Rule of Thumb: Keep Attendees Engaged, Not Annoyed

When communicating with attendees, you have to err on the side of caution. Too much communication and they’ll stop paying attention or unsubscribe. Too little communication and they’ll be stressed about the event. There is a delicate balance you have to strike when preparing attendees for the event and onsite at the event. So, how do you keep attendees engaged, but not annoyed?

Emails

Email marketing is an inexpensive and impactful way to get the word out about your event, provide attendees with confirmation after registration, and provide updates. But, because it is inexpensive, there’s a tendency to over send. When planning your email sends, strategize. Think about what information needs to go out when. Try not to send more than one to two emails a week, depending on the length of time to the event. As the event approaches, you can get away with sending more than one a week, but don’t overdo it. If the information you’re sending is important, you want attendees to read the emails. Send unique information and reminders, don’t send the same information in each email. And as always, segment the emails so that they are sent to relevant attendees.

Push Notifications

Your mobile event app is an engagement, networking, and update tool onsite. Actually, it can be used before the event starts to update attendees and begin to engage them. Push notifications are a great tool when done correctly. When crafting push notifications, keep them short and succinct. Attendees will be reading them on their phones, space is limited. Again, be strategic about when you send notifications. It’s common to send notifications reminding attendees of big events or to remind them that sessions are about to start, like their typical calendar notifications. Segment and bundle information when possible and only send relevant information.

Provide an Outlet to Respond

While you might think that your communications contain all of the information your attendees need, it’s likely they’ll still have questions. Provide a number or email for them to use if they have questions. You can set up a hotline if it’s a large event or create a dedicated email that is checked often. In the end, it’s just important that there is a place for attendees to ask questions when they have them.

FAQ Pages

Event websites are a great place to put an FAQ page. The main purpose of the page is to put some of the most important questions front and center. Attendees will go to this page for answers and you want them to find them! As you receive questions from attendees over email or phone, if you notice that you’re receiving a lot of the same question – put it on the FAQ page.

In General, Ask Yourself…

• Would this annoy me?
• Is every communication impactful?
• Can I make the language more succinct?
• Is this necessary?

Attendees Want to Be Kept in the Know

But there is such a thing as too much communication. As you plan out your event communication plan, be thoughtful. Take time to look at a calendar to make sure you aren’t sending too many emails or notifications. Your attendees will thank you!