Free Tip – Boost your seminar attendance

If you want to increase the number of delegates who attend your seminars and events, take these steps:

Before the seminar
  • Create an attention grabbing title – why will someone want to attend and what will they get from the session.
  • Agree who the seminar is aimed at – clients (if so all of them or just specific groups), prospects, business contacts, media etc. and generate a lists/database of names to contact.
  • Decide on the duration and format of the seminar. How long will the presentation last? Don’t make it too short so the content is meaningless, but don’t make it too long so the audience gets bored. Also allow time for Q & A.
  • Send invites at least 5 – 6 weeks in advance to allow time for people to get the date in their diaries. Make it clear on the invite how delegates need to book – phoning reception, responding to an email, booking via your website.
  • Add a page to your website to promote the seminar and the benefits of attending. This could also link to an online booking form.
  • Regularly promote the seminar on your social media pages to remind people of the event and why they would find it useful to attend.
  • If you want to attract prospective clients, place adverts in local papers and magazines to promote the seminar.
  • If you’re holding the event in a business park or shared office space, do a leaflet drop to the businesses in the venue to invite them to come along (if it would be relevant to them).
  • Make follow up phone calls and send reminder emails to invitees a couple of weeks before the event to see if they want to book.
During and after the seminar
  • Serve refreshments on arrival and after the seminar to create an effective networking environment, not just for you and you staff but also for delegates to get to know each other. Being made to feel welcome and having free food and refreshments during the seminar helps to create a positive experience which will make people want to attend future events you organise.
  • If you use social media and your website as communication tools, consider having the seminar videoed, so that you can post links to it on your digital channels. This also gives you scope to extend your message to a wider audience than just those who attended on the day, which can help to attract more people to future seminars.
  • After the event, set in place a process to make follow up calls. This might be to delegates who attended, to see if they have any further questions or would like to arrange an appointment for you to go and meet with them. You should also contact anyone who was booked but didn’t attend and offer to run through the key points that were discussed.

Seminars can be a very effective way of raising your firm’s profile, strengthening relationships with your clients and attracting new clients. However, in order to get as many people as possible to attend the event, you have to implement several different marketing activities, well in advance of the date and also make follow calls and send reminder emails/messages to your target audience. You cannot rely on just telling people once and hoping they will come.

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