Communication Tools

Your event communication strategy should not only include a detailed timeline, but a plan for the types of communication tools that will be utilized throughout the show cycle. Here is a list of some key tools to communicate with your attendees:  

Websites

It is important to dedicate a prominent page on your organization’s website for your upcoming events and to keep it as up-to-date as possible. Your website is a great source for attendees to learn more about your event and it should include detailed information around what, where, when and how. For a larger annual or public event, you may want to consider having a dedicated website for your specific event. If you are interested in capturing attendees that want to hear more about your event or subscribe to your organization’s newsletter, you may also consider creating an inquiry site to capture leads. When you are ready to launch registration, ensure the registration link stands out on your event site so attendees can easily access and register for your event.

Email Marketing

Email is a great communication tool to personalize and get the word out fast. Remember to make your subject lines enticing to intrigue attendees to open and click through the email.  It is important to have an email system that allows you to monitor and measure your conversions.

Mobile Apps

Event apps are more popular than ever, and today you’ll find more events that have an app than do not. Apps are more than just a tool to provide attendees with an event schedule, they are a vital part of the overall communication outreach to attendees. The majority of mobile apps will provide a type of attendee networking feature that allows attendees to connect and communicate during and post event. You will also see many apps offer an activity feed which provides both show organizers and attendees a way to communicate live updates throughout the event. In addition, the best way to get communication out on the fly is by distributing push notifications for event changes, updates or important announcements.

Social Media

Social media is everywhere today. Make sure to incorporate your hashtags and handles throughout all of your websites including registration. It is also important to provide your attendees with a way to promote your event by being able to outreach to other attendees through social media channels. Integrating social media throughout your websites provides your attendees the ability to contribute to the social media buzz.

Unique Communication Options

In addition to some of the more common tools listed above, there are some more unique options available such as creating videos and webinars to promote and educate your attendees about the event. Another unique strategy is the use of cookies to follow users during their website journey and creating advertisements to promote your event.