In this article, we will explore ways to maximize attendance at your event, in order to ensure the highest possible return on this investment of your time and effort.
Ways to Maximize Attendance
1. Provide an incentive to attend
You’ve seen this method a hundred times or more – because it works! A little extra gift (or chance at winning a fabulous prize) can nudge someone who is on the fence about whether or not to attend your event. Incentives don’t have to cost a bundle; in many cases, you can partner with another local business or professional (spa, salon, massage therapist, hardware store, etc.) to negotiate a lower rate or discount on your purchase of a gift certificate, since the business or professional will get some free publicity in exchange for their participation or donation. It helps if the incentive is relevant or appealing to your target audience (e.g., a home improvement center gift card for people who are coming to your workshop to learn how to install their own sprinkler system).
Alternatively, instead of providing an incentive to every person who attends, you could invest in just one grand prize and each person who attends the workshop gets entered into a drawing to win it. Examples of grand prizes might include a weekend stay at a local resort, or something valued from a few hundred to several hundred dollars.
2. Provide an incentive to bring a friend (or three)
You can use the same suggestions in #1 above, but offer an additional incentive for the person who brings additional friends (for example, they could get an additional entry into the grand prize drawing for each person they bring with them). Depending on your lineof work, this can also be helpful in boosting sales, as in some scenarios, people will respond to peer pressure / social proof. For example, now that I see my friend is signing up, I’m also going to sign up and we can do it together.
3. Collect a deposit
Often times, when an event is free to attend, people can subconsciously put a lower value on its benefit. This psychological phenomenon can be alleviated by collecting a small up-front deposit, which is totally refundable when they attend the event. Because people are generally more motivated to avoid pain than to seek pleasure, the potential pain of losing their deposit if they decide not to attend often provides enough incentive for them to keep their commitment and show up for your event. A deposit could be as low as $10 to $20, depending on what makes sense for your target audience.
4. Pre-Workshop Q&A
As part of the registration process, you can have people submit their most burning question about ____ (your area of expertise) and agree to answer all submitted questions during the workshop itself. This also works on a subconscious level, as people are more inclined to attend if they know they will receive something of value (the answer to their most pressing question).
Hopefully, this list has sparked your own creative ideas for ways you can maximize your efforts in conducting a free workshop. Good luck!
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