Customer Events

In the past, we've blogged about the benefits of using an early bird discount rate to improve attendee registration for your event. Price discounts can incentivize attendees to sign up; after all, they don't want a great deal to pass them by.

We also mentioned that you might want to consider extending the "Register by" date by a few weeks to bring the event to the forefront of attendees' minds once again. However, beyond this, extending your early bird rate can have a lot more disadvantages than advantages.

When you don't want to keep extending your early bird rate, but event registration numbers are still not where you'd like them to be, consider a few of the following tips to get registration numbers up:

• Send invitation reminders. We've said it before and we'll say it again: reminders work! In the past, Cvent's customers have seen a spike in registration in the days following an invitation reminder by as much as 100 percent.

Sometimes emails are pushed aside or lost due to busy schedules, not a lack of interest. Sending a reminder catches your invitees who want to attend but simply forgot about the invitation.

• Remind, or update, attendees on the value of your meeting. It's one thing to simply remind your invitees about the date and location of an upcoming event—you have to reinforce why they should attend! Stress the benefits of attending your event, from networking opportunities to educational sessions. 

Also, make sure to update guests on any further agenda items you may have finalized since the initial round of invitations. Did you finally nail down that great keynote speaker? Let guests know!

• Create a second discount rate. As we mentioned, multiple early bird extensions can have negative effects, including frustrating the first set of early birds. To avoid this while still providing an incentive, consider creating a second discount rate that is higher than the first time-related discount, but lower than regular event registration price. This gives an incentive to your remaining invitees without insulting your loyal early registrants.

• Ramp up your event marketing. We can only hope that, by this point in the game, you've launched a customized event website. Perhaps you've also done a few press releases or put an advertisement in local media. But have you gotten the word out via social marketing sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and event promotion sites such as Eventful? Now's the time to start!

These relatively new mediums are key for spreading the word about your event. They can go a long way, at little cost, in reaching an audience, so make sure it's a top priority from the get-go on your next event, as well.

• Be honest. In today's tough economy, meeting cancellations are happening every day, and it's often public knowledge. Don't leave your attendees to hesitate on registration out of fear that the event won't happen. In most cases, it's best to be clear about that status of your attendee numbers and possible explanations. Firmly let them know the meeting will happen—and that they won't want to miss it!