How to get attendees to take the front seats at meetings

I recently joined a fab Event Management group on LinkedIn called Event Planning and Event Management. There are loads of really interesting conversations going on which gives a fascinating insight into what everyone is talking about in the Event industry.

I stumbled across a really fun conversation entitled: If you have 500 attendees and they all want to sit in the back of the meeting room, what creative ideas do you use to seat them up in front?

Here are some of my favourite responses...

If you've got a buffet, put the food near the front. You'll find that people will want to have the first pick of the food.

Make the front area, the VIP area. People like to be made to feel like they're important.

Put whoopie cushions on the seats at the back.

Turn the seats at the back to face the back wall. In their confusion people would go to the front rather than turn the chair around.

Put a big sign up to say that if you sit in the first several rows you will be given a raffle ticket and put into a draw to win a prize.

Put signs up on the last few rows stating that people should sit there only if they want to be called on during the presentation.

Ask the last 5 rows to stand up and move to the front.

That's just a few of the comments. Why not have a look yourself for some inspiration.

Interesting event articles

I've been trawling through the internet this week getting up to speed on what the latest news in the Events Industry is. Here's a list of my favourite news and gossip:

Ever stopped to think about organising an event during windy conditions? Read this blog to get some tips on how to cope.

Do you run conferences? Check out this guide to IT requirements when setting up your next conference.

Or do you run Exhibitions? Check out this cool app.

Facebook launch the new 'suggested event tool'. It's caused a bit of a stir. Good news for Event Organisers?

Happy Reading

Boost your last minute ticket sales

Tis the season to be jolly and tis the season to party party party. I’ve been trawling our site and there is loads of festive fun coming up. If you’ve got an event coming up and you’ve still got quite a few tickets to sell, here are some tips for promoting your event last minute...

PICK UP THE PHONE

Email marketing and promotion on social media is great, but if you want to sell tickets fast, why not just pick up the phone. Speak to people and get them to buy tickets there and then. It’s easier to get people to commit when you speak to them personally.

USE VIDEO

Using a video can be a really effective way to grab people’s attention and get your message across with not a lot of cost and effort. You can use the video on email campaigns, on You Tube, Facebook and Twitter. We’ve all seen how fast a video can go viral on You Tube, if you can create something really popular you could create a buzz in no time.

WHO ATTENDED YOUR PREVIOUS EVENTS?

As well as inviting them to your event, get them to refer your event to a friend. They might be going to your event, but haven’t even considered telling all their friends about it. You could even offer them a commission if they sold enough tickets.

SEND REMINDERS

Once you’ve sent an email out inviting everyone, don’t just leave it there. Pass on to any other Event Organisers you know and get them to send to their database too. Follow up on every email that goes out, preferably with a phone call. Then a few days later send the email out again to anyone you were unable to reach. Repeat every few days leading up until your event.

GIVE US A SHOUT

Speak to us at EventElephant and we'll give you a few tips.

It's not too late to plan your festive party

As of today it’s officially Christmas, well as far as I’m concerned, and I’m in the festive spirit. Which has got me thinking about all the parties and fun stuff going on this time of year. If you’re cutting it a bit fine and haven’t sorted your festive party yet, here are a few tips to help you get things off the ground....

FIRST THING FIRST - WHAT SORT OF PARTY?

What can you realistically achieve in the time you have? How much money have you got to spend and how many people are helping? Start off by thinking about whether it should be formal or informal or how big? Set some goals for what you want to achieve.

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU GOT TO SPEND?

It’s easier than you think to overspend when organising an event. Be specific about how much you want to spend. Create a budget and allocate a certain amount of money to each element. Expect the unexpected – think about everything that you might have to spend money on, from entertainment, to staff to insurance.

WHO DO YOU WANT TO INVITE?

Depending on the type of event you’re organising, think about who you want to target to come to your party. If the event is public, have you got a list of people you want to send an invite to? Have you thought about how you’re going to promote your event? Think about your options.

WHERE IS THE EVENT GOING TO TAKE PLACE?

Before you book the venue, take into account who will be coming, how easy will it be to get there? How accessible is the venue by public transport? What is the parking like? This will not only increase the number of attendees coming, but will add to the experience on the night.

RESEARCH THE VENUE FIRST

Okay, you've found a perfect location but make sure the venue ticks all the boxes for your event. Is it big enough? Are there noise restrictions? What time does it stay open until? Do they require you to bring anything? Have they got everything you need?

HOW DO YOU WANT TO CATER YOUR EVENT?

Food and drink can make or break a party. What sort of food and drink would go down well at your party? What style of food will suit your guests? Buffet, canapés, food stalls, sit down meal? Will you need to have cocktails or champagne at the reception? Do you need to hire waiters?

HOW ABOUT HAVING A THEME?

Everyone are always in the mood to let their hair down over the festive season. A theme might just give your party a fun boost. It doesn’t have to be a Christmas theme, it could be anything from James Bond, to Movie Stars to just a simple black tie event. Compliment the theme by decorating the room, having live entertainment and table decorations.

WHAT SORT OF ENTERTAINMENT?

Good entertainment is the key to a good party. If you’re going to include performers, make sure you do your research. Ask for testimonials and make sure they or the company you use is reliable and reputable. Have they got a show reel you can see? Think about who is coming to your party and what entertainment they would react well to. There are lots of agencies that can help with this sort of entertainment.

MAKE SURE YOU'VE GOT A PLAN

There is so much to remember when organising a party. Too much information to keep in your head. Get organised. Create a detailed itinerary for the night. Include contact telephone numbers and exactly what time who and what arrives.

GETTING YOUR INVITATIONS RIGHT

The invitation you create is the guest’s first impression of what your event will be like, so make it a good one. Most importantly make sure you include all important information. Dress code, date, time it starts and finishes, is there food and drink available, the address, who to RSVP to, how much it costs.

HOW WILL YOU SELL TICKETS FOR YOUR EVENT?

Are you charging for a ticket to your event? Have you thought about how to take the bookings easily and efficiently? Taking secure payments on-line couldn’t be easier. If you use EventElephant you can take secure payments, send email invites, upload your event to facebook, see whose coming and who isn’t, send follow up emails and create a stylish event website.

Some new bits and pieces

We've made a few changes and updates recently. We’ve been listening to what you’re saying. And we’ve made a few tweekes to make your life a bit easier. Here’s what we’ve been up to.

SAVE TIME AND INCREASE TICKET SALES

Pending bookings...If a booking fails and becomes pending, the system will automatically cancel the booking. It will also send that person an email to tell them the booking was unsuccessful.

CHECK TICKETS IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME

Ticket management for large events...You can now scan tickets at multi entrance points at your event. You can also have as many scanners as you like at each entrance.

STAY IN CONTROL OF YOUR ATTENDEE NUMBERS

Sell tickets on the door...If you want to sell the remainder of your tickets at the event, you can simply print as many tickets as you like from your event control area. You can then scan each ticket you sell, which will update your reports in your EventElephant account.

FIND IMPORTANT INFORMATION EASILY

Attendee comments...You can now make a comment next to any booking you've taken and then view the comments in the reports.

WATCH THIS SPACE...

You’ve told us what you want and we’re listening. There’s lots of new functionality being worked on as we speak. Keep an eye on our blog to find out more.

Start planning your winter events early and beat the rush

This is a busy time of year for events. That’s why we thought we’d give you a little nudge to remind you what’s coming up...

• Halloween - 10 weeks away
• Guy Fawkes Night - 11 weeks away
• Christmas - 17 weeks away
• New Years Eve - 18 weeks away

If you're planning a themed party, an office do, club night or an event on any of these holidays, we recommend you get started soon. Here are a few reasons why...

• You should give yourself at least 8 weeks to promote your event
• Attendees get booked up early this time of year – make sure you start promoting your event before everyone else
• Give yourself loads of time to prepare all the other elements of your event

Good Luck with your next event.

EventElephant - The Business Networks Best Friend

We're really excited about working with and becoming the official ticketing partner for Finding Networking Events

Finding Networking Events is a dream website for all you Business Networkers out there. It's packed full of resources for finding events, groups, clubs and shows. On top of that there are news stories and interesting articles.

It's well worth a look if you're seeking your next networking event or if you're running an event...just don't forget to come to EventElephant to sell your tickets online.