1. Target your audience
If no one knows about your conference, you will be waiting for registrations in vain.
Make sure that as many potential attendees as possible hear about it. The fastest way to reach them is, of course, through Facebook, Twitter, and similar platforms, although social networks are not always equally suitable for every outreach effort. Think about where your target audience hangs out instead of trying to cover every channel at once.
In this case, more is not necessarily better; it often leads to high wastage rather than a positive impact on registration numbers.
If you already have accounts on various social networks, there is, of course, no reason not to use them to promote the event.
However, do not rely solely on online channels when looking for potential attendees.
It often proves very helpful to place ads in trade journals.
Furthermore, don't forget to design promotional materials or hire an external service provider to design and print posters and flyers.
Compile a list of professional societies and academic departments where your event might be of interest. Ask the respective contacts to hang up your posters and display your flyers.
2. Promote for free
Good advertising doesn't have to be expensive. If you are clever about it, you can do most of your promotion for free.
Instead of only paying for ads elsewhere, you should primarily use the advertising space you already own.
First and foremost, there is your website, where you can place a notice along with a link to the registration page. Both can also be used effectively in your email signature to get recipients excited about the event.
Do you already have a newsletter mailing list? Then don't let its potential go to waste; inform your subscribers about the upcoming event in good time.
A press release is also worthwhile; you can publish it on your website and send it to media representatives as well as operators of other websites or blogs related to your event's topic.
Your social media accounts are also good for more than just regular updates: the header images on Twitter, Google+, and Facebook offer plenty of space for the event's key details.
If you use Twitter, don't forget to set an official hashtag for the conference. This is important so you can quickly see who is talking about your event.
Are you and your colleagues active on LinkedIn or Facebook? Then it doesn't hurt to ask them to link to the conference there as well.
3. Use multipliers
If you follow the last piece of advice in point 2, you and your colleagues become exactly that: multipliers who draw attention to the event far beyond official channels. You often won't reach everyone through your own presence alone. However, you can be sure that there are others out there who would be interested in your conference and would even register—if only they had heard about it in time.
To ensure this happens before the registration period ends, you should get support in promoting the event.
Rely especially on your speakers, as there is usually no one among them who wants to speak to an empty room. Also, involve people who have built a large network through their blog and whose area of interest matches the focus of your event. The better connected they are, the more people will hear about your conference.
You can thank them for their help in spreading the word with something like vouchers for your event.
4. Define Early Bird rates and price groups
It's not just multipliers who appreciate discounts.
As we found in our study on Early Bird rates, discounts are gladly taken advantage of by all other participants as well. If you offer an Early Bird option, you can generally expect that a large portion of registrations will arrive shortly before the deadline. So, there is no need to worry if the deadline is still approaching and the number of participants has remained manageable so far.
You can win even more participants by offering a wide range of tickets. Instead of being overwhelmed by the choice, participants will consciously decide on the option that suits them best.
For multi-day events, there are usually some people who are only on-site for one day. If they find out during registration that there are no day tickets available, they will likely abandon the registration process because they are not willing to pay the full price for all conference days.
Also, avoid forcing a mandatory program on participants. Individual parts of the supporting program should preferably be bookable as options.
Set ticket prices based on the group of people. For example, charge a slightly lower price for students, trainees, and members of your professional society.
However, make sure in advance that your event registration software can handle the different price groups and tickets.
5. Don't just promote the event
Think about it: Besides the content, what could convince you to attend a conference?
Could the venue be a reason?
If it is a city where you have wanted to spend a few days for a long time, the conference would offer you the opportunity to combine business with pleasure.
And even if the city doesn't seem exciting at first glance, a closer look should reveal something you could promote. Perhaps there is an interesting exhibition taking place at the same time, for which you could also negotiate discounts. That would be one more reason to register.
Or perhaps you have put together a supporting program that is worth showing off.
Emphasize all the benefits of your event, because being creative pays off here.
6. Bonus tip for organizers of event series
After the conference is before the conference.
If your event is not taking place for the last time, your participants shouldn't be attending for the last time either.
Therefore, use the closing session for a brief outlook: When and where is the next one? What can you reveal now to give those present a taste of what's to come?
You have gathered in front of you the people who have already bought a ticket at least once. Convince them that it is worth becoming a repeat offender.
To reward participants for their attendance, you can also announce a special discount for everyone who registers for the next event.
