Filling an event is set to be more difficult than ever this year with the hangover from the Covid-19 Pandemic still in full effect. Many countries have still banned major gatherings of people, and in those countries that haven’t, people may still be reluctant to take the risk. The secret to a successful event is to plan! plan! plan! with not even the smallest detail being left to chance. As long as you organize an event that nobody will want to miss and you make sure it is marketed to the absolute max, you can guarantee a great turnout even in these strange times.
We could all do with a great time after the year the world has experienced, so here are our top tips on how to bring in even more participants to your events.
1. Start Planning Early
Unless an event is totally sprung on you at the very last minute, the most important thing you can do in order to plan a great event that is sure to bring people in their flocks is to start planning as early as possible. Making the plans for an event is a lot like writing a business plan; you need to identify the budget, where you will spend the money, how you will promote the event, and how much your forecast to make. The available budget is particularly important to calculate because this will tell you exactly how much you have to spend and how much you will need to earn in order to turn a profit. Working out your break even can give you a good idea of how much to charge for tickets as well as price points for food, drinks, and other items at the event. Once you have your plan ready, it is time to get to work.
2. Book the Venue First
Choosing the right venue for an event is absolutely crucial because it will be the foundation of everything else you plan. You will need to think about how many people you expect to come to ensure that you have a venue that will fit everyone. The event venue will often take up a large chunk of the budget so make sure that you have enough left over to pay for everything else the event will require. If potential attendees see there is an event going on at a great venue, they will instantly be interested, but only if the rest of the details are up to scratch. The best event venues are booked up months and sometimes years in advance so sorting out the venue should be top of your list of priorities.
3. Source Quality Food
Whether you are planning a black-tie event for a big corporation or a music festival for local artists, sourcing quality food will ensure that people have a great time and are more likely to come to your future events. Food trucks and pop-up stalls have become really popular at festivals with local restaurants offering their food to hungry music fans. If you are planning a corporate event in a big hotel, you can arrange the food with the venue itself. These kinds of venues tend to have multiple catering options to choose from so pick the one which will best suit the event you are planning. Make sure that there are options for participants with different food requirements such as a vegetarian option and gluten-free alternatives as the last thing you want is for people to go hungry or get sick at your event.
4. Promote the Event
Great promotion is often the difference between decent turnout and full attendance and you should investigate every possible promotional and marketing avenue available to you. If you are planning an event for your own band or to showcase your own artwork, the first place you need to promote your event is on your website and social media. This will enable you to reach out to existing fans and invite them along to see your work. You can sell tickets directly to your fans via your website as long as it has a secure payment platform. Get people talking by dropping hints about your event a few weeks in advance. While the infamous Fyre Festival may have been a disaster in execution, it is widely considered to have been genius in its promotion, particularly the way it drips fed potential attendees news about acts and events. Get tongues wagging long before you put the tickets on sale and you are sure to have a rush on your hands when they become available.
5. Sell Your Tickets Everywhere
As well as selling tickets on your own websites and social media pages, you should also put them up on special events and ticketing websites. Many people automatically choose Eventbrite to promote their event and sell their tickets, but you should consider looking for an alternative to Eventbrite event ticketing as there are other websites that cost less but do the job just as well. A ticketing website will help you to reach out to potential attendees who are not already fans or social media followers. They will use their own sophisticated digital marketing tools to get the word out about your event to ensure that you get the best possible turnout. They will also take care of the shipping so that you don’t need to source a delivery service to get the tickets into attendees’ hands. Ticketing and event websites take a cut of every ticket sold, but with the extra numbers they can generate, it is worth it in the end.
6. Make Sure Your Event is Safe
The safety of your attendees should always be at the forefront of your mind when planning an event, but in these times of Covid-19, it is particularly important that you take every precaution. Many countries will only allow events to go ahead if strict measures are put in place with regard to social distancing and mask mandates so make sure that you know all of the rules in place and that you follow them to the letter. Potential participants will want to know that they are going to be safe if they attend your event so make sure that you explain all the safety measures you are taking in your promotional material. The last thing you need is to put on a “super spreader” event which will totally destroy your reputation and guarantee that no one ever attends another one of your events.
7. Organize Great Entertainment
These days, people expect more than a cruise ship standup comedian or a Z-list celebrity at even the most humble of events. While you don’t need to break the bank hiring a superstar musician, you need to make sure that any entertainment you book is up to scratch. Event entertainment is highly competitive so you should check references and reviews before you book anybody. Make sure that you have any potential entertainment acts do an audition so that you can see them in action before you sign them up. Having a well-known entertainer can really help you to sell tickets and guarantee a hot event.
8. Create a Smooth Event Schedule
No matter what kind of event you are planning, the schedule will be very important in ensuring that it runs smoothly. This is particularly important for events like weddings and birthday parties when a badly run event could cause a lot of distress. Consider everything from when speeches will be made to when the cake will be cut so that absolutely nothing is left to chance. If you are a professional event planner, attendees at your events may want to hire you for their own occasions if you prove that you can do the job. Make sure that every event you put on is an absolute showstopper not only for that client but for any other potential clients in attendance.
9. Make Sure That Everyone Has a Great Time
At the end of the day, the best way to ensure that you bring in more participants for future events is to put on a great event every time. Make sure that providing your attendees with the best possible experience is behind every decision you make. Always have backup plans in case something goes wrong so that you can avoid any incidents which may ruin the event. If there are 100 guests coming, cater for 110 in case something gets burned. If you are relying on mains power, make sure you have backup generators in case there is a blackout. Planning for every eventuality will mean that no matter what happens, your attendees will still have a ball.
Making sure that your event has full attendance is all down to great planning and making sure that every detail is up to the highest standard. From promoting ticket sales effectively to sourcing the best food and entertainment, one great event will lead to many others as attendees spread the word about the awesome time they had. Follow these 9 easy tips and your events will create memories that will stay with your participants forever.
