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Designing Events Association Newsletter |
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Designing Events Association Newsletter |
7 Ways to Boost Conference Attendance
1.
Have an Event Marketing Plan
Create an event marketing plan that clearly
defines your goals, budget and internal and
external resources. The plan should be mapped
out as specific as possible, but keep an open
mind throughout the planning process. If you see
that something is working better then other
marketing initiatives, adjust your plan
according…and vice versa.
2. Brand Your Conference
Branding your conference with a look and feel
sends a consistent message to your members and
will attract their attention. The conference
brand should carry through all promotional
materials, from the save the date card, e-mails,
the website and even materials offered on-site.
If you plan an annual conference, create a logo
or other element that carries through from year
to year.
3. Use the Web
Having a conference website or a designated
section on your association’s website for
information about the conference is essential to
providing information about the conference to
members. You can provide a wealth of information
about the conference for a fraction of the cost
of sending that same information through the
mail. Get your website up as soon as you can. If
you don’t have complete information available,
provide a way for people to sign up to be
notified when more information or online
registration is available.
“Every year we plan the annual conference for
the Association of Test Publishers,” said
Liz Oliveros, Events Manager at Designing Events.
“We develop a conference website that has
become critical to not only marketing the
conference, but also registration. I can’t
imagine planning the conference without it!”
Visit the conference website at
www.InnovationsInTesting.org.
4. Offer Group Rates
Offer discounted rates to multiple attendees
from one organization or if you hold multiple
meetings a year, offer discounts to individuals
that attend more than one.
5. Couple Registration Fees with Association
Dues
By offering members a discounted rate to attend
your conference you will not only increase the
number of members that attend, but can also
increase your association membership. This can
be especially effective if you offer the option
to join the association during the registration
process.
6. Location, Location, Location
TThe location of your conference can play a large
role in increasing attendance. If the majority
of your members are on the east coast, it may
not make sense to host a conference in
California. If you have members spread out
across the country, try alternating conference
locations between the east coast and west coast.
If you have a national presence and
are
looking to gain an international presence from
Europe, consider an east coast location.
Also
consider the type of audience and the location
type that will best appeal to them such as a
resort, a downtown location or an airport hotel.
7. Get the Word Out!
It is hard for people to come to your conference
if they don’t know about it! Consider
offering free registrations to the trade press
and send out press releases before and after the
conference to increase coverage of the event.
You can also trade advertising on your website
with other industry related sites.
Need help boosting your conference attendance? Contact Designing Events at info@designingevents.com or 866-867-1933.