How Do You Market Your Meeting?

Last time we talked about the importance of face to face meetings and how other means of communication just doesn’t match up.  But what does all this mean for your members?  It’s time to get out there and start meeting again.  But how do you market your event to potential attendees with tight budgets and increasing budget restrictions?

Encourage your audience to come to your meeting by offering them something they can’t get anyplace else:

1. specialized education sessions addressing the unique issues in their field;
2. the latest in products, trends, services and technology aimed at their business;
3. an opportunity for peer to peer networking;
4. make connections; and,
5. discover new ways of doing their job.

Since the beginning of 2010, the meetings MMG has managed experienced an increase in attendance, exhibitors and sponsorships.  Targeted marketing campaigns, coupled with a broader outreach, provides a significant impact in these areas.

What can you do to increase participation at your meetings?

1. Clearly determine the meeting’s purpose.
2. Take a strategic approach to your marketing campaign.  Understand how your audience likes to be reached (direct mail, social media, tele-marketing)
3. Prepare targeted messages to your different audiences.
4. Make your meetings accessible (easy locations to reach) and desirable.
5. Provide an agenda that meets the professional needs of your audience.
6. Make them more interactive with specific case studies.
7. Offer incentives (half year free membership, register on-line and receive $25.00 off, etc.)

These are just a few tips.  How about your experiences?  Let us know some creative ways that your organization has marketed your meeting.