You’ve spent months organising your event, including hiring speakers, making an agenda, and advertising to your target demographic. However, registrations are lagging as the big day draws near. Any organiser might start panicking because if there are few people at the event, all of your hard work will be in vain.
Every event planner’s worst nightmare is a low turnout, and that arises the question of how to increase event attendance in every event they plan. But there are steps you can do to have a good night’s sleep before your big day. Organising successful events will be very beneficial to your company. Outstanding events will result in more significant membership, happier and more involved members, improved retention rates, more income, and a larger donor base.
In this blog, we’ll discuss in details about the tried-and-true tactics that have raised event attendance. Along with that we will also first understand different event types to utilise the discussed strategies and use the ones that suits your event the best.
Types of Events
Depending on the target audience, financial constraints, and goals, each event type has distinct uses and advantages. Let’s take a closer look at all the types of events:
In-Person Events
In-person events are conventional get-togethers when participants physically gather at a designated site. These gatherings have been essential to human contact because they promote in-person relationships and real-world experiences. Participants meet in a common area, which may include outdoor areas or conference spaces. The atmosphere, in-person conversations, and hands-on training create an unforgettable and powerful experience.
Virtual Events
Virtual events take place fully online, and digital tools are used to link participants who are spread out across different areas. Because of the growing demand for accessibility and technological improvements, these have become incredibly popular. Using live-streaming websites, video conferencing tools, or specialised event software, participants join. Compared to in-person events, hosting and attending a virtual event sometimes requires lower expenses.
Hybrid Events
Hybrid events are a combination of on-site and virtual formats. Hybrid events allow flexibility in that the attendees can join according to their best fit, either online or in person. Most sessions, keynotes, and activities are streamed live to the online audience while being in person. Use interactive tools, live polls, Q&A sessions, and virtual networking to interactively involve both sets of participants.
Understand Your Target Audience
Clearly identifying your intended audience is the first step to increasing attendance. Are you targeting students, families, or professionals? Every group has distinct requirements and preferences. To find out what appeals to your audience, survey them, examine statistics from previous events, and interact with them on social media. You may adjust every element of your event, from the concept and content to the marketing plan, to meet their expectations by being aware of their interests and pain areas.
Begin by classifying your target audience according to their demographics, interests, and habits. Insights from previous or comparable occurrences in your sector can be helpful. Once you’ve determined who they are, you can modify every element of your event to satisfy your target audience.
Create a Compelling Event Offer
An event is unlikely to attract attendance if it lacks a compelling value proposition. Emphasis what makes your event unique and worthwhile. Even the best-planned event could fall flat if there isn’t a compelling value proposition. Make sure your promotions highlight your offerings, whether they are hands-on workshops, extraordinary networking opportunities, or a keynote speaker with a strong reputation in the field.
Start by understanding what makes your event unique. Is it the speakers’ quality? Special chances for networking? Whatever it is, make sure to emphasis these points in your messaging. Emphasis the results that potential attendees can anticipate from attending in order to genuinely engage them. If people are aware of the knowledge, skills, connections, or inspiration they will acquire, they are more likely to go.
Use Effective Event Marketing Strategies
A complete event marketing strategy is quite important for maximum audience or participation. You will need to couple digital initiatives, conventional offline strategies, and content marketing to communicate with your target audience effectively. A rundown of these strategies, with practical applications, has been provided below.
1. Digital Marketing Tactics
Advertise on various social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Send reminders, follow-up emails, and invitations to your contact list. Use the appropriate keywords for event web pages to come up higher in search results. Engage in the process of promoting events through influential persons who would cover your target audience.
2. Offline Marketing Strategies
Advertise in periodicals, newspapers, or trade journals your target reads. Engage in cross-promotion with local businesses, schools, or civic organisation that reach your target audience. Send hard-copy postcards or invitations to key groups.
3. Content Marketing
Create content on your website relevant to the theme of your event. Build anticipation by creating promotional videos, speaker interviews, or behind-the-scenes teasers. Give participants an idea of what to expect. You can also hold a live Q&A session or pre-event webcast with important speakers or organiser.
Utilise Technology to Boost Attendance
Make your event more enjoyable for attendees before it even starts by utilising event technology to advertise it and boost attendance. Make a user-friendly registration page and event website. Provide information on the speakers, the event’s schedule, the location, and how attendees can register and purchase tickets.
Create anticipation by sharing images and videos from past years, announcing speakers, and publishing updates. Respond to guests’ queries and remarks to show that you are interested in them. Provide on-demand or live-streaming content. More people can attend and watch from anywhere when keynotes and sessions are streamed on an event platform for virtual or hybrid events. Use event software to make the organising more hassle-free. For example, use an efficient event ticketing software that lets you sell tickets, make customisations, and promote your event under one system.
Pre-Event Strategies to Drive Attendance
Creating enthusiasm and awareness well in advance of the event is the first step if you answering to the question of how to increase event registration. Start by generating excitement with early marketing initiatives such as social media teaser campaigns and save-the-date announcements. Providing early bird incentives, such as preferential access or cheap tickets, encourages prompt registration and creates momentum. Work together with sponsors, partners, or influencers to expand your audience and gain more visibility.
Simplify the registration procedure to prevent prospective guests from leaving it. Make use of platforms that are easy to use and make sure that all promotional materials have obvious calls to action. Use captivating content to showcase the event’s worth, including behind-the-scenes films, sneak peeks, or webinars with important speakers prior to the event. Stressing time-limited deals or a restricted number of tickets will create a sense of urgency.
Partner with Stakeholders
One effective strategy to increase event awareness, credibility, and attendance is to collaborate with stakeholders. By using their networks and resources, stakeholders—including sponsors, trade groups, nearby companies, and community organisations—can assist in expanding the reach of your event. Because stakeholders frequently contribute special knowledge, audiences, or resources, these collaborations not only raise awareness but also enhance the value of your event.
Find stakeholders whose objectives match with those of your event to form fruitful collaborations. Provide chances that benefit both parties, including special on-site promotions, sponsorship packages, or co-branding. For example, an industry group may co-promote the event to its members, while a corporate sponsor may receive publicity through event signage or a speaking engagement.
Create a Seamless Registration Process
To maximise attendance, a simple and easy registration process is essential. Systems that are difficult to use or unclear can turn off potential attendance. More people will commit to your event if you streamline the procedure and make sure it runs well.
Select a User-Friendly Registration System
Choose a platform that is reliable, mobile-friendly, and simple to use. Whether guests are using a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone, make sure they can register with a few clicks. Seek out features that can further streamline the procedure.
Provide Flexible Payment Choices
To serve a varied audience, offer a variety of payment options. Attendees can pay securely with options like bank transfers, PayPal, and credit/debit cards. For free events, a simple RSVP button might make things go more smoothly.
Provide Confirmation and Follow-Up Right Away
Send an automated confirmation SMS or email with every relevant detail, such as the event date, venue, and ticket details, to participants as soon as they register. As the event date draws near, send out follow-up reminders to keep participants interested and informed.
Engage and Retain Attendees
Attendee engagement starts well before the event and extends long after it is over. First, design some engaging pre-event activities such as surveys, social media competitions, or in-person speaker Q&A sessions. Set up the event with embedded interactive features that keep attendees interested, such as panel discussions, live demos, and networking opportunities. Examples of gamification that could boost enthusiasm and motivate involvement are leader boards and challenges.
Keep up excellent post-event communication to draw people back for more events. Post highlights from the event and invite guests to interact with the material by tagging themselves or posting on social media. To learn about their experience and potential areas for development, collect feedback via questionnaires. Making guests feel important and retaining their interest after the event helps you create enduring relationships and a loyal following for your upcoming projects.
Measure Success and Analyse Feedback
Measuring event success means understanding its impact and finding further opportunities. Learn how to effectively track attendance at events with RFID badges, digital check-ins, or any other way via smartphones, and record activity of the attendees. First things first, to measure the success of an event, one must set up key performance indicators or KPIs in relation to event objectives, and it can range from anything out of the number of attendees, engagement level to revenue generated.
Monitoring data such as ticket sales, social media mentions, or website traffic provides certain indicators of the effectiveness in terms of the reach that your event is getting. The feedback of the attendees is an essential determinant of the event’s success. A combination of quantitative data and qualitative input, in so doing, can further be used to enhance the events over time and more value to your audience.
Boost Event Attendance with EventBookings Event Management Tools
If you are confused about choosing a tool to make your event organising journey easier, EventBookings can be the one. EventBookings offers an expansive platform to help ease event management and improve attendance. From easily customisable event pages to simplified ticketing options, its user-friendly platform allows you to create a flawless registration experience. With multi-tier ticketing in place, you will be able to accommodate several audience segments, such as VIPs, early bird attendees, and group reservations.
EventBookings has built-in promotion tools to make marketing your event easier. Add social media sharing options, automated email campaigns, and even track ticket sales in real-time. Advanced analytics dashboards give further insight with actionable information, including the demographics of your attendees and their engagement trends, to help you refine your strategy.
Use a combination of offline and digital marketing techniques, develop attractive event offerings, and comprehend your target group to boost attendance. Simplify the registration process and use teasers, special offers, and effective follow-ups to entice prospective attendees.
Depending on the nature and size of your event, a decent attendance rate target often falls between 60 and 80% for in-person events and between 35 and 50% for virtual ones. Adjust your expectations based on previous event performance and your audience.
Through surveys, Q&A sessions, and live chats, technology improves interactivity and enables viewers to participate in real time. It encourages a more engaging experience, which raises participant engagement and pleasure.
Choosing an event theme is usually less of a pain point because it’s more creative and adaptable, even though issues like budgetary restrictions and vendor coordination are common.
Make use of digital marketing resources such as influencer collaborations, email campaigns, and social media advertisements. Add offline strategies like direct mail, community outreach, and collaborations with nearby companies to these.
Provide an unforgettable experience with engaging activities, personalised conversations, and outstanding planning. Communicate after the event, highlight the positives, and provide returning guests exclusive advantages.
Stay clear of confusing communications, complicated registration procedures, and poor follow-up. In order to avoid drop-offs and no-shows, make sure that attendance is accurately tracked and that appropriate reminders are sent out.
In conclusion, we can say that with the right tools and tactics, ensuring maximum attendees is not that challenging as it seems. Use the strategies that we discussed so far and utilise the professional software. Moreover, to get all the essential features under one software contact EventBookings or visit the website today.
