High event attendance leads to robust revenues for your association.
Not only is event attendance an indicator of how well you are—or aren’t—engaging your current constituents, it’s also one of the best ways to recruit new members into the fold. And, when your members know they can count on you to deliver informative updates, influential guest speakers, and fun entertainment, they’re far more likely to attend your events and renew their memberships.
In this article, we’ll share five valuable secrets to boosting attendance at your association’s next event.
- Harness the power of videos. Dull slideshow presentations take a back seat to immersive live streaming. Since not everyone will be able to attend your event in person, it gives you an opportunity to connect with all your members online. Live streaming can also help make your event more shareable on social media. Whether it’s a sneak peak of the event space before the event begins or the reveal of an exciting new speaker added to the lineup, videos are a great way to generate interest and expand the reach of your event.
- Offer a variety of session types. People learn in different ways, so it’s essential to make your event as diverse as possible to appeal to a wider variety of people. For example, you might include networking sessions that help your members to build valuable relationship with others in the industry or training sessions on specific skills or tools to give your members a competitive edge. And it goes without saying that fun activities should always be part of any event. These might be informal educational activities such as fireside chats, or something entirely different, like a scavenger hunt or evening entertainment. A variety of session to types will delight event attendees and ensure a unique and memorable experience that will keep them coming back year after year.
- Make technology part of your plan. There are so many ways that event technologies can help you grow attendance at your events. For example, membership software makes it easy to share members-only content, such as exclusive event information, notices, forums, and networking opportunities. If you’re looking to streamline the process for your team and your members, an event app can be a great tool. One tap and attendees can readily access important information, such a logistics and session documents; details about the various activities on the schedule each day; and ask questions of the event planning team.
- Promote, promote, promote. You can’t just spring an event on your members at the last minute and expect a great turnout. Get started on your event promotion as early as possible to build interest and attendance. Share the details regularly across all your online and social media networks. Does your organization use Twitter? Create your own event hashtag to help generate a social buzz. Facebook user? Create a Facebook event that attendees can share. On your organization’s website, go beyond simply adding it your event calendar. Construct a page for your event so you can provide more enticing information, such as photos, a real-time social activity feed, your agenda, and a link to the online registration form so people can sign up easily. Why not write a blog about your event? And don’t forget to send out plenty of advance emails to notify your members and subscribers so they can note it on their calendars.
- Don’t underestimate the importance of following up. You’ve successfully pulled off another huge event, and you’re probably feeling both relieved and exhausted. Still, it’s important to follow up with attendees shortly after the event concludes. Go beyond simply thanking them for attending. Share a recap, condensed notes, and other helpful information. And be sure to ask for their feedback. This not only provides you with valuable information you can use as you plan future events, it also shows members that their experience matters to you.
Your association’s annual events are one of the best ways to connect with your members.
They get to convene, bond, and have fun, while your association gets to spread its message. Take advantage of this opportunity to convince your community that they made the right choice in becoming a member.
For decades, IBC has been helping associations, unions and non-profits maximize the return on their event marketing investment. If you’d like to learn more about our tried-and-true iMIS software solutions that drive member engagement, please contact our helpful professionals today.
About Intuitive Business Concepts (IBC): Since 2001, IBC’s cutting-edge products, unparalleled responsiveness, and award-winning technology services have helped associations, non-profits and unions increase their operational and financial performance. Focused exclusively on and dedicated to delivering the most effective iMIS Engagement Management solutions, IBC is uniquely adept at identifying and applying the integration techniques that save membership organizations time and money. For more information about IBC, please visit the website at www.ibconcepts.com or call 443.603.0215.
