My #1 Proven Strategy to Keep Attendees Raving about your Events
You know you’re hosting great events but you just can’t figure out why the enthusiasm dies so quickly. There’s hardly any momentum and once the event’s over, you just go back to the average day to day interactions. You mention your event to someone who says, “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”
It’s time for that to change.
What’s the key to keep attendees raving about your events? Deliver VIP customer experiences from beginning to end.
The best part? You could probably make just a couple minor tweaks to what you’re doing now to make a massive difference.
Experience matters more than anything when it comes to live events.
You can have an incredible event planned with world renowned speakers, unforgettable activities, and first class amenities; but if the experience is shitty, your attendees will forget the rest. Here are my favorite four simple steps to take your customer experience from less than to exceptional, and keep your attendees raving about your events:
Focus on your attendee’s individual desires and favorites - everything from food preferences (remember: allergies), to activities. What outcome are your attendees looking for? Why are they attending? When they register, reach out immediately and here’s the trick: Treat them like a VIP, immediately.
Know what you need to know. No one likes to hear “I don’t know.” When your attendees ask questions, get back to them right away with a specific response. Don’t be vague or wishy-washy. Take it a step further: Be proactive and give them as much information as possible so they don’t even have to ask. Know their itineraries? Send them an email summary including weather forecasts and suggestions for what to pack!
Radiate confidence in your abilities. If you’re unsure of your skills or your ability to keep attendees engaged and inspired at your events, it will reflect in the sub-par service you provide.
Treat attendees and yourself like the VIPs you are! Understand what makes you and your attendees VIPs. This is the most important and trickiest part for most planners. You can treat attendees like VIPs all day long, but yourself a VIP, yeah right! I know, I know, but hear me out. We’ve all heard the cliche adage you can’t pour from an empty cup. I’m here to tell you it’s so true. If you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, burned out in your planning efforts, that is immediately felt by attendees at your events. Don’t fall into the trap of service over self. You are vital to the success of your events and must treat yourself as such!
Creating raving attendees doesn’t have to be difficult, and it can come naturally if you know where to start. The key is, you have to start now.