Conferences are meant to bring together people with similar backgrounds and work experiences to share ideas, network, and motivate each other. To accomplish these goals, conferences allow participants to learn new information and skills, network with peers, and promote themselves and their brands by discussing their accomplishments and topics they are knowledgeable in. Attendees obviously get quite a lot when they go to a conference for their growth.
People that put together conferences also get quite a lot out of it as well. In fact, that’s likely why you’re planning a conference of your own! It seems simple enough. There’s quite a lot to lay out and accomplish, such as:
- Establishing panels
- Finding the venue
- Inviting keynote speakers
- Happy hours
- Setting the agenda
On top of all of that, there’s the matter of getting attendees in the first place. Marketing is crucial when it comes to hosting a conference!
Market Your Conference or Event Successfully By Determining Your Audience
Audience personas are necessary in order to determine your audience. That way, you will be able to hone your reach to possible attendees. If your conference is focused on more than one niche, then you can define more than one audience persona.
The personas that you create should be short stories about them. A personal description should be like a short story that tells the reader about a fictitious person who represents a segment of your targeted audience. The point of a persona is to develop a fictional character who has specific behaviour patterns and traits.
Basically, start determining your audience by creating a composite of your ideal audience/attendees. Are you hosting an industry conference? Get very specific, such as making selections like:
- Chief executive officers (CEOs)
- Customer service teams
- Marketing executives
- Thought leaders
When you’ve determined the groups you’re targeting, make sure to pick out each segment’s commonalities.
Market Your Conference or Event Successfully By Keeping Existing Customers In Mind
New audiences are fantastic, but it should never be at the expense of existing ones. Marketing to your current customers or client base is a must. Your existing email list will go a long way in fortifying your list of attendees.
Consider reaching out to existing customers by way of:
- Create a giveaway on social media asking people to sign up for your email list in exchange for a chance to win VIP access or free registration
- Give them early access to the conference block of hotel reservations
- Include an advertising blurb about your conference in every customer email leading up to the event date (newsletters, reminder emails, etc.)
- Offer a registration discount to customers who make a large purchase within a specific time frame
- Offer an early-bird discount on registration
- Offer exclusive VIP access to long-time clients on a case-by-case basis
Conclusion
Conferences are incredibly beneficial for people who attend them. They’re also great for organizations and companies to host. Successful marketing includes determining the target audience as well as keeping existing customers in mind.
Are you looking for a large Brisbane conference venue? Check out Unidus today! Our multi-purpose conference venue is flexible and modern, located on the southside of Brisbane.
