4 Tips for Success With Your Next Major Event
We hear all the time how Membee’s Events functionality makes it possible for organizations to increase the number of revenue generating events executed successfully in year. Sometimes, the member event business is a volume game where the benefit to your organization and to your members comes through the sheer number of events you offer to …
We hear all the time how Membee’s Events functionality makes it possible for organizations to increase the number of revenue generating events executed successfully in year. Sometimes, the member event business is a volume game where the benefit to your organization and to your members comes through the sheer number of events you offer to your members.
But when it comes to that one major event, the one your organization hangs its reputation on, a slightly different approach can push success to a whole new level. Here are four straightforward tips for setting up your major event for the success it deserves:
- let the event grow its own brand and following
- keep registration simple
- gently nudge the procrastinators to register
- say “Thank you!” (and promote something else)
Here’s how the Bookbuilders of Boston and their out-of-the box thinking President, Jamie Carter put these ideas to work in fine fashion for their 58th Annual New England Book Show.
Let the Event Grow Its Own Brand and Following
We all know that Membee makes it easy to write a great description for your event to entice members to register but for your marquee event, it should have its own stage by :
- having its own domain to add legitimacy
- having its own website to give you maximum flexibility to tell the event’s story
- your having the confidence to put your event out front, not your logo – don’t worry, there is lots of opportunity to remind everyone that your organization is the driving force behind the event at the event itself.
Bookbuilders of Boston created a standalone website for their major annual book show:
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Keep Registration Simple
Bookbuilders held to the concept of simplicity in a couple of ways. First, they made registration an easy first step on the book show’s website:
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Normally, if you have multiple ticket types for an event, you simply create an event item for each type in the event’s definition in Membee.
Since the Book Show event did not face the issue of having to manage maximum capacity, they utilized a rather ingenious idea of using three individual events, one for each of their ticket types.
The Book Show’s “Book Show Tickets” page has a great layout and provides a link to the three separate events managed in Membee:
- Single Ticket $45 – separate event defined in Membee
- 6 Pack (Member & Non-Member) $180 – separate event defined in Membee
- Student Ticket $15 – separate event defined in Membee
The page provides enough information for the site visitor to encourage a click on the appropriate ticket option while not overwhelming them with detail.
When a member clicks one of the ticket options, they proceed to the event’s detail and registration page inside the Membee Events widget which is embedded in a page on the Book Show’s website.
This is achieved by presenting the member with a very simple event details page where registration is easy because there is only one item to select:
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Gently Nudge the Procrastinators
Wouldn’t it be the best thing ever if members would simply register for your major event the second you tell them about it? We can only dream. Back in the real world, Membee provides a powerful event marketing feature that will gently and regularly remind unregistered members about your upcoming event.
The feature is the “Pre-Event” automation and as the name implies, allows you to schedule email reminders to those well-intentioned but yet-to-register members.
Say “Thank you! And please come again.”
While it should always be a goal to spread the participation (and revenue) across a broader cross section of your membership, typically, your event participation comes from a narrow band of engaged members.
While you are dealing with of the post event tidying up, Membee’s “Post-Event” automation will send that warm and fuzzy “thanks for coming” email to all of your attendees. A savvy event marketer will always add a link to the email for another upcoming event that ideally, is similar to the one you just completed.
After all, you just completed a great event that members saw as valuable so offering up a similar one is a “win-win” proposition!
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Put Automations to Work Right Now!
Want to learn more? Get the details about these event automations and other automated features from Membee’s Help Form the Hive knowledge base entitled “Stop Doing Work!”. Remember to have your Membee username and password handy to access the article.