Annual conferences are important to members, others in the industry, and the success of the organization. Members often see annual conferences as one of their primary benefits and the organization typically depends on it as the main source of income for the year. Because it is crucial to such a large amount of people, it is important to push registration as much as possible. We have listed 4 ways to increase registration below!
1. Contact past attendees. If people were interested and able to attend your last conference, they are likely willing to do so again. Reach out to them via email, direct mail, or on the phone and inform them about this year’s conference. You could also provide some sort of discount to returning attendees.
2. Discounts. People are way more likely to pull the trigger on a decision if a discount is lingering over their heads. In order for discounts to work, however, it is important to make them time-sensitive. When announcing the discount to potential attendees, always include when the discount ends. This will give them that extra push they need to follow through with registration.
3. Use social media as a tool. When posting about your conference on social media, make sure to tag your speakers and introduce them to potential attendees, take different posts to explain different sessions, and to promote different aspects of the agenda.
4. Utilize past resources. You likely have photos, videos, and survey results from your past conference. Use these resources to encourage new attendees to register. Place them throughout your event page on the website, in newsletters, social media, and any other communication that goes out!
Do not let registration fall to the back burner of your organization’s goals. Conferences should be an all-year process and require some dedicated time and attention in order to grow and be successful.