As you know, opening registration for your event is not for the faint of heart. It's always a test of nerves. You make the event public, watch the first names and registrations appear, and wonder--will it keep up or stall after day one? Attendees have more options than ever, and their attention (and monetary investment) is hard to win, which means filling seats takes real strategy, not luck.
Event organizers are optimistic, though, with 74% expecting meetings and events to keep growing stronger in 2025-2026. That optimism suggests attendees are ready to come back, but it also means more events and audiences with less time to spare. Standing out and converting interest into registrations is the focus of this guide.
Ready for tried-and-true strategies to increase event registration? Let's go.
1. Optimize your event landing page
An event landing page can be a decisive factor in whether people register. Visitors only need a few seconds to decide if they’ll move forward or close the tab. Too much text, slow loading times, or a vague headline will send them away. Strong pages usually combine four things: a headline that spells out the benefit of attending, clear event details, a call-to-action that’s impossible to miss, and some form of credibility (past attendance numbers or recognizable partners).
What most organizers get wrong is thinking that more detail equals more persuasion. In practice, the opposite is true. The page should be sufficient to spark action without overwhelming. Keep it focused, visually clean, fast, and mobile responsive.
2. Simplify the registration process
Even when interest is high, a clunky process can undo it. Requiring an account, spreading the form across too many pages, or asking for irrelevant fields creates friction that costs you attendees. A lighter touch works better: start with basic contact information and payment if needed. Extra preferences, job titles, or profile data can be collected later through emails or onsite surveys.
Also consider how people pay and register on mobile devices. Options like autofill or one-click checkout cut the time in half. The goal is to eliminate every barrier that might deter someone from clicking “save my seat.”
3. Use early-bird and group discounts
Pricing is as much psychology as it is math. A lower “early-bird” rate gives people a reason to stop procrastinating and make a decision before the window closes. It’s not only about saving money, but also about signaling a sense of urgency. Each time the discount deadline approaches, you’ll see a spike in registrations simply because no one likes to miss out on a better deal.
Group pricing works differently. It effectively taps into peer pressure. Teams often want to attend together, students look for ways to share costs, individuals feel braver about committing when their friends are involved, and for many, attending with others simply makes the event feel less intimidating and more enjoyable. A reduced per-person rate creates that dynamic. One person forwards the registration link to a colleague, and the discount becomes the excuse to join.
There’s a balance, though. Slash prices too far and you undermine the value of the event. Offer too little and nobody notices. The sweet spot is where the discount feels like a genuine reward for acting early or bringing a group, not a desperate attempt to fill seats.
4. Promote across multiple digital channels
One of the biggest mistakes organizers make is assuming a single channel will carry registrations. You post on LinkedIn, maybe send one email, and expect the seats to fill. In reality, audiences are scattered. Some skim newsletters, read stories on Substack, others live on Instagram, and another slice of your market might only pay attention when an industry podcast mentions you.
Strong promotion layers these touchpoints. Not “everywhere,” but in the right mix. For a leadership summit, this could mean sponsored LinkedIn posts, as well as direct outreach. For a consumer-facing festival, TikTok clips paired with retargeting ads might do the heavy lifting.
The goal is to achieve repetition in various contexts. A potential attendee who hears about your event three or four different ways is far more likely to take it seriously than someone who saw a single post.
5. Use email marketing and retargeting
Email still outperforms other tactics for registrations, but the difference lies in how it’s used. A generic “register now” blast rarely moves the needle. What cuts through is relevance. An invite that references the exact track someone attended last year, or an agenda item tied to their role, feels like it was written with them in mind.
Retargeting extends that same principle. Someone browses the agenda, maybe even starts the registration form, then drops off. That is barely disinterest, but probably hesitation. A well-timed reminder, whether it’s an email or a display ad, nudges them back. Think of it less as chasing and more as reopening the door they almost walked through.
6. Showcase speakers, agenda, and value upfront
Too many organizers hold back the details that would sell the event. The headline keynote, hands-on product workshops, the skills people will walk away with, and the networking opportunities built in: these are often announced late or treated as filler for marketing campaigns.
Attendees want reasons to justify their time and budget. They need to know who’s speaking, what the sessions cover, what their day would look like, and why this gathering is worth choosing over another. The earlier you release that information, the faster people can commit. Waiting until the last minute might feel strategic, but in practice, it simply means potential registrants have already committed to something else.
7. Offer incentives for referrals and word of mouth
A personal recommendation is worth more than any ad. If someone hears about your event from a colleague they respect or a friend they trust, they’re already halfway to registering. The challenge is getting those referrals to happen at scale.
Simple incentives can make a big difference. A free upgrade or a discount on next year’s ticket can all encourage attendees to spread the word. Some events offer tiered rewards, such as bringing two friends to achieve one perk and bringing five friends to unlock something more substantial. That small gamification taps into natural competitiveness and makes sharing part of the fun.
The trick is to keep the reward aligned with the event. Attendees who are already excited don’t need much more than a nudge to invite others; the incentive just makes it easier to justify.
8. Use social proof
When people weigh whether to register, they’re essentially asking: “Will this be worth it?” Social proof provides the answer. Hearing from past attendees, seeing photos of packed sessions, or reading stats about last year’s turnout builds credibility.
Video highlights are especially powerful. A 60-second reel of keynote highlights, buzzing networking spaces, behind-the-scenes shots, candid speaker interactions, and quick attendee testimonials can capture an energy that plain text simply can’t. Numbers provide reassurance, but emotions drive action. Show the energy of the event, and you’re not just telling people what to expect, you’re letting them feel it in advance.
9. Keep registration mobile-friendly
A growing share of sign-ups occurs on phones, often in fleeting moments, such as while commuting, between meetings, waiting in line, or during a lunch break. If your registration form isn’t mobile-ready, you’ll lose those opportunities fast.
This isn’t only about resizing the page for a smaller screen. It means limiting typing wherever possible, enabling auto-fill, and offering payment methods people already use on mobile. A registration flow that works in under a minute is the goal. If someone can go from clicking an ad to seeing their confirmation email before their coffee order is ready, you’ve nailed it.
10. Track, measure, and refine your approach
Every tactic works better when you understand what drives sign-ups. Without data, you’re guessing. Are people registering after seeing a LinkedIn ad? Dropping off halfway through the form? Waiting until after you announce the agenda?
Tracking helps answer those questions. The insights might surprise you: maybe your speaker lineup generates the biggest spikes, or maybe your retargeting ads outperform social by a wide margin. Whatever the case, those patterns let you refine where to spend effort next time.
Event marketing isn’t static. Audiences shift, channels evolve, expectations rise, and technologies advance. The organizers who consistently fill rooms are the ones who treat registration as a living experiment: plan, measure, adjust, repeat.
Case studies: How companies have increased event registration with Cvent
Real-world results often speak louder than strategy lists. Organizations across industries have utilized Cvent event registration software or Cvent Essentials not only to reduce manual work, but also to increase attendance and create a seamless sign-up experience. Here are two such examples of how leading brands scaled their event registrations with Cvent.
1. Alkami Technology
Alkami Technology transformed its flagship event, Co:lab, into a growth engine by rethinking registration from the ground up. Manual spreadsheets and back-and-forth emails were slowing the process, so the team shifted to a streamlined, self-service model powered by Cvent.
That change paid off almost immediately. Within 30 days of launching the new registration flow, Alkami hit its attendee goal. And the momentum didn’t stop there. Year over year, Co:lab saw 20% growth in registrations, and over four years, the event doubled its attendance, evolving from a customer-only gathering into one of the most important industry conferences in financial services.
Want the full story of how Alkami scaled Co:lab with Cvent? Read the complete story.
2. Singapore International Chamber of Commerce
With more than 45 events a year, the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) required a more efficient way to manage registrations for its diverse membership. Manual processes were error-prone and left the team overwhelmed with administrative tasks.
By adopting Cvent Registration, SICC automated member verification, streamlined payment processing, and gained real-time reporting. The difference has been clear: over 250 events supported, more than 12,000 registrations processed, and build times for registration websites cut down to just a few hours.
As Evelyn Yeo, Senior Manager for Marketing and Events at SICC, explains, “Cvent has revolutionized SICC's event management by streamlining registration and optimizing efficiency, helping us deliver seamless, data-driven events for our dynamic membership.”
Read the complete case study of how SICC transformed its registration process.
Conclusion
Registrations aren't an accident. They come from dozens of choices stacked together, such as the way a page loads, how you price, when you reveal your agenda, and where you decide to promote. Each choice either opens the door a little wider or makes it harder for someone to step through.
And the truth? A majority of organizers get in their own way. They overcomplicate the form. They hold back speaker announcements until it’s too late. They push the same promotion in the same channel and wonder why nobody bites. The events that sell out aren’t necessarily the biggest or the flashiest. They’re the ones that make the path to “yes” feel obvious.
The market is crowded, but it isn’t broken. People still want to come together, and planners themselves are optimistic. The challenge is to make your event the one they notice and commit to before anything else fills their calendar.
Frequently asked questions
1. How can you increase conference registration?
Start by fixing the basics. A clear landing page, an agendathat feels worth the time, a registration flow that doesn’t chase people away, and reminders that arrive at the right moment. Everything else, including discounts, ads, and referral perks, only works once those foundations are solid.
2. How can I improve my registration process?
Strip it back. If you’re asking for information that you don’t need, cut it. Let people register on their phone in under a minute. Every extra click is a chance to lose them.
3. How do I attract more people to my event?
Visibility and trust. You need to show up in more than one channel, and you need proof that the event delivers by showing past attendance numbers, highlights, testimonials, behind-the-scenes, and more. Incentives like early-bird pricing help, but what fills the room is the belief that this event will be worth their time.
