For most event professionals, maximising ticket sales - and ideally selling out your event - is priority number one. How do you ensure that every last place is filled? Here are our top 10 tips on increasing attendance at your next event. Get your waiting lists ready...
1. Promote your event on multiple platforms
Don’t wait for your audience to come to you. Look beyond your own website, databases and all of your social media profiles (where you definitely should be promoting your event anyway). Create a highly searchable Facebook event and add details to free event directories, that target the local area or relevant areas of interest. This allows you to sell tickets or collect registrations through popular reselling sites like Eventbrite. Consider pitching event listings as early as possible to relevant media and publications that have “what’s on”-style sections too.
2. Give it time
Every single detail doesn’t have to be 100% locked in before you begin selling tickets or taking RSVPs. If you don’t have a high budget for promoting your event, more lead time ahead of it can often counteract this, particularly for high cost events where attendees may need time to save up. Plus, revealing details as you go along can help to build excitement. So start your selling period now.
3. Optimise your website for mobile
Studies show that most people now access the internet via mobile. Time to make sure your website is super streamlined on those devices, as well as PC! It’s important that people can easily and quickly purchase tickets or register their attendance from their phones. Try to minimise the amounts of clicks visitors have to make before they purchase. You could even test how hard it is to find and buy tickets by asking a friend or colleague to try the process without your directions.
4. Choose your words carefully
Keywords are crucial so that people browsing Google and other search engines can find out about your event; that’s the heart of SEO. Try to identify and use relevant words, key phrases and terms that people who might be interested in your event would search for naturally. Use them regularly. Same goes for choosing hashtags for social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter (don’t use them on Facebook; posts with hashtags actually tend to get fewer views there).
5. Advertising: Just do it
Whenever possible, do set aside a budget for advertising the event. Whether that be through straight-up digital, print, outdoor ads, sponsored advertorial or by boosting social media posts. Even old school flyers and other printed collateral can work depending on the event. The most important thing is to target your audience through demographics like age, location, interests, job title and even gender.
6. Partner up
Reach out to sponsors and recognisable brands, that match or complement your brand and event for cross promotion. Event sponsors provide extra resources without you having to spend your precious budget. Many brands are experts at performing experiential marketing at consumer events, so offer them the opportunity to conduct mini-experiences, activations and other more-than-just-a-logo placements within yours. Thoughtful sponsored activations can also add value to your event for attendees. Plus, big names can attract their own fan-base to the event. So don’t forget to provide partners with attractive content - like teaser videos or personalised imagery - that they’ll want to share to spread the word about their involvement.
7. Engage the media
We mentioned sending out event listing details to the press above. But there are so many more ways to engage with the media, and get them spreading the word for you. Create a targeted media list of publications that would be interested in your niche. Send out tailored press releases a.s.a.p. (more than one if you have several important news-worthy announcements to make). Think of more in-depth content ideas to pitch to them like exclusives, sneak peeks, interview access to the event’s expert speakers and experiential previews. If it’s a multi day event, you might even invite some media to do live coverage or live crosses early on to encourage last minute sales.
8. Plan an attention-grabbing social media campaign
Posting about the event once on your social media platforms isn’t enough. Create a simple content calendar to highlight different aspects, and news about your event in the lead up to it. To ramp up excitement and make your followers feel involved, include strategically placed booking reminders. Consider creating different type of posts depending on the audiences and social platforms you’re using. Video snippets often work well and they don’t have to be full-on, professional productions as long they have a strong angle. Are there any influencers (with provable audience engagement) in the right spaces that you could engage with? Create vivid collateral for all event participants to share online on their own socials and request that they do so as well.
9. Location, location, location
Could your event’s location and/or venue be a draw card in itself? Highlight why you’ve chosen a location across your marketing. Showcase what features and benefits it has, if there’s anything worthwhile to do nearby pre/post event or even convenient accommodation options if travel is involved. Maybe your venue is even willing to assist with marketing by sharing the news of your event across their own channels or inviting their own contacts.
10. Make it worth it
Think about offering incentives to purchasers. These could be early-bird discounted prices, special offers or other exclusive experiential value-adds at the event for people who sign up early. You could also extend your early-bird registration at the last minute to give bargain-hunters a second chance. Or mix up the incentives along the way to attract different audiences and offer last minute incentives too. Bulk ticket purchases could unlock special extras or a discount price. You could also offer similar incentives for people who invite their friends or share your event posts publicly too.