Here is a brief summary of what I found to be the top 5 most valuable tips for building an audience.
#1: Confirm the Need
Experts projected that, in 2015, approximately 6,000 user experience-related conferences will be held. And recently reported by conventionindustry.org, 205 Million people in the United States attend “the 1.8M conventions, conferences, congresses, trade shows and exhibitions, incentive events and corporate/business meetings” each year.There is a lot of competition.Your competitive advantage is to identify a need that needs to be met. Capitalize and advertise on it.There’s a great article that follows the growth of a conference.
#2: Get in touch with industry organizations to help promote.
Find the authorities and professional organizations who will help promote your event. Reach out and describe your event. Make it easy for them to promote your event, provide a short description and the offer to mail fliers. This will help get your event in front of thousands of more qualified people that you wouldn’t normally have access to.
#3: Express multiple value propositions in your promotional efforts.
Just one benefit that comes with attending your even isn’t enough. Include additional aspects that will add value to your attendees. In your promotional articles include what they are going to learn the appeal of the keynote speakers and/or entertainment; the schedule/agenda; photos and testimonials of past events; people/companies that attended past events; and any other relevant benefits.
#4: Be clear.
Say your dream attendees receive your promotional work for your conference, but the date is missing. You have now transferred the time-consuming burden of searching for information that you could have easily provided.
When sending out invites double, triple, quadruple check that you have all the relevant and pertinent information. Over-explaining is incomparably more beneficial than keeping to the bare minimum.
Also, including follow up and a reliable confirmation process. The lack of one can cost an up to 20% to 40% in closing ratios.
#5: Offer a networking session at your event.
People love to connect. Regardless the topic of the topic of your conference the draw of increasing your professional connections provides a universal appeal. Advertise and create ways to accelerate those connections.
Conferences can be stressful and time-consuming. Hopefully, these tips helped.
Elizabeth Beeli 