At Marketing Options International (MOI) we pride ourselves on our low level of no-shows, with an average attendance rate of above 80 per cent. We’ve achieved this by gradually transforming our delegate management service into what we call a ‘concierge service’, dedicated to nurturing our delegates before, during and after each event.
While many B2B companies are good at the ‘during’ and ‘after’ side of event engagement, we think the ‘before’ aspect is just as important, if not more so. When our clients invest a lot of money in audience generation, the last thing they want is for all those initial registrations to turn into no-shows by the time the event comes around. After all, the aim of most events is to generate sales leads, so every no-show is potentially a lost sale.
So what’s the best way to ensure registrations turn into delegates who turn into customers? The key is to make them feel loved from the moment they click the ‘Register now’ button.
With that in mind, here’s my three-point plan to achieving sky-high attendance rates and delighted delegates:
- First impressions: Establish contact with each delegate within 24 hours of registration. This not only demonstrates your own efficiency, it also reassures your delegates that they have correctly completed the registration process. MOI’s confirmation emails are personal, professional and practical, with agendas, calendar links, location maps and transport information. Ensure your communication is tailored to each delegate and provides multiple methods for your delegates to get in touch with you – allowing them to contact you via their preferred method.
- Staying in touch: What’s the difference between a delegate and an elephant? An elephant never forgets. While your event is occupying most of your waking hours, it could well have slipped entirely from your delegate’s mind. So, seven days before the event, send out a reminder communication, to ensure that your event stays front of mind.
With three days to go, call each of your delegates to check that they are still planning to attend, and to ask if there’s anything else they need – you might find out, for example, that they would now like to bring a colleague along too. If you are unable to reach a delegate by telephone, be sure to send a short email reassuring them that their place is still confirmed and encourage them to contact you at a time convenient to them.
- The event (and beyond): Have your team ready to offer support throughout the event itself. Our commitment to providing a ‘concierge service’ means we’re always on call if needed. (On site, we offer an SMS service, enabling our delegates to stay in touch with us at all times of the day and night.)
Once the excitement is over, follow up: naturally thank the delegates who attended, but also contact those who had to drop out, passing on any resources you can. The delegates may appreciate your efforts and will be more likely to attend one of your events in the future.
It’s a simple idea: ‘love thy delegate’, and soon, your delegate will start to love you back. On top of our high attendance rates, we know that if one of our delegates should need to miss an event, they are more likely to tell us that they are to become a no-show. The increased delegate engagement in turn enables us to better plan our events; with love comes commitment and respect.
Marketing Options International has over 25 years’ experience in planning and delivering engaging and memorable events for our clients and their business customers across the world. For more information about how we can help you with your delegate management or event requirements, please call Melissa Berryman, delegate manager, Marketing Options International on +44 (0) 1932 233000 or email [email protected]
