BU Research Blog

Free events usually have a no-show rate of around 40-50% of registrations. This is due to there being a lack of investment, evident in paid events only having a rate of 10-20% no attendance.

There are many ways to combat such a high no-show rate, without adding a cost to the event! These tips are extremely useful when promoting public engagement events as the idea is to engage as many different people in the research as possible, without adding a price tag. Have a look below at the tips and tricks we have to improve the attendance at your events and get those events sold out!

1. Research your target market and what they would want to gain from and event. Promote to this market using the hooks you have picked up through your research, you should get plenty of people fighting over spaces!
2. Always check whether there is a public holiday on the day of your event. You wouldn’t put an event on Christmas Day – it is the same for many other holidays! You also want to check that there isn’t an event in competition of yours on the same day; it would lessen your chances of getting high attendance if the public have to choose.
3. Find an incentive to get people to register early. Once you have their email, you will be able to remind them of the event on a regular basis before the day – this will help prevent double booking!
4. Advertise fun activities throughout the session in the breaks – this will help add an extra attraction for those who might be worried on the length they’ll be sat being engaged for.
5. As mentioned in point three, reminder emails are a brilliant way of making sure your event isn’t forgotten about. By sending them a week and 48 hours before, it will be fresh in the minds of those registered so they won’t forget. You can even make an event page on Facebook to make sure they get a notification on the day!
6. Collaborate with local businesses and organisations for the event. By getting them on board, you will be able to attract their customer base as well as other interested members of the public.
7. Get yourself a ‘headline speaker’ for the event to draw in the masses. Not only will their following come along to see them speak, you will get more people finding out about the other speakers through the promotion done by the speaker.

By using these tips, you should hopefully improve your chances of a full house next time you’re running a session. If you want any more advice on how to successfully market Public Engagement activities, send us an email and we will be happy to help.