Do you struggle with getting the right people to attend your business events? The challenging economy certainly has a lot of people watching their budgets. Finding ways to set your event apart from other competing events can be daunting, too. There is good news to report for those who are willing to extend the personal touch. This I know for sure, based on very recent experience.
The Proof: My September 16 Publici-Tea™ Express Workshop attracted 25 people. The October 16 event has already attracted 60 people, and there is still one more day yet for people to register. All the same PR and advertising ingredients are still in place for me to promote the event in traditional and online media. And, I’ve added a few more treats to make the event even more inviting and compelling for my guests.
Try some of these ideas and see how well they work for YOUR business events.
- Assemble a high-quality collection of relevant, high value, and useful guest prizes from local and national experts to encourage early online registrations. Then, make sure to give your prize contributors plenty of visibility on your blog and at your event to express your gratitude and see, hear, and celebrate their contributions,
- Extend VIP invitations to influential people. Do this by phone call or direct email with a personal message so people feel seen, heard, and celebrated.
- Invite your VIP guests to extend an invitation to their colleagues and co-collaborators to attend with them. Everyone appreciates the opportunity to connect in person with people they also consider to be VIPs.
- Extend a non-profit rate to encourage decision makers from quality cause-related organizations to participate.
- Invite your prior clients to attend at a preferred rate and bring their friends.
Here is a link to a good article about how to plan an event to promote your business. Here is another link from BusinessWeek with useful tips to promote your business event on Twitter.
These days, social networking is all the rage. For many, that means connecting online on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other similar venues. Don’t forget that before social networking became the online phenomenon it is today, people still talked to each other and connected in an authentic, personal way.
That’s why my message today is this. Don’t underestimate the simple power of a “live” conversation carried on person-to-person by phone or face to face if you truly want the right people in the room to benefit from what you have to offer. This may sound a bit old fashioned in today’s online world. This is also time consuming. It also works. In these demanding times, what works is worthy of action.
Question of the Day: What ways have you found to be particularly effective in driving attendance at your business events? Please join in this conversation and tell us what you’ve learned!
And, for those of you who are attending tomorrow’s Publici-Tea™ Express, I can’t wait to meet you and delight you with all the stunning, decisive stories about DIY publicity and social media success I’ll be sharing to guide you to build buzz and grow your business.
