Every event aims to attract its target audience and the highest quality attendees because they bring the most value; but getting them to commit is a challenge.
Balancing the quality and quantity of event attendees is difficult.
It’s like hosting a dinner party where your guests are both Michelin-star chefs and everyone’s hungry cousins.
One group raises the bar, the other fills the seats!
So why is it so difficult to get 100% of your target demographic to an event?
There are several factors that can ‘turn off’ your potential attendee. Let’s call them ‘barriers to attendance’.
Relevance and Perceived Value
Does the event content align with an invitee’s interests or goals? Does the event have a clear value proposition? Is the event distinct enough in comparison to the competition?
Timing
Does the event conflict with another event? Is the event schedule convenient or inconvenient? Is the event taking place during busy industry periods or holiday months?
Location
Is the location difficult to reach? Too far away? Requires significant travel time? What is the city/town/venue reputation?
Cost and Budget Constraints
Is the event considered expensive to attend for the value offer? How will your event pass the invitee budget approval process? How much will it cost in travel or accommodation for an attendee?
Networking Opportunities
Does the quality of attendee appeal to your target demographic? Is the networking time and format of value? Can too much networking cause anxiety for some?
Content and Format
Does your event programme inspire and engage? Do your presenters have a strong reputation? Does you event have the right balance of duration and formality for your target audience?
Marketing and Communication
Does your marketing relay the importance or value of the event? Is the invitation vague or impersonal? Are you over promoting the event?
Event Reputation
Have you considered your events reputation? How credible is the event to the target audience?
Personal Factors
Do you know what the personal priorities for an individual are? Does your event work around them?
A lot to consider, but worth considering otherwise you will only be left with disappointment.
You might obtain the attendee numbers you crave, but are they the right type of attendees that you value.
We don’t want anyone to create unsuccessful events. That’s no good for you or the industry.
So let’s re-visit the list, but this time look at how we can avoid potential objections.
Relevance and Perceived Value
Tailored Content: Personalise event topics by allowing attendees to choose from specialised tracks or sessions, ensuring the content aligns with their interests and professional needs. Conduct pre-event surveys or bespoke research to understand the audience’s preferences.
Exclusive Insights: Offer unique, exclusive insights or content that can't be found elsewhere, such as cutting-edge industry research, product launches, or future trends discussions by prominent thought leaders.
Experiential Learning: Shift away from traditional speaker sessions to immersive, hands-on workshops, live demonstrations, or simulations that provide real-world applications and value.
VIP Experiences: Create special opportunities for high-value attendees, like VIP networking sessions with top influencers or private roundtable discussions on niche topics.
Exclusive Content: Offer something that competitors can’t, such as a world-first announcement. Ensure your content feels irreplaceable.
Compelling Theme or Topic: Choose a fresh, innovative event theme or future-forward topic that makes your event unique compared to others happening around the same time.
Timing
Flexible Scheduling: Offer a hybrid event structure with both live and on-demand content. This allows attendees to join sessions when convenient or catch up afterward.
Micro-Events: If scheduling conflicts are a concern, host shorter, more frequent micro-events instead of large, multi-day conferences. This could involve pop-up meet-ups, digital seminars, or lunchtime summits.
Prime Time Slots: Research your target audience's availability and organise sessions during times that work best for them (e.g., midday for professionals, evening sessions for entrepreneurs).
Location
Unique Venues: Choose extraordinary venues that create a memorable experience. Think outside traditional conference venues — cultural landmarks, warehouses, hard to obtain spaces or even build your own venue!
Multi-city Events: Host simultaneous or rotating events in multiple cities, making attendance more convenient. For example, set up smaller, localised events to reduce travel concerns.
Virtual and Hybrid Options: Offer a virtual participation option for those who cannot attend physically. The hybrid model allows remote attendees to join virtually while still feeling part of the live experience.
Cost and Budget Constraints
Pricing Models: Offer tiered ticket pricing, with basic, premium, and VIP options that cater to different budgets. Provide early-bird discounts and group rates for companies sending multiple attendees.
Sponsorship Subsidies: Partner with sponsors to offer reduced-price or even free tickets to select groups, such as students, startups, or underrepresented professionals.
Incentivised Ticketing: Create a referral system where attendees can earn discounts or rewards for referring others, reducing the overall cost for them.
Networking Opportunities
Curated Networking: Implement AI-powered matchmaking to connect attendees with like-minded professionals based on shared interests, goals, or industries.
Interactive Networking Tools: Set up small, topic-based discussion tables, speed networking sessions, or social lounges divided into lifestyle or professional goal sections.
Safe Spaces: Create networking environments designed to reduce social anxiety, like smaller, more intimate groups or structured conversations led by a moderator.
Content and Format
Engaging Formats: Replace long lectures with shorter, dynamic presentations, interactive demos and panel discussions, Q&A sessions, storytelling formats and sessions dictated by the audience to keep them engaged.
Influential Speakers: Secure high-profile or trending industry leaders, celebrities, or influencers who bring credibility and excitement to the event (this can also help with attracting the right audience).
Experiential Activities: Include unique experiences, such as live performances, tech demos, VR/AR experiences to break up the traditional format. Consider your event as two programmes - business and leisure - what can you provide during downtime at an event that is optional but inclusive?
Collaborate, Don’t Compete: Instead of competing with other high-profile events, explore partnerships or collaborations with similar industry events to create a joint, larger, and more attractive gathering.
Marketing and Communication
Storytelling: Craft compelling stories around your event, emphasising the unique experience and exclusive content. Use testimonials and case studies from past successful events to build credibility.
Targeted Communication: Send highly personalised invites, perhaps even through video invitations from key speakers or industry influencers, making the invite feel special and personal. If you really want to, go hyper-personalised and create a personal video invitation for EVERY invitee. It’s not as difficult as you might think.
Social Proof: Use real-time social media engagement and buzz from influential industry personnel to raise credibility and value.
Build anticipation: Create pre-event ‘screening’ or ‘an audience with’ type press conferences online to heighten anticipation.
Event Reputation
Track Record of Success: Highlight positive feedback and testimonials from past attendees and showcase the successes or growth they’ve achieved by attending your event. If it’s a first-time event with no reputation to lean on, can you partner with influential industry personnel to promote/recommend the value of the event?
Organisational Partnerships: Partner with well-known industry associations, thought leaders, or media outlets to boost credibility and ensure a positive reputation.
Follow-through: Ensure your event follows through on all promises (speakers, networking, content). A strong reputation builds year after year based on delivering real value consistently.
Personal Factors
Family-Friendly Elements: Offer on-site childcare, family-friendly activities, or a virtual family pass to make it easier for those with work-life balance concerns to attend.
Wellness Breaks: Build in opportunities for relaxation, wellness sessions, and work-life balance, such as social activities guided wellness moments, relaxation lounges, or spa areas.
There you go … creating successful events isn’t easy but you can certainly make it easier for them to be successful by considering all the above.
Now, who do you want at your next dinner party? …
