Keely Lords
Brand Manager
Are you aiming to pack your trade shows, conferences, and networking parties with eager attendees? Despite all of the work we put in to plan a seamless event experience, attracting and retaining registrants can still pose a challenge. While traditional marketing methods have their place, thinking outside the box can set your event apart and drive higher attendance rates. In this blog, we explore innovative strategies that our forward-thinking clients have successfully used. These unconventional approaches not only boost registration numbers but also enhance attendee engagement and overall event hype before your event even takes place.
1. Exclusive Access Passes
Create a sense of exclusivity for your top accounts you’d like to make sure attend your event. Try Offering early registrants or VIP attendees access to a unique and exclusive offering. These passes could include perks like pre-event networking sessions with speakers, during event special activities, or deluxe gift bags filled with premium items. By incentivizing early registration with exclusive benefits, you encourage potential attendees to commit sooner and also reward them for prioritizing your event first. This strategy not only increases registration rates but also enhances the perceived value of attending your event. Everyone likes to feel special!
2. Influencer Collaborations
Leverage the power of influencers to amplify your event's reach and appeal. Partner with industry influencers to co-host parts of your event or to create exclusive content leading up to it. Influencers can provide sneak peeks, share their excitement, and invite their followers to join them at the event. This approach not only taps into the influencer's loyal audience but also adds credibility and buzz around your event. Ensure the collaboration feels authentic and aligned with your event's goals for maximum impact. A fun way to give the influencer purpose at your event is to set up a mini content creation studio for them. They can have a “red carpet” photo moment, a podcast studio, or a fun boomerang video booth. Allow them to engage and do what they do best!
3. Mystery Mailers
Capture your audience's curiosity with mystery mailers. Send out intriguing, branded envelopes or packages that hint at exciting event details without giving everything away. Inside, include teasers like a one pager for an exciting panel hinting at famous speakers but not giving away their names, small puzzles, or unique items that tie into your event's theme. This approach creates a sense of mystery and anticipation, making recipients eager to attend the event to discover the full story. The element of surprise can drive engagement and make your audience “at least stop by” to see what your event is all about. Once they’re there, you know they won’t want to leave!
4. Virtual Previews
If you give people a taste of the experience to come, and they love it, then it’s likely they’ll want to come back for more. Consider inviting your most wanted attendees to pre-event interactive experience coordinated virtually. You can tie the experience into the theme of the event, and even give a preview of the content they’ll consume at the event itself. For instance, Postal offers a guided “Old World vs. New World” wine workshop. This could be a perfect preview for an event where you’re highlighting the outdated tactics in marketing and where you see the future trends in the space going. Bonus: You build rapport with your event attendees so when you meet in person, you’re picking back up a conversation with a familiar face.
5. Interactive Feedback and Quizzes
People like to feel included and that their voice is heard. Before committing to an event, they want to be sure that the event is tailored towards the information they need in their role. A great way to let them know that the event will be valuable for them is to involve them in the content creation. Once you have an overall topic or theme selected, engage your audience and gather valuable insights by hosting interactive live polls and quizzes leading up to your event. Pose questions related to event topics or invite attendees to vote on panel members they want to hear. Based on responses, you can curate your detailed content to address the most sought after topics, and market the event to those who expressed their desire for that information.
6. Personalized Pre-Event Gifts
Picture this: a carefully curated gift arriving at your doorstep, inviting you to an upcoming event tailored just for you. You open it up, and the brandling is subtle, but strong enough to immediately recognize who is inviting you to their event. As you start to unpack each item in the kit, you note that it’s useful, beautiful, and something fun. You notice that all of the items seem to be linked together by a common theme. Then you read the insert card with a QR code to register for the event, and when you read the event name, location, and content, the gift theme suddenly makes sense. You can’t wait to use all of the items, and if the event is even half as beautiful, fun, and thoughtful as the gift you’ve received, you know it’s going to be great. The gift stands out to you much more than an email invitation, and you’re hooked - you can’t wait to attend!
This unboxing experience is exactly what Postal provides for our customers who want to align their gifting efforts with their campaigns and events. Our in-house creative agency, Paper Plane, takes the process from start to finish, hand selecting and designing every piece of the event kit. Our customers have found so much event attendance success with our branded event kits that it has become a regular part of their field event marketing budget. Getting attendees excited before the event takes place is a sure way to boost your event hype and awareness!
Get Creative with your Event Marketing
Innovative and unconventional strategies can significantly boost your event's attendance rates by capturing attention, generating excitement, and offering unique experiences that traditional methods may overlook. Explore these creative approaches, tailor them to your event’s unique audience and goals, and witness your event attendance soar. Embrace innovation and think outside the box by working with our creatives at Postal who will be sure that your event is one to remember - before it even takes place!
