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Repeat Event Attendees – How to Encourage Them to Return

There is a big recurring income opportunity for event organisers to retarget attendees who had attended any previous events or happenings and may want to do so again in the future. Why not consider marketing to them specifically using the below tips using the capabilities of available events management software?

If you’re looking to organise an event that returns to a venue or travels around to a select list of locations each year, then it’s vital to make sure your key attendees remain interested in it. This means promoting the event and getting in touch with potential attendees to persuade them to register as soon as they can.

However, a point many events organizers often forget about is the value of the repeat event attendee – the person who enjoyed your exhibition or conference so much last year that they’re almost certain to sign up or register again this year. It is important for event organisers to keep a central list of which attendees have attended the same event in the past years, ideally using an Event CRM for ease of tracking and marketing.

Research from BusinessFast4ward.com suggests that it’s six to seven times more expensive to gain a new customer than it is to retain one, so making sure you tap into this segment could help your bottom line as well as increase the likelihood of a busy and profitable event.

We’ve been asked numerous time on how an organiser is able to do so and here are some top tips on how to do it.

Tempt them

Getting in touch with past attendees electronically is a great and cost effective way to promote your latest event. You can provide tempting little pieces of information about what’s coming up next, and even recap on any previous happenings. Use your event management software to send a message that features highlights including guest speakers, trade stands, workshops and seminars. People who liked your show in the past are sure to like it again in the future – although you will have to show them you’re offering something new so they don’t think they’ve seen it all before!

Also, make it easy to register for tickets with a click-through button on your message so they are reassured the process will be speedy.

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Track all previous events an attendee had registered

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Have a click through button instead of replying via hardcopy forms or email replies

Reward them

Another good way to ensure repeat attendance is to make your past customers feel valued. When you get in touch, make sure you tell them you know they have registered for tickets before and offer a personalised thank-you message. Using your event ticketing platform to provide discount codes for this targeted group is also a brilliant idea to encourage higher levels of registration. This also allows you to track their involvement and if need be, to get in touch with them directly.

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Create discount codes for different amounts to different tickets

Keep in Touch

Finally, do have a constant communication channel to remind your attendees who have booked their places of the dates and times they need to turn up, or any latest happenings such as speaker updates or new exhibitors. This will have the added benefit of building excitement for the event and could encourage them to invite friends and family members to book too. With email tracking capabilities, you can gauge how often they open and read your emails.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to capitalise on this profitable but often neglected group of people and with these simple tips, you can more effectively tap and market to them and gain greater ROI for your event.

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