23 Nov 7 Ways to Increase Registration for Your Next Event
You’re planning an event and you want to ensure registration is through the roof. While there is no foolproof way to increase event registration, a combination of a few different strategies can help. At Pic Station, we believe that advertising a fun event and streamlining the registration process is the key to a better turnout. If you’re ready to learn how to increase event registration for your next big affair, explore the top advice from the event experts at Pic Station today!
1. Contract Popular Speakers
Making your event interesting and exciting is part of what draws people to sign up early. Having popular speakers lecturing at your event can bump up your event registration for two reasons. You draw a crowd who’s excited about learning from a specific person and you also add your speaker’s current network to the people who may attend your event.
Set up an event registration system through your own site and social media accounts as well as through the pages of the people who will be speaking at your event.
2. Have Unique Vendors
Vendors can also encourage people to attend your event through their networks, but if you contract vendors that aren’t appropriate for your function or business, you won’t get all the extra registrants. Carefully curate a list of vendors that people are interested in, that are appropriate for your event, and can help you market event registration to a larger audience.
As you plan your event, you can also ask vendors about their giveaway plans and advertise the offerings on social media to draw more interest.
3. Advertise Fun Entertainment
Planning an event means you have to ensure there’s enough going on to occupy everyone’s attention all the time. While the lectures, panels, and vendor exhibitions are part of this, you also need to consider some carefree entertainment options when people need a break.
If you’re wondering how to increase event registration, consider placing a photo booth at one of the main spaces for your event. Whether it’s at the entrance or near the vendors, people should be able to easily find it and pop in for a picture. If you’ve had a photo booth at past events, post photos on your social media accounts to increase engagement of people who have attended your events in the past.
4. Post On Social Media
Making sure people know about your event is critical if you’re looking to boost event registration. Post as much information about the event as you can to get people excited about what you have to offer. Even if you haven’t booked speakers or entertainment yet, you can announce when and where the event is taking place. Each new development merits another post and a reminder for people to sign up now! Ask anyone involved in the event to post on your behalf as well to expand your reach across all social media platforms.
5. Offer Incentives for Early Registration
There are often a number of tiers and categories for event registration. While you may already have Regular Entrance and VIP options, add an Early Bird Special to incentivize people to sign up early. A small discount or free gift works wonders to encourage people to sign up. You can also create a sense of urgency by limiting the number of discounts and gifts you have to give away. Telling people that they can sign up for a gift while supplies last makes them much more likely to sign up right away.
6. Use a Short Registration Form
Nobody wants to spend 30 minutes filling out a form to register for your event. Make it short and simple by just asking for the most essential information. Some tips for what to put on your event registration form include:
- Name
- Company Name
- Contact Info
- Meal Preference
- Shirt Sizes
- Specialty Accommodations
If there are any event-specific things that you need to know, send a follow-up email after people register that they can fill out at any time.
7. Make Payment Easy
An extension of simplifying your event registration form, making payment easy isn’t something that every event planner considers. Offer multiple payment methods including credit and debit card, Venmo, Paypal, and other online money transferring apps. Make sure your payment gateway accepts all these methods before including them in the checkout process.
More Advice From Pic Station
Making sure your event is fun and exciting and that your event registration is quick and easy are the most important factors in getting more people to sign up. Add in a little social media advertising and you won’t be disappointed! Try out these seven ways to increase registration and test their efficacy with your audience.
Do you have any more ideas on how to increase event registration? Leave a comment below to let us know what you think!
Whether you need to rent a photo booth or learn how to increase event registration, Pic Station is here to help. Explore this article and many more on our blog to find more advice about corporate and private event planning.