Table of Contents

How to Manage Your Events Data

Good event organizers will be aware of the need to collect plenty of data when they are setting up something like a trade show or seminar. Without it, registration can be lost, muddled or misconstrued and tickets might not get sent to the right people.

However, many people may not be aware of the extent to which this data needs to be managed if an event is to prove successful. Indeed, it may be that this administrative aspect is the difference between excellent ticket sales and a poorly attended gathering that does not create the required return on investment.

With this in mind, we’ve created a basic ‘how to’ offering tips and suggestions on managing your events data to maximize profits and generate a great buzz.

1.     Use all aspects of your software

Event management software can be a big asset for organizers of any kind of meeting, but you need to make the most of it and ensure you are using as many of its offered features as you need. For example, if you have got the option of using promotional codes to generate early registrations, widgets to embed on your partners’ websites to increase awareness of your event, sending follow-up emails based on behaviour of users, then make them work for you and try them out.

2.     Keep detailed records

Once people begin to respond to your ticket offers and send back their registration forms, you need to capitalize on this data by building up a detailed record of it. This will stop errors from being made, such as asking attendees for payment when they have already paid, but it will also allow you to send out reminders if you have not yet received revenue, for instance.

Oct31-Payment

Easily sort your attendee orders by payment status for the appropriate follow-up

 

The more detailed a record you keep, the more organized you will be. You could even ask for optional details on who is staying where, which track they are attending, whether they are interested in similar future events, and so on. This way, you can build an accurate record of them for future reference.

3.    Structure campaigns to maximize registration

If you use your event management software correctly, you can design structured campaigns to maximize your event registrations. For example, you could be sending a campaign with a different subject title to those who did not open your first invitation, or sending an informational email on a specific track for those who click on a specific link in the previous email campaign relating to the track. This can easily be automated as the behaviour of all campaigns are captured and the audience appropriately segmented by the event software into Special Lists.

 

Oct31-Special_Lists

Structure your campaigns to maximize your event registration using pre-defined Special Lists

 

4.     Allow data to govern logistics

Setting a limit to individual ticket types and overall ticket sales help to ensure that your ticket sales do not exceed venue capacity. The ability to centrally keep track of all registrations also allows you to know when to ramp up your promotions to ensure minimum attendance targets are met. Collecting data at the point of registration on whether or not visitors have special dietary needs by adding a dependency field (to prompt for details when needed) is another good idea.

Meanwhile, identifying whether users are from the home country could also help to provide another revenue generating opportunity. For example, if your event is held in Singapore, you can use a dependency field to prompt all attendees who are not from Singapore, with offers for transport and hotels to make them feel that their travel needs are well taken care of.  Remember that overseas event attendees could possibly generate greater revenue beyond just ticket sales.

5.      Keep data afterwards – and analyze it

Once your event has ended, don’t get rid of all the information you have collected. Instead, use your software to file it under ‘Archived events’ so you have ready-made lists of people to target for your next upcoming event. Remember, repeat visitors also represent a good revenue opportunity, so keep past year’s event attendees is essential. These contacts may also provide other vital leads, such as numbers for possible guest speakers at gatherings on different themes.

Meanwhile, carefully analyzing your data will give a clearer picture of each event’s performance and where things might need to be improved in future. For example, could you benefit from changing one of the tracks that is poorly subscribed? Comparison of the metrics should show you.

Data is becoming more and more important in the internet age, so make sure you are using it to your advantage as much as possible.

Level up your events with Gevme’s omnichannel event platform

Share this article