INTRODUCTION
According to Statista, the U.S. trade show market size is expected to increase by more than $4 billion over the next few years. In addition, 65% of companies increased their meeting and event spending in 2023.
Whether your association is looking to resume its annual conference after the pandemic, or you are planning your inaugural event, effective marketing can help generate awareness about your event, drive attendance and bring in revenue.
Following are some ways your trade association can promote its annual conference.
HIGHLIGHT THE BENEFITS
While in-person events have started to make a comeback since the pandemic, simply hosting an event is not necessarily going to guarantee attendance. Aim to give people a compelling reason (or reasons) to attend your conference. For instance, a recent report by Skift Meetings reveals that networking (making connections) is one of the main incentives for attendees, followed by educational content (professional development or continuing education) and entertainment.
Take these factors into consideration during the planning process and showcase them in your marketing efforts to attract your members and other potential audiences if your event is open to those outside of the association.
SHOWCASE THE CONFERENCE ON YOUR WEBSITE
Create a dedicated section on your website or a standalone website for your association’s annual conference to help make it visible and findable. Make sure to update it regularly to include pertinent event details, agendas, session synopses, a registration form or a link to a registration portal and other useful information.
For instance, you should include information about lodging if your conference runs for multiple days or attracts people from outside of the area. An FAQ section also is valuable for potential attendees and can help save your staff time by addressing common inquiries.
Make sure to highlight the perks mentioned above and, if possible, include images from past events or video teasers to help draw people in. If your annual conference relies on sponsorships, partnerships or vendors, keep those resources up-to-date and list your current supporters and participants.
It is best practice to house this section within the “events” section of your website, unless you build a standalone website for the conference. You also should keep the page visible year-round–you can post event recaps and/or save-the-date information for the following year between conferences.
PROMOTE YOUR CONFERENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Spread the word about your annual conference on your social media channels. Use organic social media to reach your followers, who are likely your members or affiliated groups. Craft posts that appeal to these audiences, such as videos or graphics of what attendees can expect, and incorporate them into your existing social media calendars.
This includes establishing a regular posting frequency that provides value without bombarding your following with conference-related posts. You should start promoting your conference a few months out, and post no more than once a week to start. You can strategically increase the frequency as the date approaches.
Tap into your network to further extend your organic reach. For instance, you can ask your board members to share your posts or provide them with templates they can use. You also can create a hashtag for your conference to help keep track of conversations and to make information easier for people to find. The typical approach is to use the name of your conference or association plus the year, such as #SuperConference2024 or #WXYZ2024.
Run paid social media ads to further amplify your reach and/or target new audiences. Use targeting parameters such as location, job title, industry and specific interests or behaviors to position your ads in front of your ideal attendees. Some platforms also allow you to create custom or lookalike audiences, which can help you reach people who share similar characteristics as individuals who already engage with your association.
Create a series of ads to A/B tests parameters like language, the type of media (e.g., image vs. video) and call-to-action buttons for about a week or two. Then you can move forward with the version(s) that perform the best (e.g., the ones that generate registrations).
Adjust the creative throughout your campaign to keep your ads fresh or deliver more information. For instance, you can highlight different aspects of your convention or run “last chance” ads a week or two before the registration deadline.
SHARE THE EVENT IN EMAIL AND NEWSLETTERS
Use your print or digital newsletter to help promote your conference to members or partners. For print, you could consider dedicating an entire publication to your conference. Include event details, such as the date(s), location and theme, as well as a link and/or QR code for registration. If possible, include testimonials and images from past events to help drive interest.
You also could include articles that highlight your speakers, workshops and sponsors. For example, you could do a Q&A with one of the speakers.
You can include similar information in your association’s digital newsletter; however, you may want to break up the content into multiple emails leading up to the event. Use captivating subject lines and preview text to encourage opens, and add call-to-action buttons to drive engagement and registrations.
To measure your efforts, add tracking codes to help you identify which topics or communications resonate most with your readers. This information can help you improve email marketing for your conference moving forward.