There might be many good reasons why attendees have to leave an event early, but leaving because of boredom is something that you can avoid. Planning your agenda in a way that saves the best for last can help entice people to stay until the very end.
Here are a few tips from industry experts to help keep engagement at your meeting until the very end.
Agenda Lineup
Paying close attention to how your meeting flows can help keep things moving easily. Whether your event lasts one day or an entire week, save the best presentation or speaker for last to motivate people to stay.
Lauren Grech, CEO of LLG Agency and adjunct professor of New York University’s event management program recommends to “arrange your speakers and activities so the highlights are on the last day of the conference. Build up to the keynote speaker and any celebrity entertainment or over-the-top performances, so attendees are eager to stay until this special part of the conference.”
Award Prizes
Who can resist a chance of winning a prize? Think bigger than a gift card and something more along the lines of roundtrip airline tickets or a free hotel stay. These big prizes are more likely to have attendees wanting to stay to win.
Lauren Grech also recommends to “incorporate a scavenger hunt with some key element that must be collected at the sessions prior to the final keynote or entertainment portion. Make it exclusive by only letting in the attendees who have all pieces of the scavenger hunt or collected elements.”
Use FOMO to your advantage
No one wants to have FOMO, fear of missing out. Using FOMO to your advantage at your event is one of the best ways to keep people until the very end. Having celebrities and prizes are a great way to utilize FOMO, but consider other hands on experiences to help.
Trish Simitakos, an event planner in Washington, D.C. says that “the best way I have found to keep people through to the end is to create a uniquely fun (and share-worthy) session, moment or activity. Puppy-petting stations popped up in 2019 as a thing, and we can expect to start seeing more petting-zoo-style sessions at conferences this year (think llamas, donkeys, alpacas and kittens). This is a great way to do something off-brand but fun. What animal lover doesn’t want puppy selfies?”
With a little research and preparation you can help entice attendees to stay until the very end of your event. Don’t be afraid to get creative and go big!
For more tips visit http://www.successfulmeetings.com/Strategy/SM-How-To/How-to-Get-Attendees-to-Stay-Until-the-Last-Day-Event-Conference-Meeting/.
