It is always disappointing when a delegate cancels their registration at a conference. There are many reasons people may not be able to attend an event, however, there are definitely some tactics you can put in place to minimise the number of drop-outs.
First and foremost, it’s important to ensure from the offset that the delegates know exactly what they are signing up for. The best way to achieve this is through clear communication from the beginning that outlines all details of what to expect including:
The objectives of the event – what does the event deliver?
The learning outcomes – what will attendees gain from attending?
The speakers/speakers’ bios – who will be speaking at the event?
The agenda – when does each speaker speak and for how long?
The practical details – where and when does the event take place?
The attendees – who else will be attending?
Once initial invitations have been sent, having a robust communications plan to keep delegates in the loop throughout the event planning process will then help to ensure that attendee numbers remain high and that any cancellations that do occur can be dealt with quickly and efficiently.
Consistent and strategically timed email communications have been shown to be one of the most effective ways of keeping customers engaged with your brand before an event takes place. Providing a heads up about registration deadlines, updating them on additions to the speaker line-up, or diving deeper into the details of the workshops being held during the conference are good touchpoints that keep clients engaged and grow their enthusiasm about the event. If there is information you need from delegates as part of their participation (i.e. for a brochure or event app), this gives you another reason to keep in touch with them.
Here are some additional tips to keep dropouts to a minimum:
1. Send out calendar invitations
Once a delegate has registered, sending out a calendar invitation to ensure the event is in their diary is useful for keeping track of attendees. We recommend advising delegates that their participation is not confirmed until the invite is accepted, and thus if they remove it from their diaries for any reason during the planning process, you will have a heads up of them cancelling their attendance rather than just discovering on the day they are not coming.
2. Have a clear “cancellation policy” in place
This helps delegates know what they need to do if they have to pull out of an event and outlines any terms and conditions or charges that they need to be aware of. This should be included in all communications sent out prior to an event, as well as appearing on your event website and on any other marketing channels (e.g.social media) that you’re using to promote the event. The policy should also state what happens if delegates fail to attend without giving advance notice – for example whether or not they will be charged for non-attendance.
3. Ask for reconfirmation of attendance
This process really helps to ensure your delegates are water-tight, or at least gives them another opportunity to tell you they are not coming rather than drop out quietly. Ask them to reconfirm key details that you hold for them such as dietary requirements, how their badge will read, dinner attendance, or breakout session choices. Those that don’t reply can then be added to your TBC list and taken into account when confirming your final catering numbers. Be careful not to over-communicate with those who have been responsive to all of your previous communication touch-points, like those who’ve accepted calendar invites and responded to all of your previous emails. Adjust the verbiage you use with these highly-engaged delegates when confirming these last minute details, asking them to simply let you know if the information you have for them needs amending.
Finally, it goes without saying that if you are using any kind of registration system, you must ensure that it is working and tested properly with no technical issues before you launch your delegate registration campaign – otherwise there is a risk of not capturing any information on your prospective attendees at all! If your registration system has faults and you need to request that delegates start from scratch or provide information you should already have, there’s a higher chance they’ll decide this event has already asked for too much of their time and simply cancel their attendance.
As with any event, the audience joining you is your most important asset. Above all else make sure you look after them throughout the entire event process – not just on the day!