Category: Event Management News

Rethinking Event Marketing: Takeaways from Seth Godin’s ACTIVATE Event Discussion

  • Event Management News
  • EventUp Planner Contributor
  • October 1, 2024
6 Best Retention Strategies for Membership Groups

Our team recently attended ACTIVATE by Gleanin, a virtual event that helps event professionals improve their marketing efforts. ACTIVATE provides actionable tips, tricks, and advice that event marketers can put into practice immediately. The event includes a variety of lightning talks that last no longer than 10 minutes, all with the goal of helping event professionals cut through the noise and improve their marketing results.

During this most recent event, Seth Godin- a renowned thought leader in event marketing- shared valuable insights into event marketing strategies and community building. His advice focused on moving beyond traditional methods and embracing more impactful approaches. Here are the key takeaways that we found particularly insightful.

Insightful Topics from Seth Godin’s ACTIVATE Discussion

  • Industrialization of Events: Events have become standardized, resulting in “pretty good” experiences that lack uniqueness. Seth emphasized the need to “de-industrialize” and make events unforgettable.
  • Rethinking Event Marketing: Traditional promotion often fails, especially for average conferences. Instead, focus on creating an environment that facilitates deep connections between attendees, sparking the “magic” that keeps them coming back. Events with waiting lists succeed due to the genuine experiences happening within.
  • The Power of Word-of-Mouth: Seth highlighted the power of word-of-mouth marketing, citing his own blog as an example. Attendees should leave your events so inspired that they share their experiences with others, turning attendees into promoters.
  • Building Network Effects: Events thrive when attendees are excited to bring others along. Design your events with a community-first approach, improving not only the event but also the lives of those who attend together.

Key Takeaways

  1. Create Remarkable Events: Events should be designed in such a way that they don’t need heavy promotion. Instead, they should stand out through the unique interactions and connections they foster among attendees.
  2. Word-of-Mouth Over Traditional Marketing: Successful events encourage attendees to spread the word organically. If an event delivers a compelling experience, it will naturally generate buzz.
  3. Curate Community-Driven Experiences: Shift away from mass-appeal events. Instead, curate intimate and meaningful experiences that foster a strong sense of community and spark long-term relationships.
  4. Leverage AI Tools: Use AI tools like Claude.ai, Gemini, and others, to strategize, brainstorm, and refine event concepts, enhancing creativity and improving the overall event design.

Additional Tips that Event Marketers Can Put Into Practice

  • Read “This Is Marketing” by Seth Godin: To deepen your understanding of modern marketing strategies.
  • Hire a Coach: A coach can facilitate honest discussions about your event strategies and help refine your approach.
  • Leverage Claude.ai: Utilize AI tools like Claude.ai to challenge ideas and improve the overall planning and execution of your events.
  • Join Purple Space: Engage in Seth’s Purple Space community for ongoing support, networking, and sharing among marketers who prioritize generosity and non-anonymity.

Seth’s message was clear: successful events focus on building remarkable experiences that create strong communities and inspire attendees to do the promotion for you. By leveraging AI tools and shifting from mass appeal to curated, community-driven experiences, event marketers can break through the noise and leave lasting impressions. At EventUp Planner, we believe it’s possible to work smarter, not harder, with the help of technology. That’s why we love discussions like Seth’s, which help event professionals keep up with the latest technology and trends, while delivering practical tips that you can put into practice today.

6 Powerful Ways to Make Event Promotion Easy for Speakers

  • Event Management News
  • June 28, 2024
6 Ways to Make Event Promotion Easy for Speakers (And Why It Matters)

As an event professional, it can be all too easy to get lost in the details. 

Logistics, ticket sales, and tight timelines can fill up your list of priorities…fast. But it’s important to remember that your speakers can be your greatest asset when it comes to the overall success of your event.

Speakers are usually happy to promote an event. But if they have to work too hard to help spread the word, your event could fall to the bottom of their to-do list. 

Simplifying the process and equipping your speakers with the right tools to promote your event will not only boost exposure, but will help to fill seats—a mutually beneficial outcome!

In this post, we’ll explore 6 tried-and-true strategies to make event promotion simple for your speakers. Event management technology is your BFF in the process. Let’s get into it. 

Why Invest in Speaker Relations? 

Prioritizing speaker relations is crucial for corporate event planners looking to deliver an exceptional experience.

First, your speakers are the heart and soul of your event. You create a win-win scenario by equipping them with the tools, guidance, and platforms to effectively promote your event. Your speakers gain valuable exposure and establish themselves as thought leaders. In turn, your event benefits from their amplified reach and credibility!

Further, cultivating strong speaker relations fosters a sense of community and loyalty. Your event gains a positive reputation—making it a coveted opportunity for industry experts and thought leaders.  

Remember, your speakers are your brand ambassadors. Investing in their success is an investment in the long-term growth and reputation of your events program.

READ MORE: Presenting at Webinars: What Speakers Should Know

6 Strategies to Encourage Speakers to Promote Your Event

Don’t pull your hair out trying to get speakers to promote your event. Here are 6 ways to make event promotion easier for your speakers:

  1. Make your speakers the stars of your event

Everyone appreciates proper recognition, from the newest speaker to the most established industry personality. 

Shine the spotlight on your speakers by prominently featuring their headshot, bio, and topic on your event website.

Leverage the following marketing channels to showcase your amazing speakers and pump up your promotion efforts: 

  • Paid advertising
  • Press releases
  • Industry mailers
  • Social media posts
  • Company blog posts
  • Email blasts

Remember to collect the social media handles of your speakers during the planning process so you can tag them in your posts. This is the easiest way to encourage them to share your carefully-crafted event messaging without having to write the captions themselves!

Pro tip: Prepare a media kit for each speaker well in advance of the event. This kit should include visual content in different formats that include the speaker’s headshot, key event details, appropriate hashtags and social media handles, and your event branding.

  1. Invest marketing dollars to promote your speakers 

To truly amplify your speaker lineup, you need to leverage paid promotion strategies. From social media advertising to influencer collaborations, these tactics can stretch your marketing dollars for maximum impact.

Consider investing in targeted Meta ads highlighting your top speakers’ expertise and accomplishments. For B2B audiences, LinkedIn Sponsored Content is another great option. You could also partner with industry influencers to cross-promote through sponsored posts and affiliate codes. 

At INBOUND 2022, for example, HubSpot allocated significant ad spend towards promoting its lineup of heavyweights like Barack Obama and Viola Davis. 

Don’t let your lineup go unnoticed! Strategic paid promotion increases your reach beyond your existing followers. 

  1. Provide speakers with engaging content to use

Provide your speakers with shareable, eye-catching content in all the right formats for sharing on social media. (This is where preparing a media kit comes in handy.) 

Even better, partner up with speakers to create content together! Consider going live together on socials to do a “meet the expert” session or run a pre-conference Q&A period. 

You could also ask your speakers to guest-write blog posts about their topic to give attendees a taste of what’s to come. These posts will come in handy for adding value to your email marketing campaigns. 

To set your speakers up for success, make sure they have access to the appropriate hashtags you’d like them to use as well as correct social media handles (including sponsors, if applicable). 

  1. Supply each speaker with a customized promo code

Leverage your speakers’ platforms to boost event registration. 

Your speakers have already built trust and loyalty with their audience. Make it easy for them to promote your event to their fanbase, friends, and family with a customized promo code. 

This code could offer a small discount for event tickets, or even offer a limited 2-for-1 deal. This will not only provide your speakers with a friendly way to self-promote, but it’ll also provide you with a way to track the source of ticket purchases!

The key is to make sure the offer truly appeals to the speaker’s audience. Don’t hesitate to ask speakers for their input on what they think their audience will appreciate the most. 

(P.S. Make sure to supply your speakers with a few discretionary tickets to gift to fans, friends, or family. Everyone appreciates a friendly audience!)

  1. Ghostwrite your speakers’ promotional posts

Let’s be real: your speakers already have a lot on their plate, especially if they’ve been in the game for a while. 

Instead of quietly hoping that your speakers will say the right thing, why not equip them for success with pre-written content?

Speakers will be more likely to share if the posts are pre-written and easily shareable. We recommend preparing a series of sample cut-and-paste social media captions in addition to the media kit we mentioned above. Be sure to include event hashtag(s), sponsor handles, and ticket purchase links. 

Ghostwriting posts for your speakers makes sure all content they share is on-brand and aligned with your overall marketing strategy. 

Pro tip: Depending on the speaker, they may already have a promotional team that creates their content. Offer to collaborate with their team to create engaging on-brand content that checks all the boxes!

  1. Make event management technology work for you

By now you have some ideas for setting up your speakers for success. But how the heck are you going to pull it all together?

That’s where event management software comes in. 

Platforms like Attendease by Tripleseat have made event promotion easier for speakers and organizers. With features like social integrations, custom event apps, and pre-event digital networking capabilities, there are more ways than ever to connect and engage with attendees—before, during, and after your event. 

Effortlessly Manage Your Speakers with Event Management Software

Encouraging your speakers to promote your event doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth. 

By simplifying the sharing process for your speakers, you can boost event awareness, increase ticket sales, and even access more metrics to analyze and improve your efforts. That’s a win!

Looking for event planning software that makes multi-speaker management a breeze? 

Consider Attendease by Tripleseat. Our platform is trusted by teams running some of the world’s biggest, most exciting, design-forward and tech-advanced events. 

Book a demo today to find out how we can make your next event a resounding success!

Learn More!

6 Best Retention Strategies for Membership Groups

  • Event Management News
  • June 5, 2024
6 Best Retention Strategies for Membership Groups

Professional associations, non-profits, and online interest-based groups all have one thing in common: the need to retain and renew their member base.

The soaring popularity of online communities—through digital platforms like Meta, Slack, Discord, and others—has led to an overall change in membership retention strategies. 

Plus, in an inflationary economic climate, how do you encourage membership renewals when people are cutting their spending? 

Personalizing the member experience, regularly engaging their member base, and sharing valuable content and resources are only a few of the ways top membership groups attract and keep their hard-earned members. 

In this article, we’ll explore 6 of the best membership retention strategies to use this year—and how event management technology is central to these efforts. Let’s dive in! 

What is Membership Retention, and Why Does It Matter?

Retention is everything for membership organizations and online groups. Not only does it keep your revenue steady year after year, but retention also contributes to a thriving, valuable community. 

But what is membership retention? It measures your ability to keep your existing members over time. 

Why does it matter so much? The stats say it all:

  • It costs 5x more to acquire a new member than to retain an existing one
  • Retaining 5% of your members can increase annual revenue by 15-25%

Consistently delivering value-adds, building a strong community, and personalizing the member journey are proven tactics. And, as more groups and associations go digital, an excellent user experience is essential to stay top-of-mind.

Ultimately, cultivating long-term loyalty creates stability and growth opportunities you can’t afford to miss. Membership retention allows you to maintain a solid foundation to keep building upon.

READ MORE: 3 Event Marketing Tips and Tricks for Associations

6 Proven Membership Retainment Strategies

Ready to level-up your member experience? Let’s explore 6 strategies for increasing membership retention this year. 

  1. Personalize the member experience 

One of the most effective strategies for improving member retention? Personalization. By delivering customized experiences, you deepen connections with your community over time.

It starts at onboarding. Successful groups provide tailored onboarding tracks based on member interests, goals, and characteristics. This helps new members see value from the start. 

For example, professional associations like the American Marketing Association deliver personalized learning plans based on their members’ indicated goals and interests. 

Personalization extends to ongoing communications, too. Use member data to:

  • Segment audiences
  • Customize emails, content recommendations, offers, and more

For instance, the National Geographic Society curates content picks customized to different member profiles. 

By making members feel understood and providing relevant experiences, you earn loyalty for the long-haul. Attention to the individual member journey is key.

  1. Regularly share valuable content and resources

Want to keep members sticking around? Give them content they can’t get anywhere else. Offering exclusive access to premium videos, articles, reports, and other resources is a winning retention strategy.

Consider offering members-only webinars and exclusive access to on-demand replays. Or hook members with discounts on enticing events like conferences, in-person training, and meet-ups. 

Up the ante by featuring influencers and industry experts as presenters. The National Writers Union, for instance, hosts monthly “craft talks” by successful authors exclusively for members.

These value-added content pieces give members what they’re looking for:

  • Continuous learning opportunities
  • Deep insights into their interests
  • Access to subject matter experts

When an organization consistently delivers high-quality, tailored content, members have no reason to leave! Exclusivity builds loyalty.

GET THE WHITEPAPER: How Event Technology Can Enable More Engagement
  1. Use event management technology to your advantage

Using the right technology is a game-changer for membership retention. An all-in-one platform puts powerful retention tools at your fingertips.

Take Attendease by Tripleseat for example. Our platform allows you to:

  • Engage members through interactive tools. Live polling, Q&A, and surveys help you to understand member needs and preferences. 
  • Gain insights from powerful event analytics. Track essential metrics like event attendance, content engagement, and more to make informed decisions about your membership base. 

We’re basically your command center for strategic retention. 

It’s true: the right event management software streamlines and optimizes every retention effort. From understanding your members better to refining how you deliver value over time—the impact is huge.

  1. Track crucial membership metrics

Data-driven decisions are necessary for effectively retaining your members. But first, you need to track the right key performance indicators (KPIs).

The most important KPIs to monitor? Retention rate and churn rate are critical windows into your membership health:

Retention Rate = # of Members Renewed / # of Members Eligible for Renewal
Churn Rate = # of Members Not Renewed / Total # of Members

Other important membership metrics include:

  • New member acquisition numbers
  • Event attendance and engagement rates
  • Content consumption metrics
  • Revenue from membership fees, events, etc.

Clear insight into your KPIs helps you identify issues, test improvements, and ensure your retention initiatives are making the intended impact. Be sure to consistently review and optimize based on the numbers for long-term success. 

  1. Reward member loyalty

Recognizing and rewarding your long-standing, loyal members is a powerful retention strategy. Offering special incentives and discounts shows your appreciation and gives them added value.

For example, the American Automobile Association (AAA) provides discounted rates on hotels, rental cars, and tourist attractions for members. Consumer Reports offers loyal subscribers savings on renewal fees after 5+ years.

In addition to monetary perks, you can reward loyal members in other meaningful ways:

The key is tapping into what your loyal members truly value. Personalized rewards reinforce their decision to stick with your organization year after year.

READ MORE: Using SEO to Increase Association Event Attendance: 3 Steps
  1. Regularly collect and implement member feedback

Consistently gathering feedback from your members is crucial for retention. You need to stay dialed into their evolving needs, interests and pain points.

The opportunities to collect member input are endless:

  • Post-event & post-webinar surveys
  • Quarterly “check-in” emails
  • Online community forums & discussions
  • Social media listening
  • Focus groups & interviews

Make it an ongoing process to review this voice-of-the-member data. Analyze it for trends and areas to improve the member experience.

When you proactively listen and adapt based on feedback, you show members you’re invested in their success. This level of engagement and responsiveness is what keeps them sticking around long-term.

Boost Member Retention with Powerful Event Management Technology

With seemingly endless ideas for how to drive retention, you’ll find the best results come from using event management technology to help you work smarter, not harder.  

Consider Attendease by Tripleseat your partner in boosting membership retention. 

Access the following with our robust tools: 

Contact us to explore how to create the best membership experience possible this year!

Learn More!

9 Things Attendees Actually Want From Your Next Event

  • Event Management News
  • June 4, 2024

Your prospective attendees are sophisticated, discerning, and maybe even a little demanding at times. They expect a highly customized, unique experience that takes into account their professional goals as well as their personal needs. 

As a corporate planner, it’s important to surprise and delight your attendees without sacrificing tried-and-true fundamentals. These are the things that your attendees expect from every single event, whether they mention it or not.

Sure, novel concepts with all the bells and whistles may wow your attendees in the short term. But in reality, these things should complement—not replace—what actually delivers a great experience, event after event. 

In this post, we’ve outlined 9 fundamentals that make every meeting and event an awesome experience—for your attendees and your team. Let’s dive in!

9 Things Attendees Expect from Your Events

Your attendees expect the best, and you aim to give it to them! Here are 9 things your attendees expect from your corporate events program: 

1. A personalized experience

Attendees expect a customizable schedule—one that allows them to learn in unique ways and achieve their specific goals with flexible timing (with adaptable event planning software to support). 

They also crave active participation that’s inclusive without putting too much pressure on them, such as a welcome event to kick off the program.  

And don’t forget to take your attendees’ health and wellness needs into account. Dietary options, exercise opt-ins, and meditation rooms are all great additions to help everyone stay energized and ready to rock.

LEARN MORE: 75 Event Ideas to Inspire Your Next Event

2. Communication before, during, and after the event

Proper communication is key. You can plan the world’s most amazing event, but if no one knows about it, how will anyone show up? 

Before the event

To cover all your bases leading up to the event, ensure all communications use the 5Ws framework: 

  • Who
  • What
  • Where
  • When
  • Why
  • How

Consider conducting audience research through surveys and interviews early in the planning process to gain insights. Ask about their pain points, how they prefer to engage with content, what takeaways they expect, and what type of experience they want to have. Tailor the event based on what you learn. 

During the event

During the event itself, leverage your event management software to communicate schedule updates, networking opportunities, and other unique activities through push and email notifications. This helps attendees feel up-to-date and empowered to jump on aligned opportunities.

After the event

Following the event, recap what made the experience great and encourage your attendees to stay engaged through your email newsletter, blog, and social media. Use feedback surveys to learn more about their experience and how you can continuously improve. 

LEARN MORE: Post-Event Survey Questions to Ask (+ Email Best Practices)

3. Relevant education

Do the work to understand your attendees’ wants and needs by gathering data during the planning phase. 

This will allow you to provide content that’s intriguing and relevant without getting sidetracked by flashy celebrity or flavor-of-the-month speakers. Those tactics might bump registration but, without the right context, won’t boost satisfaction. 

Having the right research in your back pocket means you can create innovative educational activities that help boost retention and get attendees thinking outside of the box—with storytelling and case studies, for example.

LEARN MORE: 7 Event KPIs That Will Prove You Put on a Great Event

4. Facilitated networking

Build in networking with parameters that help promote inclusivity and fun.  Networking opportunities are an important part of events, but can also be intimidating for many. 

In educational sessions, you can do this by getting people to stand up and introduce themselves to the closest person they know the least. 

In the right environment, you can create a game around networking: give thought-provoking questions attached to name badges, or get attendees to go on a scavenger hunt to find certain types of people with a prize incentive.

LEARN MORE: 6 Easy Ways to Facilitate Networking At Your Next Healthcare Event

5. Hybrid components 

In today’s connected world, hybrid events have become crucial and expected. This model allows both physical and remote participants to engage fully with your event—and with each other. 

By incorporating live-streaming, interactive tools, and on-demand content, hybrid formats democratize access, enabling a wider audience to experience the event. 

This format also offers attendees the flexibility to participate according to their schedules and comfort levels. Attendees can still learn and engage without overextending themselves or becoming overwhelmed.

Ultimately, hybrid events enhance the overall event experience and ensure no one misses out on valuable networking and learning opportunities!

GET THE FREE GUIDE: An Event Planner’s Handbook to Hybrid Events

6. Seamless logistics


Attendees expect to have a professional, smooth event experience. Make sure they don’t have to stress or worry about where or what they are doing next during their program. 

Your event website, mobile app, signage, and staff are your arsenal to make sure everyone is on the same page and understands what is expected of them. 

Just be sure that your attendees don’t get decision fatigue from too many options. Providing relevant content is key!

LEARN MORE: How to Create an Event Website + Best Event Website Examples

7. Technology integration 

Remember what we said about your attendees being sophisticated and discerning? Turns out they’re also tech-savvy and expect a seamless, modern experience. 

This is where event management software comes in. 

The right software gives you access to a wide range of tools to make life easier (for your attendees and your team). 

For instance, the best event management software keeps attendees in the know through a branded event website, mobile event app, email marketing, and easy registration. 

Event planning software also allows you to deliver exceptional experiences with tools to:

  • Support in-person, online, and hybrid events with one platform
  • Template and automate key workflows to make multi-event management easier
  • Simplify planning and management of your complex events across team members

…All while staying sane along the way. 

GET THE HANDBOOK: Master The Art Of Choosing The Right Event Management Platform

8. Useful take-homes and swag

Attendees crave tangible takeaways that extend the event experience and provide lasting value. Well-designed conference swag, informative event books, and actionable educational materials leave a lasting, positive impression. 

Plus, useful take-home items reinforce key learnings long after the event ends. Some relevant examples include:

  • Branded tote bags or notebooks for note-taking
  • Practical giveaways like portable chargers or reusable water bottles
  • Comprehensive workbooks or manuals aligning with session content
  • Digital resources like slide decks or exclusive video content

By investing in high-quality, purposeful takeaways, you’ll create a more immersive and impactful experience that resonates with attendees!

LEARN MORE: 5 Best Practices for Designing Event Merchandise

9. WOW factor

The ultimate way to create the wow factor is to give attendees something they can’t get anywhere else: a truly unique experience worth sharing! This stretches the story of your event past the scheduled programming and keeps attendees hungry for more.   

Exceed your attendee’s expectations by under-promising and over-delivering with giveaways, added production value, or unique far-out venues. 

Or use the surprise-and-delight method with fun, impromptu entertainment (like Improv Everywhere’s Beer the Musical), sponsorship activations, or surprise guest speakers.

LEARN MORE: Corporate Event Themes: 45+ to Choose From

Exceed Expectations With The Best Event Management Software

Here’s what it comes down to If you know your audience well enough, you can provide new and exciting experiences that meet all of their expectations and keep them coming back…again and again. Trusted event planning software like Attendease by Tripleseat can help you get there.

Learn More!

Save Money and Trees: How to Run Sustainable Events

  • Event Management News
  • May 30, 2024
How to Run Sustainable Events

Events can be a great way to expand brand awareness, educate an audience on a given topic, or even form important connections within your industry. But if you aren’t careful when planning your event, it can also lead to unanticipated environmental harm.

According to MeetGreen, the average conference produces 4.17 lbs of waste per attendee, per day (2.56 lbs of which will go to a landfill). Compounded across a three-day event with 1,000 attendees, this adds up to just over 12,500 lbs of waste—roughly equivalent to the weight of four compact cars.

With attention to detail and an open mind, it’s possible to run a more sustainable event without blowing your budget on pricey “green” alternatives. This post explores exactly how to do it, including how event management software can play a key role. Let’s jump in!

How to Run a Sustainable Event: 6 Tips

Ready to make your events greener without breaking the bank? Here are 6 ways to get started. 

  1. Understand the carbon footprint of your event

Waste is a huge contributing factor to your event’s environmental impact. 

But before you can figure out where to make eco-conscious swaps, it’s important to understand the types of waste events produce. 

“Even with a good composting and recycling program at the venue, a mid-sized corporate trade show with around 5,000 attendees will still go through tons of waste,” shares Shawna McKinley, Events Sustainability Specialist. 

Some examples of common waste streams include: 

  • Disposable coffee cups, including lids
  • Food packaging and serviceware
  • Food waste
  • Vinyl banners
  • Name badges
  • Audio-visual waste (lightbulbs, batteries, cables, etc.)
  • Carpet
  • Plastics that can’t be recycled by municipal programs  

…To name only a few. 

However, the carbon footprint generated by your event goes beyond waste alone. 

McKinley suggests becoming aware of the carbon footprint generated by event-specific activities. This includes air travel and ground transportation, the energy used by hotels and venues, catering, and more. 

The graphic below shows the typical breakdown contributing to an event’s carbon footprint (based on a mid-sized national association conference tradeshow with around 5,000 attendees): 

Keeping these distributions in mind as you plan your event will open up opportunities to select greener alternatives at every stage.

GET THE FREE GUIDE: Learn the pieces that you need to run your multi-session event online!

  1. Make eco-conscious swaps for common waste types

Now that you understand where events typically create waste, you can choose greener alternatives. 

For example, if you know that most event waste is sent to landfills, any of the following strategies could enable you to divert event items to more sustainable alternatives:

Limit usage of paper signage, brochures, and other print materials

Unfortunately, attendees often toss these into the garbage—even if designated areas for recycling exist. Event planning software with a mobile event app or electronic files can communicate much of the same information without the need for paper!

Work with environmentally-conscious vendors

If these options aren’t made obvious by your vendors, ask. They may have eco-friendly solutions available, even if they don’t publicize them.

Choose refreshment options that require fewer waste products

For instance, a coffee bar with porcelain mugs will reduce waste from disposable cups, while a buffet-style meal will produce less trash than providing boxed meals for attendees. Even better, encourage your attendees to bring their own reusable mugs and utensils!

Identify options to reduce food waste

The more accurate your attendee counts are throughout the registration process, the closer you can get your order to what you’ll actually use. In addition, ask about options to donate unused food or to send it off for composting, rather than throwing it away.

Even implementing one of the above strategies can help your event significantly reduce waste. 

  1. Plan your event with sustainability in mind from the jump

Planning is your superpower. Use your skills and abilities to make greener choices from the get-go!

Here are examples of choices you can make in order to reduce your event’s greenhouse gas emissions:

Choose a central location that minimizes travel requirements

Holding your event in a major conference center rather than a more rural or suburban market ensures that more attendees and team members will be able to take direct flights instead of carbon-generating multi-leg journeys.

Book venues that can be easily accessed by public transportation

Ideally, this will minimize the number of attendees who will need to drive or take cabs to the event. You could even introduce a ride-sharing program to reduce ground transportation. 

Look for hotels with sustainability programs in place

Hyatt, for example, has a program called World of Care that outlines their commitment to “advancing environmental action so that destinations around the world are vibrant for our colleagues, guests, customers, owners, investors, and communities.”

Insist on LED light bulbs when possible

Not only do these bulbs use less energy to produce the same output, but they should also help the venue save on its utility costs.

Look for vendors whose meals and refreshments are locally sourced

Transporting out-of-season produce or foods that aren’t available locally results in the production of greenhouse gasses. 

Serving organic, vegetarian meals helps as well, as both commercial farming practices and the production of commercial meat are associated with higher emissions.

Eliminate print materials as much as possible

Forgoing print materials saves both print costs and the costs of the labor required to design, print, distribute, and clean up print materials. 

Look for traditionally paper-heavy processes like event registration to identify opportunities to reduce. For instance, event registration platforms allow you and your team to streamline registration without the burden of collecting and storing paper forms. 

Get as close as possible to your actual attendee counts

This won’t just reduce the waste associated with overbuying. It’ll also reduce the costs these overages add to your event bills. 

Not only will many of these steps help make your events as green as possible, but they can also help keep your costs low.

LEARN MORE: Hit your registration targets by following 4 easy steps to boost your event registration by 20%
  1. Take your event online

There’s no doubt about it: attendee travel is a huge source of emissions for events. To mitigate this, why not consider taking all or part of your event online?

Virtual and hybrid events—including conferences, seminars, press conferences, and more—continue to rise in popularity. Not only do they make your event accessible to attendees in different locations, but they also significantly reduce the carbon footprint of your event. Going online can also help lower costs related to venue, catering, security, labor, and more. 

You could also consider running more virtual events throughout the year to complement your annual conference. This is a great way to keep attendees engaged and eager for the next event! 

LEARN MORE: Looking for industry-leading virtual event software? Look no further than Attendease by Tripleseat. 
  1. Educate attendees on sustainable best practices

Of course, you can take all the steps in the world to make your event as environmentally friendly as possible. But if your attendees aren’t aware of their role in making the event sustainable, they may unintentionally hinder your efforts.

That’s why running a green event requires a commitment to attendee education. The following tips may help:

  • Make it measurable. Depending on the capabilities of your venue and vendors, see if it’s possible to quantify your green initiatives. For example, if you’re able to measure the amount of waste generated at the end of the event, set a goal that’s lower than a previous, similarly-sized event by a specific margin.
  • Be vocal about your goals. People love to feel like they’re part of a project or movement! So don’t be shy about announcing your efforts to make your event as sustainable as possible. If you’re trying to reduce your waste by 50% compared to another event, share this number as a part of your event announcements and encourage every person to do their part.
  • Integrate reminders into your event app. Use built-in notifications or an event FAQ to share your goal as well as the specific activities attendees can take to be a part of the effort.

If you’re trying to reduce waste, it may help to limit the number of places where trash can be disposed of versus recycled. You could also staff a team member near the receptacles to help remind guests of your goals (paper signage doing the same would be undesirable for obvious reasons!).

  1. Manage sustainability shortfalls (be realistic)

It’s worth keeping in mind that there are no waste-free or perfectly sustainable events. 

Attendees will toss items into the trash and forget to turn off the lights in meeting rooms, not out of ill intent but out of habit or because sustainability is the last thing on their minds in hectic event environments.

Trying to make environmental sustainability fun can help. 

Vicky Martín of ACCIONA Producciones y Diseño shares one example of having done so at a past event with the Active Sustainability website: “For the ‘Día de la Música’ festival, we encouraged the audience to exchange used plastic cups for books and magazines under the slogan ‘turn your waste into culture.’” 

She also writes about using, at a different event, “an iPad application which enabled guests to know about their carbon footprint or C02 emitted according to the means of transport they had used to go to the event.”

If all else fails, you can estimate the total carbon emissions produced by your event and purchase carbon offset credits through companies like Terrapass. 

Not only will doing so help to mitigate the damage associated with conferences and other events, it may allow you to advertise your event as being “carbon neutral.”

Start Small for Sustainability with Event Management Software

You may not be able to make all of these changes at once. But every step made in the direction of environmental-friendliness matters!

Take a look at your upcoming events, and see which swaps will be the easiest to make. Talk to your venue and vendors about the green options they offer. As your sustainability program grows in sophistication, add more and more of these practices until you’ve created a truly green event.

Looking to reduce cumbersome, paper-heavy processes? Considering moving part or all of your next event online? Attendease by Tripleseat has you covered. 

  • Support in-person, online, and hybrid events with one platform
  • Seamless online registration for all event types
  • Secure payments with Stripe, Microsoft, Apple, and/or Google Pay
  • Template and automate key workflows to make multi-event management easier

We uncomplicate even your most complicated events—and help make them a bit greener in the process. Want to learn how? Book a demo today.

Learn More!

6 Easy Ways to Facilitate Networking At Your Next Healthcare Event

  • Event Management News
  • May 21, 2024
6 Easy Ways to Facilitate Networking At Your Next Healthcare Event

For many healthcare professionals, the real value of a conference lies in networking.  

Healthcare conferences and seminars provide opportunities to reconnect with existing colleagues. They also provide valuable ways to meet new partners, clients, and friends. Some people may not attend a healthcare event expressly to network, but almost everyone will agree that networking is beneficial.

As an event planner in healthcare, it’s up to you to incorporate easy and effective networking opportunities into your event program. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry—we’ve got you covered. 

In this article, we’ve compiled 5 ways you can facilitate networking at your next event without breaking a sweat. You’ll also learn how event software for healthcare can make networking even easier for your attendees—and for you. Let’s dive in!

6 Ways to Build Networking into Your Healthcare Event

Creating networking opportunities for healthcare professionals doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are 6 ways to facilitate networking at your next healthcare conference or seminar.

1. Make sure your conference planning app has social integration

When planning your healthcare event, consider using a conference planning app that integrates with social platforms. 

Not sure which solution to choose? Start by reflecting on what would make networking easier for your attendees. 

For instance, an integration with LinkedIn can provide valuable insights into who is attending, which companies or organizations they represent, and connections attendees may already have with them. This can save attendees time and effort as they prioritize who they’d like to connect with during the conference. 

When your conference planning app has social capabilities, attendees can begin networking before the event, use it to network during the event, and continue to network even after the event. 

GET THE FREE HANDBOOK: Master The Art Of Choosing The Right Event Management Platform

2. Adapt the traditional format to include networking-focused activities

Meeting someone influential or inspiring is a major draw for many conferencegoers. As the saying goes, “Your network is your net worth.” 

With this in mind, you can adapt the format of your healthcare conference to improve the chances that attendees will make valuable connections. 

We recommend using a “speed dating” format. In short, attendees are paired with each other based on differences in discipline and job seniority in order to forge connections that would normally be unlikely (e.g. experienced and early-career healthcare professionals). Each pair has a predetermined amount of time to chat before being ushered to their next pairing. 

The key idea is that adapting the standard conference format to include networking-focused activities can benefit everyone involved.

3. Provide attendees with a mobile-friendly, interactive schedule

Another way to help your attendees network is to provide them with an interactive schedule they can access from their mobile devices. 

Allowing your attendees to build their schedules on the fly gives them the ability to prioritize their itinerary and optimize their time—including where and when to network. 

  • EventUp Planner (formerly Attendease) delivers interactive, mobile-friendly schedules as a feature of your event website. This means your attendees can access their schedules without needing to download an app!

Giving attendees full control of their conference timetable allows them to make informed choices about which networking opportunities to pursue. Plus, access to their schedules means attendees can discover moments to network they might not have otherwise known about. 

LEARN MORE: How to Boost Engagement During Healthcare Meetings and Events

4. Create an online community for your attendees

Extend the networking possibilities past the duration of your healthcare conference by creating an online community. 

Through an online community, group, or forum, your attendees have the opportunity to cultivate professional connections even before they arrive at the event. 

First, choose a service to host the community or commission a developer to create a custom solution. Your attendees can log in and fill out professional profiles they will share with the rest of the community. They can reach out to other attendees, browse the list of who will be in attendance, and get an idea of who might be a valuable connection. 

Once the conference is over, attendees can stay connected and keep the fruitful conversations going!

5. Design the layout and setup of the conference with networking in mind

Another consideration is the layout and setup of the conference space itself—especially breakout areas. 

Areas where people congregate, like tea and coffee stations, influence networking because people naturally gravitate towards them. The shape, size, and placement of these points have an effect on how easy it is to start, join, or leave a conversation. 

The key is to build a space that encourages movement. If people are sedentary, there will be fewer opportunities to network. So instead of having fixed seating, for instance, we recommend having high-top tables or modular seating so that attendees can easily move around the space. 

LEARN MORE: Healthcare Events: Ideas for Every Size and Type

6. Host dedicated networking sessions or activities

Finally, consider setting aside specific time slots in the conference schedule purely for networking. This could take the form of:

  • Networking lunches or dinners where attendees are seated strategically to encourage new connections
  • Cocktail hours or receptions focused on mingling
  • Topic-based roundtable discussions that group attendees by interests
  • Organized networking walks, runs, yoga classes, etc. to combine wellness and networking

The key is carving out dedicated time where the sole focus is on the attendees meeting each other. This removes the pressure of having to network on top of absorbing content from lectures and panels.

The networking-centric time slots could be optional so attendees who prefer can use them as free time. But for many, having it built into the agenda may be the nudge they need to prioritize meeting others.

Simplify Your Healthcare Event Planning with a Powerful Suite of Tools

With endless opportunities to network online, healthcare conferences must provide an experience that offers real value to attendees. Networking opportunities need to be front and center. 

Encourage healthcare professionals to gather with ease. From small to large and complex events, plan and manage all of your events with one flexible platform: EventUp Planner by Tripleseat. Book a quick demo to learn more about how our complete event management software and automation platform can help you plan your next healthcare event with ease.

Learn More!

Post-Event Survey Questions to Ask (+ Email Best Practices)

  • Event Management News
  • May 9, 2024
Best Practices When Sending Post-Event Surveys Blog Banner

Some may think an event is over when the guests leave the venue, and the doors are shut, but event managers still do much more work. Part of the work is to gauge attendees’ satisfaction and measure the event’s success. Today, we will share some best practices to help you create effective event surveys to measure this success.

What Are Post-Event Surveys?

Post-event surveys are used to gather feedback and insights after the conclusion of an event. These surveys typically consist of questionnaires designed to capture the opinions and experiences of participants, attendees, and stakeholders involved in the event.

Why Are Post-Event Surveys Important?

The information collected through post-event surveys serves several important purposes:

Evaluation of Event Success

Post-event surveys help organizers assess the overall success of the event. Participants’ feedback provides insights into what aspects of the event went well and what areas need improvement.

Understanding Participant Satisfaction

Surveys gauge participant satisfaction by capturing opinions on various elements such as content, speakers, venue, logistics, and overall experience. They serve as a means to engage with attendees and show that their opinions and experiences are valued.

Marketing Insights

Post-event surveys can provide valuable insights for marketing purposes. Understanding what aspects resonated with participants allows organizers to highlight these elements in future promotional efforts.

Improving Future Events

Feedback obtained from post-event surveys guides organizers in making necessary adjustments and improvements for future events. It allows them to tailor upcoming events based on the preferences and expectations of the audience.

Best Practices for Post-Event Survey Emails

Email Timing

When discussing follow-up survey emails, the earlier is always the better. You should never wait more than 24 hours after an event to send a follow-up email. That’s because people will remember their experience better and share their feelings more accurately right after the experience happened. For this reason, it’s important that you have your follow-up emails ready to be sent and preferably scheduled to be sent automatically. Having an email marketing tool will be key to providing you with scheduling capabilities so your emails are sent automatically at the time of your choice.

Audience Segmentation

By segmenting your audience, you are able to ask questions that relate to each group in addition to being able to isolate the results for each of the audiences surveyed. For example, instead of getting a total average satisfaction rating among the entire audience, you can analyze how each segment felt about the event. Some audiences you may consider general attendees, VIP attendees, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, etc. 

Email Message

When sending a feedback survey, don’t forget to add a personal message to the email with the survey link to thank them and share a personal note of your perspective of the event. This will keep things human and genuine so you can build a long-lasting relationship with each person. The message may vary according to each audience you are messaging.

Survey Design

Regarding feedback surveys, the design would translate into both email design and the survey webpage. Your current email marketing tool should take care of the email part, but keeping that consistency across the survey page is also important. Tools like EventUp Planner can help you keep that design consistent while allowing you to manage all these moving parts straight from one unique platform.

Best Practices for Post-Event Survey Questions

Most post-event surveys will focus on what worked (so you can repeat) and what didn’t (so you can improve next time). In order to gather the information and analyze it, you should consider what types of questions to ask.

Types of Post-Event Survey Questions

Objective questions are easier to measure. For example, rating the overall event experience from 1 to 10 or answering yes/ no questions. These types of questions will be easier to translate into a chart so you can better visualize and understand the data.

On the other hand, open-ended questions may be helpful at times. If someone rated the event as “poor,” you will want them to share what made them feel that way. So, it is necessary to balance objective and open-ended questions to get enough data to analyze and decide for your next event.

The best practice is always first to capture your Net Promoter Score (NPS) question. That’s because the person responding to your survey can share their overall sentiment after the event without being influenced by other questions you may ask throughout the survey. Other survey questions may induce a rating that is worse than what you would normally get simply because you reminded them of less-than-stellar experiences that were not top of mind to start with. 

Download Our Event Reporting Guidebook
Download Our Event Reporting Guidebook


25 Example Post-Event Survey Questions

NPS Example Questions:

1.     How would you rate the event from 1 to 5 (or 1 to 10)?

This question provides a quantitative measure of overall satisfaction to help organizers gauge the success of the event and identify areas for improvement based on the average rating.

2.     How likely would you recommend this event to a friend/ colleague?

This question offers a quantitative measure of overall satisfaction and provides insights into the potential for repeat attendance or referrals for future events.

Objective Example Questions:

Here are some examples where you can use a dropdown or a checkbox style of question and add a field for “other” if the attendee wants to add more information. This way, you can capture both qualitative and quantitative data:

3.     How did you learn about the event?

Understanding the channels through which attendees discover events is essential for refining marketing strategies and allocating resources effectively to reach target audiences.

4.     Why did you decide to attend this event?

This question uncovers attendees’ motivations, informing organizers about the aspects of the event that resonate most with the audience and guiding future programming and content decisions to align with these interests.

5.     What were your favorite sessions/ speakers/ exhibitors?

Understanding attendees’ favorite sessions, speakers, and exhibitors provides insight into what aspects of the event resonated most with them, enabling organizers to tailor future events to better meet attendees’ interests and preferences.

6.     How would you rate the venue, food, attractions, etc.

Rating the venue, food, attractions, and other amenities helps organizers gauge overall satisfaction with the event experience and identify areas of improvement for future events.

7.     Did this event meet your expectations?

Assessing whether the event met attendees’ expectations offers valuable feedback on the event’s effectiveness and helps refine event planning and execution to better align with attendee expectations in the future.

8.     If you have no barriers, would you like to attend this event again next year?

Exploring attendees’ willingness to attend the event again offers a gauge of overall satisfaction and informs organizers about the event’s potential for long-term success and attendee loyalty.

Open-Ended Example Questions:

Lastly, you should always have at least one open-ended question to gather additional feedback:

9.     Was there anything you disliked about the event?

This open-ended question allows attendees to express concerns or grievances not captured by structured questions, providing valuable qualitative feedback for addressing specific pain points and improving future event experiences.

10.  Is there anything else you’d like to share about your experience?

By inviting attendees to share additional thoughts, organizers can uncover unexpected insights, positive experiences, or suggestions for innovation that may not have been covered by predefined survey questions.

Other Example Post-Event Survey Questions

11.  How did the event contribute to your professional development or industry knowledge?

Understanding how the event contributed to attendees’ professional development or industry knowledge is crucial for assessing its effectiveness in providing value and fostering professional growth.

12.  Were the topics covered in the event relevant to your interests and expectations?

Ensuring that the topics covered align with attendees’ interests and expectations helps tailor future event content to maximize engagement and relevance.

13.  How would you rate the overall logistics and organization of the event?

Evaluating the logistics and organization of the event provides insights into areas of improvement for smoother operations in future events.

14.  Did you find the networking opportunities at the event valuable?

Assessing the value of networking opportunities informs organizers about the effectiveness of networking sessions, guiding future efforts to facilitate meaningful connections among attendees.

15.  How effective was the use of technology and multimedia in enhancing your event experience?

Gauging the effectiveness of technology usage can help guide future decisions on integrating innovative tools to increase participant engagement.

16.  Were there any technical issues or improvements you would suggest for future events?

Identifying technical issues and suggestions for improvement enables organizers to address shortcomings and enhance the overall event experience for future participants.

17.  Did you feel a sense of community and engagement throughout the event?

Measuring the sense of community and engagement throughout the event helps in understanding the success of community-building efforts and fostering a vibrant event atmosphere.

18.  What impact did the event have on your professional or personal development?

Understanding the impact of the event on attendees’ professional or personal development provides valuable feedback for refining future event goals and content to better meet participant needs.

19.  How valuable did you find the post-event resources provided, such as presentations, recordings, or additional materials?

Assessing the value of post-event resources guides decisions on resource allocation and content creation, ensuring that the materials provided align with attendee expectations and learning needs.

20.  Were there any measures taken to accommodate diverse needs that you appreciated?

Understanding the effectiveness of measures taken to accommodate diverse needs provides valuable insights into the inclusivity and accessibility of the event and guides future event planning.

21.  How would you rate the accessibility and inclusivity of the event for all participants?

Rating the accessibility and inclusivity of the event for all participants informs organizers about areas needing improvement to create a more welcoming and equitable environment for future attendees.

22.  Did you utilize any post-event resources for extending your learning or networking?

Evaluating post-event resource utilization indicates the relevance and usefulness of provided materials, informing decisions on future resource development and distribution strategies.

23.  What aspects of the event stood out to you as particularly positive or noteworthy?

Identifying positive aspects of the event highlights successful elements that can be leveraged in future events to enhance overall attendee satisfaction and engagement.

24.  Were there any aspects of the event that you think could be improved for future editions?

Soliciting feedback on areas for improvement enables organizers to address shortcomings and implement changes to enhance the quality and effectiveness of future events.

25.  What suggestions do you have for enhancing the overall participant experience in future events?

Gathering suggestions for enhancing the overall participant experience guides strategic planning efforts and helps ensure that future events are more engaging, enjoyable, and valuable for attendees.

Ideal Post-Event Survey Length

One thing to remember is that the longer the survey, the lower the conversion rates will be. Aim to have no more than ten questions for better conversion rates. Multiple choice, radio buttons, and other objective questions demand less effort and can win higher conversion rates than asking too many open-ended questions. So try only to ask what you absolutely need. You can also offer incentives to motivate people to provide feedback, such as a discount code for the next event, a cash/ gift card incentive, or a draw-entry to win a prize.

Social Media Listening for Post-Event Feedback

Another way to gauge event performance, especially for larger events, is to listen to what people share on social media. Social listening tools will be able to create reports to filter messages using your event hashtag, talking about you and your event, and, more importantly, analyzing the overall sentiment during and after the event. That means analyzing the words used in relation to the event and defining them as positive or negative experiences. You can also analyze a word cloud to learn the most used words around your event.

Gauging Event Success with Post-Event Surveys & EventUp Planner

You got the answers to your survey; now what? Tools like EventUp Planner (formerly Attendease) can help you visualize your survey data so that you can analyze results and make better decisions for your next event. In addition to creating unique surveys for all your audience segments, you can also compare survey results from different events to determine which events perform better and why. We live in a data-driven world, so we must listen before taking action to thrive. Follow-up and surveys are where it starts. 

Do you need a tool to help you with email marketing, survey capabilities, and data analysis? Check out what EventUp Planner can do for you.

Let’s Talk

4 Easy Ways to Boost Event Registration by 20%

  • Event Management News
  • May 7, 2024
4 Easy Ways to Boost Event Registration by 20%

You’ve spent countless hours and resources planning an amazing event. But what happens if no one shows up? 

Event registration can make or break the success of your event. A seamless event registration process leads to more attendees and higher revenues. A leaky process, on the other hand, leads to missed opportunities and diminishing ROI. 

Let’s examine an often overlooked but important source of attendees for your event: incomplete registrants AKA the people who stalled midway through your event registration process.

The Baymard Institute found that abandoned cart rates averaged almost 70%, sometimes going as high as 84%. Event planners, that’s a lot of lost registrants for your event!

Fortunately, with thoughtful retargeting and a series of strategic emails, you can boost attendance to your event—gaining back as many as 20% or more of your event registrations that stalled along the way! Event registration platforms can help you get there. Keep reading to learn how. 

Let’s Do The Math on Incomplete Event Attendees

Let’s say your event ticket is $100. If 400 people begin the registration process, but only 70% of them follow through, that leaves 30% incomplete—which translates to $12,000 in missed revenue. Yikes!

If you successfully revived even 20% of those prospective event attendees (24 people), that would be $2,400 with a little effort on your part. You just have to know what you’re looking for. 

If you don’t believe this could have a massive impact on your event strategy, plug in the numbers from your own registration statistics, and see what that missing revenue would be—you might be surprised!

You’ll likely find that the potential revenue is well worth the minimal time and effort it takes to set up a retargeting campaign. Event registration software can streamline the process. 

GET THE FREE CHECKLIST: Take the guesswork out of designing an event registration strategy that drives your customers to buy!


4 Strategies to Boost Event Registration

Ready to increase your event registration numbers with minimal time and effort? Explore the following 4 strategies: 

  1. Run an automated email campaign

When it comes to event registration, event analytics are your friend. 

First, navigate to the registration module of your event management software. Once there, you should be able to compile a comprehensive report that will identify all of the partially completed or incomplete registration forms. 

Next, you can set up a series of automated yet personalized emails to go out to these people who have abandoned their registration process, regardless of where in the funnel they dropped out. 

Did you know that registration abandonment emails typically have much higher open and click-to-open rates than other marketing emails? That’s because prospective attendees are already familiar with the event and just need a little reminder or encouragement to complete their registration form.

By creating an email campaign filled with engaging event content, keynote speaker highlights, or even a discount for your prospective attendees (more on this below), you can increase your event registration revenues considerably.

  1. Catch registration problems early in the game

Sometimes people drop out of the registration process due to design flaws in your event registration forms. Other times prospective attendees may have questions about some of the required information, or concerns about data security. Or they may have simply become distracted before they were able to complete your form.

You can set up an automated email to go out to these potential registrants as early as the same day as a registration form is abandoned. The email should be a gentle reminder that they have not completed the registration process, along with an invitation to contact you for technical assistance if necessary. 

If you think it might apply, you can also include some reassuring language that directs prospective attendees to your event’s legal policy or terms and conditions. The tone should be friendly and lighthearted. Here are some great examples of effective emails to inspire you.

  1. Send a reminder about an upcoming registration milestone

If your event invitation contains an early bird discount, you can use the upcoming deadline as a reason to send another email reminder to your incomplete or abandoned registrants. 

Make sure you send it at least a few days, if not a week before the deadline, in order to give them adequate time to take advantage of the opportunity. Sending another one the day before the deadline is not taboo, either. 

Remember, these are people who have already shown interest in your event. They just need a little nudge.

  1. When all else fails, offer a special deal

You’ve already sent out as many as two emails, and no response yet. 

We don’t recommend sending more than three well spaced follow-ups in total, as too many may be considered aggressive. On your last attempt, make it count—your incomplete or abandoned registrants might need a small incentive in order to convert.

After your traditional milestone deadlines have passed, try offering a special discount or incentive, either at or just under the early bird rate. Clearly communicate that this offer is for those prospective attendees who have initiated the registration process earlier on. 

Sometimes price is the main barrier for prospective attendees not having completed their online registration the first time around. Offering a slight savings may be just the motivation to help them make up their minds and commit, once and for all.

LEARN MORE: Not sure how to effectively price tickets to your next event? We’ve got you covered with our in-depth ticketing guide. 

Boost Your Registration with a Powerful Event Registration Platform

Event registration can make or break your next event. Fortunately, you don’t have to master this process alone.

EventUp Planner by Tripleseat provides powerful event registration and ticketing software that makes it easy to customize a seamless experience for your attendees. 

It’s never been easier to: 

  • Manage pricing categories, promo codes, and group passes
  • Create unique registration forms for specific pass types
  • Save registration forms to use again in future meetings and events
  • Schedule your fully branded registration experience to go live at any time you’re ready

For more information on how we can help you boost your event registration, get in touch with us to book a demo.

Simplify the Complexity of Managing Your Meetings and Events with a Powerful Suite of Tools

Make your attendees gather with ease. From small to large and complex events – plan and manage all of your events in one flexible platform – EventUp Planner.

Learn More!

4 Proven Event Formats for Launching Your Next Pharmaceutical Product

  • Event Management News
  • April 25, 2024
Apple event 2021

This is an exciting time for your pharmaceutical company. 

You’ve spent countless hours doing R&D, passed all regulatory requirements, and you’re finally ready to bring a revolutionary new product to market. But whether this is your first launch or your fiftieth one, you know this phase is only the beginning. 

An engaging introduction to the market is crucial for your new product’s success. So, how do you effectively engage your audience, increase brand awareness and trust, and ensure your product starts off on the right foot—all at the same time? 

You plan a successful product launch event.

In this guide, we’ll explore the ins and outs of planning a memorable pharmaceutical event to launch your next product. Let’s dive in! 

What Is Experiential Marketing, and Why Does It Matter?

Whether you’ve gawked at the lineups outside an Apple Store the week after an Apple Event or stumbled upon a unique pop-up during your lunch break, one thing is for certain: experiential marketing is more popular and more effective than ever!

Experiential marketing—sometimes also referred to as event marketing—consists of direct, one-on-one engagement with the consumer in a branded offline or hybrid experience. 

At its core, experiential marketing encourages interactivity, engages the consumer’s senses, and helps to promote a positive, humanized brand impression that can be seen, heard, and felt.

Pharmaceutical companies can learn from the success of companies like Apple who use event marketing to generate serious buzz and sell out their new products. 

GET THE HANDBOOK: Not sure how to choose the right event management platform for your needs? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. 

Key Considerations for Pharmaceutical Event Planning

The first thing you should consider is the type of event that would ultimately make your launch more successful. The key is to create something that your audience will find engaging, informative, and memorable.

For instance, if your audience is healthcare professionals, you might consider a webinar series to launch your product and provide training. Or if you’re looking to connect with the general public, a virtual press conference with medical experts might work best.  

In general, pharmaceutical launch events typically involve a combination of educational presentations, panel discussions with experts, and media engagement to generate awareness and interest in the new product. 

Pharmaceutical Product Launch

4 Top Formats for Your Next Pharmaceutical Event

Next, let’s discuss the best event formats for your next pharma product launch: 

1. Keynote Event

Delivering a keynote address at a major conference is a powerful way to launch your latest pharmaceutical product. This format allows you to showcase your latest innovation on a prominent stage, often in front of thousands of healthcare professionals, researchers, and industry leaders!

A compelling keynote typically features a charismatic speaker—such as a renowned expert or company executive—who delivers an engaging presentation that highlights the groundbreaking science, clinical benefits, and patient impact of the new product. 

For example, at the 2017 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, Novartis delivered a keynote address to launch their new psoriasis treatment, Cosentyx. The presentation featured impressive efficacy data and patient testimonials, generating buzz and excitement among dermatologists in attendance. 

Keynote addresses are ideal for hybrid events, as many are live streamed to reach a global audience. So if you’re looking for a way to elevate your brand and inspire a highly targeted audience of healthcare professionals, a keynote with a strong media focus is ideal.

LEARN MORE: 35 Creative Product Launch Event Ideas to Try This Year

2. Industry Trade Shows and Conferences

Trade shows and conferences are the perfect place to connect with healthcare professionals, industry experts, and potential partners or investors. These events provide an ideal platform to showcase the latest drugs, therapies, and medical devices your company has to offer. 

For example, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting—the world’s largest oncology conference—is a prime venue for pharmaceutical companies to present clinical trial results and introduce new cancer therapies. 

Consider setting up exhibits, delivering presentations, and holding press conferences to generate interest in your product among the medical community and media. 

Plus, by engaging with healthcare professionals and industry leaders at these events, your company can effectively raise awareness about your new product and establish valuable connections within the industry. It’s a win-win!

3. Virtual Press Conference

When launching a new pharmaceutical product, consider hosting a virtual press conference. Doing so allows you to effectively reach a wide audience of journalists, healthcare professionals, and industry stakeholders. 

A well-organized virtual press conference typically includes presentations by company executives, medical experts, and key opinion leaders, followed by a Q&A session. 

For example, Biogen held a virtual press conference in June 2020 to announce the FDA approval of their Alzheimer’s drug, Aducanumab. The event included presentations by company executives, medical experts, and patient advocates, discussing the drug’s potential to slow cognitive decline in early-stage Alzheimer’s patients.

Ultimately, virtual press conferences allow your company to deliver a compelling narrative around your new product, generate media coverage, and build excitement among relevant stakeholders—all without breaking the bank. 

LEARN MORE: Healthcare Events: Ideas for Every Size and Type

4. Webinar Series

Webinars are another powerful format to launch your latest pharmaceutical product. This format allows you to deliver in-depth, informative content that showcases the science behind your new product while providing valuable insights to medical experts. 

A well-structured webinar series typically consists of multiple sessions spread over a period of time, each focusing on a specific aspect of the new product, such as its mechanism of action, clinical trial results, and patient management strategies. 

Gilead Sciences, for instance, successfully launched its hepatitis C medication, Harvoni, in 2014 through a series of educational webinars. These events highlighted the drug’s high efficacy and convenient single-pill regimen, providing healthcare professionals with the knowledge and confidence to prescribe the new treatment. 

By leveraging event management software, a webinar series can help your company educate and engage with healthcare professionals and ultimately drive the adoption of your new product. 

LEARN MORE: Best Practices for Hosting a Webinar Event

Uncomplicate Your Pharma Event Planning with Event Management Software

Launching a new pharmaceutical product requires careful planning and execution.

By choosing the right event format—whether it’s a keynote address, trade show exhibit, virtual press conference, or webinar series—you can showcase your product’s unique features, share compelling clinical data, and establish your company as a leader in the field. 

Need a helping hand with your pharmaceutical event planning? Attendease provides a powerful suite of tools to manage all of your events—large and small—in one place. 

Learn more today!

Learn More!

6 Killer Revenue-Boosting Ideas for Your Next Fundraising Event

  • Event Management News
  • April 16, 2024
6 Killer Revenue-Boosting Ideas for Your Next Fundraising Event

Fundraising events are mutually beneficial for all. Not only do these events provide nonprofits with funds to power their mission, but they also offer a meaningful experience for donors, allowing you to steward stronger relationships. 

One of the best events to raise serious funds and engage donors is a charity auction. A charity auction is a high-energy, flexible event that is sure to excite any audience, whether it’s taking place online, in-person, or as a hybrid combination of both. 

To help your nonprofit bring this engaging fundraising event idea to life, we’ll explore six innovative ideas to increase your ROI. But first, let’s uncover the fundamentals of charity auctions.  

What is a Charity Auction? 

Auctions involve guests bidding on fun, unique, or luxurious items, and the highest bidder takes home the prize. There are three types of auctions:

  • Live auctions involve an auctioneer announcing items and accepting bids from the audience, whose members either state their bids aloud or raise a paddle.  
  • Silent auctions traditionally involve showcasing auction packages around a venue and guests submitting paper bids. However, paper bids can easily get disorganized, making it much more difficult for your team to effectively stay on top of incoming bids. Instead, use mobile bidding software so your participants can submit bids right from their phones. We’ll discuss this feature in more detail in the next section! 
  • Online auctions are hosted through online auction software and allow guests to bid from wherever they are, whenever they’re able to. 

Auctions involve an extensive planning process, including item procurement 9-12 months in advance, pre-event ticketing and registration, and logistics like booking the venue, catering, and technical equipment. This is why it’s essential to take ample time to prepare and get your team ready to host a show-stopping event! 

6 Ideas to Accelerate Auction Fundraising 

Auctions have the potential to be highly lucrative, but to make the most of your fundraising efforts, you need the right strategies. Let’s jump into six proven ways you can accelerate your ROI and meet and exceed your goals. 

1. Invest in the Right Auction Software 

Technology is a powerful force to increase efficiency and fundraising power for any event. OneCause recommends investing in auction software with intuitive features like:

  • Event management: Look for fundraising software that empowers your team to easily manage every step of the event planning process, including facilitating contactless check-in and check-out, generating custom ticket packages, sending segmented communications to guests, and more. 
  • Mobile bidding: With the right mobile bidding tools, participants can submit bids right from their phones, set maximum bids, and receive outbid alerts to bring them right back into the action.  
  • Item management: Easily track the status of your item procurement efforts, bundle items into packages, and create solicitation letters to send to donors and corporate sponsors.  
  • Gamification: Feature leadership scoreboards, fundraising thermometers, and engagement drivers like live chat for remote events to keep participants tapped into your event.  
  • Data tracking: Use software that will automatically generate real-time data reports so you always have a full picture of how your fundraising strategy is performing. 

Keep in mind that the right fundraising tool won’t just help you run auctions but will also make it simple to host fundraisers of all types, including walkathons, peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns, and more. Invest in an all-in-one fundraising software to get the most bang for your buck. 

GET THE FREE GUIDE: Leverage Effective Ticket Pricing Strategies & Sell Out Your Events

2. Incorporate Social Fundraising 

Social fundraising draws on the power of your supporter’s social networks to raise donations for your cause. The most common examples are: 

  • Peer-to-peer: Create a peer-to-peer fundraising page associated with your event and allow supporters to create their own personal fundraising pages alongside it. Donors can share their pages and solicit gifts from their networks, expanding the reach of your nonprofit. Make sure to work with comprehensive peer-to-peer fundraising tools to make the process as easy as possible for your participants. 
  • Giving days: Conduct a time-intensive, hyper-condensed online fundraising campaign, aiming to reach a specific goal within 24 hours. Think #GivingTuesday, but planned specifically to boost energy and awareness leading up to your auction. These campaigns thrive on social media, where donors can help spread the word. 
  • Challenges: Participants complete some sort of challenge (ex, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge) and donate to your organization after doing so. They share a video of the challenge with their networks and challenge a few friends to continue the trend. 

Begin social fundraising in advance of your auction to help raise awareness and build excitement. At the event, announce how much was raised before your event even started to thank participants and show the power of social fundraising in action.  

3. Tap Ambassadors to Support Your Fundraising Plan 

Ambassador fundraising leverages peer-to-peer fundraising by tasking ambassadors (your most loyal and involved supporters) to raise funds before, during, and after your auction. 

There are three steps to successful ambassador fundraising: 

  1. Select ambassadors. Look to your board members, volunteers, people with social media clout, your event planning committee, and any honored guests coming to your event, like community leaders, to help.
  2. Define your program. You’ll need to outline how you will leverage ambassadors (ex, social media promotion), what your ambassadors’ goals will be (ex, selling the most tickets), and how you will onboard ambassadors. 
  3. Motivate ambassadors. Use an ambassador leaderboard and incentives (such as special prizes) to motivate supporters. 

Ambassadors can prove to be a valuable way to spread the word about your event, increasing attendance and total revenue. Make sure to properly prepare your ambassadors with any information they may need about the event, check in with them regularly, and thank them for their efforts.  

GET THE FREE CHECKLIST: How To Boost Event Registration

4. Create an Event Microsite 

Create an event microsite to provide guests with the information they need to participate and engage their networks. Include information like:

  • A short introduction to your nonprofit. 
  • Explain how you’re using the proceeds to benefit your cause. 
  • Rules for bidding and instructions on using your mobile bidding software. 
  • Event schedule. 

Then, include information about the items available for bidding: 

  • Name and number of each item. 
  • Specific but brief description of the item. 
  • Market value, starting bid amount, and minimum raise amount. 
  • High-quality photos. 

Make sure that you generate an auction item list that aligns with your supporters’ interests and fits their budgets. This way, you can garner the most amount of bids possible. 

LEARN MORE: 5 Tips to Streamline Web Communication for Healthcare Events

To spread the word, have members of your staff and volunteers share the link to your microsite widely on multiple channels, such as:

The different types of platforms nonprofits can use for multichannel marketing, repeated below
  • Social media
  • Your website
  • Email
  • Text messaging
  • Direct mail
  • Print ads
  • Flyers
  • Radio or TV slot 

Taking a multichannel approach can help you increase touchpoints with supporters and keep your organization’s event top of mind. Pair your content with strong calls to action to register or donate early so you can spark engagement. 

5. Add Raffles to Spike Giving. 

Raffles are a quick and easy addition to any fundraising event, including auctions. Simply sell raffle tickets throughout the event and draw a winner at the end of the night! 

To add this to your event, make sure that your raffle is: 

  • Desirable for your guests. Take a deep dive into past raffle sales and auction item interest to determine what your audience historically has been willing to bid on. 
  • Worthwhile to raffle instead of auction. Ensure you’re raffling off an item that you’ll cover the price of, and raise additional revenue by selling raffle tickets alone. 
  • Not competing with your auction items. Remember, your raffle is supplementing your auction. You don’t want to raffle off something that’s going to draw the attention away from your main attraction! 

Consider selling raffle tickets ahead of your event. You’ll give guests a taste of what your event will entail (like a preview of an auction item) and build interest. 

Keep in mind that raffles are technically considered gambling by the IRS. Check the laws of your state to determine if you’re able to host a raffle at all or if there are specific guidelines around how to conduct your own in-person or online raffle. 

6. Gamify Your Event  

Using gamification is a powerful tool to add competition, fun, and fundraising momentum to any event. Leverage the following gamification features to amp up giving: 

  • Bid scoreboard: Assign numbers to guests so they can bid with their numerical identity rather than their names. Project a leaderboard of who is winning each item and by how much for some friendly competition. 
  • Fundraising thermometer: Project a fundraising thermometer displaying how much has been raised by the event in tickets, bids, and donations so far. Set a realistic stretch goal number and challenge guests to reach it by the end of the night! 
  • Prizes: Offer incentives to ramp up giving for the night to the top bidders, such as free branded merchandise, a lunch with your organization’s leaders, or discounted tickets to your next event.  
  • Memory-style tile game: Make use of a memory-style tile game that displays sponsor logos. This will spark friendly competition between attendees while boosting your supporters’ engagement with your sponsors. 

Gamification encourages guests to raise more and enhances their attendee experience. Check-in with your event guests regularly to assess their engagement and add in more gamification tactics as needed. 

Implement Six Revenue-Boosting Strategies To Amplify Your Charity Auction

Through this guide, we’ve explored six revenue-boosting strategies to amplify your charity auction. Mix and match ideas or add your own unique twist on them to meet your audience’s preferences. By analyzing your donor data, you can make more informed decisions on how to organize events that will inspire generosity and resonate with donors.

LEARN MORE: Healthcare Events: Ideas for Every Size and Type

Make Fundraising Easier with Event Software

Incorporating charity auctions into your hospital fundraisers can be a game-changer for boosting revenue and engaging your supporters. 

To streamline the planning and execution of your fundraising events, consider using an event management software like EventUp Planner! EventUp Planner (formerly Attendease) offers a variety of tools that will simplify your task list and reduce headaches.

With features like branded event websites, simplified registration and ticketing, marketing automation, and robust reporting, our tools can help you save time, reduce stress, and create more successful fundraising events that drive your mission forward. Book a demo to learn more today!

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