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Jill Stone

Your Meeting Matchmaker Fairy Godmother

Get More Attendees Guide

in: Event Planning Advice

Get More Attendees

One of the top questions you will hear in the days leading up to your event is, “How many tickets have we sold?” or “How many people have signed up?” Some events have the luxury of being so well known that they sell out overnight (you’ve all heard of One Direction, right?). But other events need a good dose of marketing in order to drive that attendance.

Here are some ideas that will get your event attention and get more attendees.

  • Press Release: Announce your event via a press release. Send this to local media outlets and include the announcement on all your social media. If necessary, hire a public relations person.
  • Video Marketing: Create a video with footage from the previous year along with testimonials from attendees. Another idea is to interview your event speakers ahead of time to provide a preview of their presentation and to drum up excitement.
  • Create Fabulous Images: Images can instantly grab attention. They can be used on all your social media, as postings, but also use them to create timely cover images. Use the images in your newsletters and on other marketing materials. Be sure to send along the images to speakers, exhibitors, and other partners and ask them to help you promote the event via their social media.
  • Countdown Newsletters: Create a series of newsletters to countdown to the event. Make sure to use actionable language; ‘take,” “buy,” “reserve,” etc. Spend time on the subject line; create curiosity so your audience is compelled to open the newsletter.
  • Find Influencers: Offer free VIP tickets to influential people in your industry in exchange for helping you to market your event. Ask for them to include a link to your event in their mailings, e-blasts and social media.
  • Make it All Make Sense: Create a flow! Purchasing tickets should be an intuitive process. If it is at all confusing and/or the information provided leaves more questions than answers, you will lose people. Test the ordering process and enlist others to “beta-test” it for you.

Need even more information? Check out this free ebook, The New Age of Event Marketing, from Hubspot and Eventbrite! May your events be filled to the brim with happy attendees, Meeting Planner.

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