When it comes to event recruitment, there are two significant factors you should consider long before the big day.
First and foremost, you need to make sure you’re inviting the right people, but of almost equal importance is the timing.
A few years ago, a client asked us (at very short notice) to help them out with recruitment for an event because they had been let down by another vendor.
The event was to take place in the middle of December and, because we were only approached a month beforehand, invites didn’t go out until a few weeks before it took place.
The right people were targeted in the data that we purchased, but by the time they received their invitations, a lot had already made plans. The vast majority of the replies we received expressed a positive interest in the subject matter, but regret that the recipients were already committed.
On the day, attendance was, as anticipated, below the desired number, but the event went well and the content was well received.
So, how did we help our client gain greater value from the event?
Three words: post event marketing.
The target audience had been invited specifically because the topics covered in the event were relevant to them and of interest to their businesses. Many had already told us this in their replies.
Armed with the knowledge that the campaign’s targeting was solid, we started a new conversation between our client and those prospects who couldn’t attend. We did this by offering them a highlights guide of everything covered on the night.
The simplest and most effective approach to reengage with these prospects was email. We sent them a mail advising that we’d prepared a guide and, if they were interested, they were welcome to a free copy. All they need to do was reply to request one… and reply they did!
And so the pipeline materialised, and the conversations started…