on a fence, you’re invisible. If you want to see how this fits into a broader plan, you should look into how to actually make local events work before you write that cheque to the local cricket club.
The Cost: $500 to $5,000 per year. The Result: Very slow. Only do this if you have the cash to spare and already have your other marketing sorted.
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Comparison: Which One Should You Choose?
| Strategy | Best For | Speed of Results | Effort Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stalls | Tradies, Retail, Services | Fast (if you get leads) | High (all day Saturday) |
| Workshops | Accountants, Physios, B2B | Medium | Medium (prep time) |
| Sponsorship | Established businesses | Very Slow | Low |
Step-by-Step: Your Plan for the Next 30 Days
If you want to grow your business using local events, don't try to do everything at once. Here is exactly what I’d tell a mate to do if they wanted more customers by next month:
1. Find one event: Look for a local school fete, a business networking breakfast, or a community market happening in the next 4 weeks. 2. Create a "Hook": Don't just show up. What can you give away that requires a phone number? A free quote? A voucher? A physical prize? 3. Ditch the Brochures: People throw brochures in the bin before they even get to their car. Use a QR code that goes to a simple form on your phone. 4. The Monday Follow-up: This is where the money is made. If you get 20 leads on Saturday, you must call them on Monday. Not Tuesday. Not next week. Monday.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Spending too much on "Stuff": You don't need a $2,000 custom-printed marquee. A plain one with a good pull-up banner is fine. Spend that money on a better prize for your lead draw instead. Hiding behind the table: I see this all the time. The business owner sits in a camping chair at the back of the stall scrolling on their phone. Stand up. Smile. Talk to people. If you aren't a "people person," bring an employee who is.
- Forgetting the "Local" part: If you are at an event in North Lakes, don't talk about jobs you did in Ipswich. Talk about the house three streets away that you just worked on. People in Brisbane love hiring someone who "knows the area."
Is it worth the time?
Look, I'll be honest. Events are exhausting. You’re on your feet all day, you’re talking until your throat is sore, and you’re giving up your weekend.
If your website is already bringing in plenty of leads and your Google Maps profile is humming, you might not need to do events. But if you’re just starting out, or if you’ve hit a plateau and need a fresh injection of local customers, there is nothing faster than looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand, and showing them you’re a local legend who knows his craft.
Stop thinking about "advertising" and start thinking about "connecting."
If you want to know which Brisbane suburbs are currently the best for your specific trade or service, or if you’re tired of wasting money on marketing that doesn't work, we can help. At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about pretty pictures or "likes." We care about your phone ringing.
Ready to get more customers without the guesswork? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s talk about a plan that actually makes you money.