Marketing Your Event

So, you’ve figured out the reasons why you are doing your event, the next thing you need to figure out is how to communicate what you are doing to your intended audience to ensure the right people are at the event. 

Although this is little bit of a simplistic take, the human dynamics of any event remain pretty consistent whether you are a nervous high schooler wanting to pull off the student event of the century, gathering 70,000 into a football stadium or hosting an online event of any size. It really is true if you get the school quarterback and cheerleader and their buddies, people start paying attention. The quarterback may be different for different audiences and you have to be ready to communicate these nuances in language that your particular audience connects with - but outside of these communication differences other dynamics are often the same.

The bottom line is that getting people to an event typically revolves around a number of rather similar factors. So let’s consider the reasons why people register, buy tickets and eventually attend an event. These are things that you need to consider in your networking and marketing.

Reasons Why People Will Attend Your Event ‍

For a moment let us consider some reasons why people register, buy tickets and eventually attend an event (and keep in mind that especially for free registrations typically only ½-⅔ of people who register actually attend the event - in much the same way as your friends who said they were going to attend the high school gathering were no-shows):

• To see a VIP/favorite musical act/influencer/subject matter expert
• To learn
• To create memories and experience unique moments of high emotion
• For the networking opportunities
• To support a cause
• To be at the event of your “tribe” or affinity group
• Because their friends or colleagues are going and they want (or have) to belong to a group
• To be inspired and get a kickstart in a particular area
• To be entertained

Often the reasons why people eventually attend are a combination of a number of these factors and even more mundane reasons can nudge a person to actually buy a ticket. 

It may start with emotion, narrative and vision, but the mechanics of getting the right amount of people to your event are just that - mechanics - after a number of events you will typically be able to estimate the percentage of people who will show up when compared to the number that have registered (typically 50-60% for free events and 85-95% for paid events). Also the same dynamics of giving attendees a nudge to register with tools like giving a price break for early birds, a coupon code or an opportunity to be a part of an exclusive component of the event are mundane, but can be surprisingly effective.

Therefore it is important to employ a number of marketing strategies when inviting your potential audience, communicating both the high level narrative as well as the mundane nudges on timing, cost and exclusivity.

It is important to employ a number of marketing strategies when inviting your potential audience, communicating both the high level narrative as well as the mundane nudges on timing, cost and exclusivity. 

Who Do You Want Attending Your Event‍

As previously stated, it is important to narrow in on the goals of the event that dictate who should attend. The value of success isn’t always determined by the number of people registering. Do you want those attending who will complete a specific action after the event? Do you want to inspire a certain demographic to do something? Answering the “Who” will dictate your marketing strategy and critical criterias of success moving forward.

Why Attendees Buy Your Tickets‍

Knowing that it is typical that a person elects to buy a ticket due to several of these factors, it is important that you are aware of the several channels it will take to communicate the reasons for a potential audience to register for your event. These vary per organization, but typically include:

• ‍Word of Mouth General and Exclusive Invitations - Incentivizing Group Sign Ups and Influencer Recommendations is always helpful and typically your best form of marketing. Because one of the main reasons that many attend an event is because other people they know are attending, it is critical to get the mavens in social groups to sign up.
• ‍Social Media Marketing - Providing value through social media channels is always a good precursor to inviting your audience.
• ‍Traditional Advertising Channels of TV, Radio, Print, and Pay Per Click Banner Advertising can still be effective to reinforce your message. 

It is also important to distinguish between the reasons people will buy a ticket or register for your event and the reason they will remember it, your “brand values” and the reason they feel connected to your tribe which will result in word of mouth recommendations and repeat visits. The brand value is built through the value that you deliver at the event, which could be as little as providing value through a networking platform. But real loyalty comes when you can actually create unique and memorable experiences. This leads us into the building of the event.