Event managers often get caught up in the event planning process. How should we set up the tables? Are these the right centerpieces? What order should our speakers present in? While these details are important for a quality event, event coordinators need to remember that the most important component of a successful event is its attendees. If your attendees are engaged and happy then an event is much more likely to be a success. Here are three ways that event coordinators can make their events better for their attendees.
Make Registering Easy
Before the doors open and before people show up to the venue, attendee’s first exposure to your event is through registration. First impressions matter, so registering for your event should not be a hassle. Clumsy or antiquated registration processes may even turn some potential attendees away from your event. Make sure that people are able to register and pay fees online at their own convenience. A comprehensive online event registration system can take many of the headaches away from the process. Your online registration system must be easy to understand for your registrants, as well as easy for your staff to gather information from. For attendees that are not computer savvy, an electronic form that resembles a paper form will be instantly recognizable and much easier to understand. Additionally, make sure that the process allows for multiple registrations at once so that registrars don’t have to keep inputting the same data over again to register a group of attendees. These simple processes may not sound important, but the easier it is for people to register for your event the more likely they are to attend it. Ultimately, the easier the registration process is for the attendee, the easier it will be on your staff to manage the registrations. Online system can make the process smoother for both the attendees and the staff.
Provide Attendees Information
Another way for event managers to engage attendees is by providing them necessary information. One simple approach for event coordinators to provide information to attendees is by utilizing the registration process to inform attendees. Your event registration process should develop a communication loop by reaching attendees at least three times. First, place critical information like links to agendas, dates, times and payment information on the event registration form. Next, expose them to the same information on the confirmation page that pops up after they register. Finally, send them a confirmation email when they complete the registration process. By the time they see the same information three times, you have a much higher probability that they will respond the way you them to at the event. During the event, make sure that attendees are able to access information like seating charts, booth layouts, or agendas so that they can find what they need easily.
Get Feedback
Finally, make sure that your event attendees are able to provide feedback for the event. There are a few different ways to enable feedback at your event. One method is to develop a survey that can be emailed to attendees to gather event feedback while it is fresh in their minds. Some event systems out there have integrated survey tools that can be linked to the attendee list, making it easy to for attendees self identify and then take the survey. Because they registered online, you have each attendees email address, so getting the survey to them can be done with just a click of a button. Another feedback method that many event managers are utilizing is Twitter. During your event, allow people to tweet about their experience. Set up a “hashtag” for your event and encourage people to tweet to it. Twitter can be a great way to get up to the minute reactions to your event.
Interested in learning about how Event Management Technology can improve your events? Be sure to sign up for our FREE Webinar “Best Practices in Event Registration” on December 13th. Space is limited, so sign up today!