Event Planning Tools

From conference call to curtain call, our mission at Speakers Bureau of Canada is to make your job easier, do all the heavy lifting and make you the hero. As partners in helping you elevate your event to the next level by providing world-class motivational and keynote speakers and creating dynamic, unforgettable presentations, we welcome the opportunity to share our expertise with you. To that end, we have provided the following tips and tools to help get you there. As always, we encourage you to contact us if you have questions about any aspect of hiring or working with professional speakers. We look forward to working with you to plan your next meeting, conference, convention or retreat.

PROMOTE THE EVENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO RAISE ATTENDANCE

Growing attendance can be a little difficult but the best event planners promote the event on social media to create a higher engagement to attract attendees. Kickstart new campaigns and gain an online community surrounding the event on different social media platforms. Social media is the best way to bring attention to your event taking place and to keep attendees informed on the announcements.

This will enable you to reach out and connect with your potential attendees and encourage current attendees to share and like your posts. Create value for them through content and a great community experience. They just might return the favor by spreading the word for your team and attracting more engagement for new attendees and bringing them into your community.

The following tips will help increase the list of attendees to your corporate conferences and gatherings:

Social Media Communities

Getting people involved and talking about your event during all stages of your event is a good thing. It creates interest, and awareness and sparks discussions. So where do you begin?

Facebook

A good place to start would be Facebook. Create a Facebook Page for your event way before the actual day. Invite your potential attendees and use the page as a launchpad for conversations. They would have an online meeting place to socialize, discuss and plan their event itineraries.

LinkedIn

To target a more business-oriented audience for your event, starting a LinkedIn group would be a great idea. Think of it as the central networking platform for the corporate world. With a LinkedIn group, you can start discussions on specific topics your event will explore. Get the input of professionals who could be your potential attendees. Not only that, but your group will also be the best place for people to network as well.

Twitter

With Twitter, start Q&As and #hashtags to better promote your event. Have people tweeting using those #hashtags for the conversations taking place. You could even @mention your event’s featured speakers or industry experts to increase visibility.

YouTube

YouTube. Generate interest among potential attendees through YouTube video campaigns. Get them to share these videos to get the message out. Some ideas for consideration would be:

  • Short and informative snippets that talk about your event.
  • Teasers that give potential attendees a brief idea of what to expect.
  • Funny videos that need not be about your event but serve to generate buzz – with the possibility of going viral.
  • Whatever angle you pick, the more views you get from YouTube videos would help generate more attendee leads in the future.

Virtual Tickets/Webcasts

In the past, distance and time were some of the negative factors for potential attendees to pass on events. The Internet solved those problems. You are now able to offer live streams or recorded videos of your event to people online. Reach out to people you never thought you could before by:

  • Creating virtual tickets for attendees unable to be present at your event. Give them access to live webcasts that keep them connected to the event from wherever they are.
  • Offering recorded segments of the event for attendees to keep. This gives them the flexibility of viewing your event’s content at any time.
  • Engage more attendees on new platforms for your event and expand your outreach.

Mobile Ready

Optimize your event websites for mobile platforms. You could even use QR codes in your marketing campaigns for potential attendees to scan and find out more event details.

Personalized Email Campaigns

Sending generic e-mails to a wide list of potential attendees could get your event on their radars. It might not be enough for them to say yes though. We as people prefer e-mails catered to us – to show that the sender knows and cares enough to find out about us. For your next e-mail campaign, take the time to craft specific e-mails for specific people. Potential attendees will appreciate the fact that you have made the effort to discern who they are and what they do. This in turn may attract them to come to your future events.

TikTok

Oh yeah, have you thought about TikTok? Get the younger generation engaged through TikTok by having speakers and influencers catch wind of your event and promote it to attendees that may otherwise would never have heard of your event if it were not the quick clips on the platform.