Association & Meeting Management - Tips from a Meeting Expert

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TIPS FOR MEETING MARKETING

Your meeting should have a sound marketing strategies.

Learn how your meetings fit into the overall organizational structure and how does it further the goals of the organization.
Use direct mail, Web site, postcards, and e-mail to market your meetings.
Define the purpose of the meeting and develop your marketing strategy.
Learn About Your Attendees. You need to understand how far out do they need to know about your meeting to put it into their schedule.
Listen to your members and create an event that they want to attend.
Use your meeting evaluations, they are valuable to help shape your future programs.
Speakers survey their audience ahead of time to customize their program, take their tip and do the same.
Identify the specific needs of different segments of your attendees and offer seminar that will attract your attendees.
Use your registration process to capture as much information about attendees as possible and use it in your marketing
Use different pricing levels and incentives to get your attendees to sign up.
Find out which segments of your attendees are down, members? students? nonmembers? After you learn this, start targeted marketing those people.
Select a site that is convenient for your attendees and one that is easy for them to travel to.
Develop programming that meets your attendees needs.
If you are trying to attract more international members, pick a destination that's easy for international travelers to get to.
Track who signs up for sessions and use the information to create a list of member interests. Then market to that group when a similar program comes up in the future.
Use your Web site to market to your attendee and to create excitement about your conference's content, speakers, and location.
Add hot links to the conference
Make sure your web site is listed in all your promotions and put your fax number on the your marketing.
Segment your audience by their interest and send out e-mail, postal mailers, and measure the response you get on the marketing pieces.
Direct mail is more costly, so use the Internet and broad cast faxing..
E-mail is more immediate and less expensive, and is easy to track.
Allow the person to say they want to receive emails by using an opt-in approach to e-mail..
Use online registration to increase attendance.
Place a password-protected template on your Web site that exhibitors or other third parties related to your organization can download, print, and distribute at no extra cost to you.
Remember to work with the local convention and visitors bureau to get the word out about your destination's attractions.
Generate excitement through your publications by including articles outlining the meeting highlights.
Hire new speaker because new blood often attracts new attendees.
Make friends with the press, develop relationship with the press. They will be more likely to pick up news about your meeting if they have a relationship with you.
Save money by cutting back from doing a four-color brochure to doing a nice postcard directing attendees to your Web site.
Create a message that is clear and concise.
Make sure your marketing effort state the return on investment for attending
Always include incentives and testimonials on your marketing brochures.
Your marketing promotional materials should stress results for attendees, not what your organization wants to accomplish.
Make sure you list the purpose of each session.
Your marketing message should have emotional appeal.
Your marketing message should promotes benefits of attending.
Your marketing message should includes a call to action, such as sign up now.
Stress limited availability space to motivate attendee to sign up quickly.
Include a bonus value for those who act quickly.
Remember to include phone, fax, Web site, e-mail, and snail mail addresses.

Other Information Available For Download

American With Disabilities Act - Accessible Meeting
Guide for Hotel Contracts
Food and Beverage Tips
Meeting Planner’s Request for Proposal
Registration Checklist