How to Continue Attendee Engagement After Your Event Ends
Hosting a successful event is about more than great snacks and even better entertainment. Guests should want to keep up with your company even after the gathering ends. Post-event engagement sets professional party planners apart from enthusiasts. Here are a few strategies to remember when strategizing marketing ideas after a conference.
1. Email Post-Event Surveys
Feedback is crucial for growth. Even the best party planners need to hear how guests received their last event to make the next one even better. While some people might feel comfortable enough to do so in person, many others are more inclined to answer anonymous surveys.
Planners and brand managers should send post-event surveys to all attendees. Ask about their thoughts regarding vital factors like:
- Atmosphere
- Ease of finding the venue
- Entertainment
- Food
- Instructional lessons, if it was a training event
Even if only a handful of people respond, the feedback lays the groundwork for actionable next steps. You can tailor your future plans to what worked best or what didn’t work at all.
2. Market Social Media Handles
Event planners and their clients should always market their social media handles before, during and after big gatherings. If the guests are going to keep up with the company and future events, they’ll need to know where to find their hosts.
Helpful supplies like branded decor and signage make a significant difference. Planners can also send specific emails to anyone on the RSVP list, reminding them where to follow their hosts.
3. Give Merch Away
The most recent data shows businesses investing $21.1 billion in branded merchandise, which benefits each company in various ways. Smaller merchandise is easy to give away. When an event ends, give each guest a goodie bag. Branded koozies, pens or notebooks with some snacks will ensure the guests don’t forget the brand that hosted the event.
4. Host Follow Contests
Follow contests help brands increase their digital audience while promising their followers something in return. Event planners can start one of these contests before or after a gathering.
Encourage everyone to follow the event company or brand hosting the night. If each new follower tags a friend under the contest announcement post, their profile handle becomes part of a drawing. On a specific date that ends the contest, the marketing team announces a winner from the followers who successfully participated in the contest rules.
Prizes could range from free merchandise to a gift card. The point is to get people talking about the event and watching the brand. It maximizes online engagement while making the party more exciting to attend.
5. Include Emails on Sign-In Sheets
Sign-in sheets are helpful whether they’re digital or on printed paper. As attendees arrive for their gathering, they should add their name and email to the sign-in document. Event planners use the collected emails to send follow-up surveys and more.
The brands at the center of each event could also collect the email addresses for updates, flash sales, brand news and whatever else their consumers should know.
Future emails could include follow-up statistics on topics mentioned at the event. A newsletter might have a headline further detailing how retreats reduce employee burnout, which ultimately decreases a company’s productivity. It would bring the presentation back to the attendee’s mind without the work of hosting a second event.
6. Provide Post-Event Discount Codes
Coupons are another part of continuing attendee engagement after your event. Offer attendees exclusive discounts on company products or services. It’s a nice way to thank them for coming and boost the likelihood of secondary sales inspired by the gathering.
Event planning brands can also send discount codes for hosting future parties with them. Although some employees won’t need to host events for themselves, they may spread word-of-mouth marketing to friends and family who own small businesses.
7. Promote the Finished Event
A successful event doesn’t have to end the following day. Take pictures and videos from the gathering to use as promotional material. A local TV commercial might cost between $5-$10 for 1,000 views whereas national commercials are more costly.
Local businesses may engage with the same event planning company as their competitors to one-up their marketing promo. It also attracts non-competitors who may have not heard of the party planning company.
Promo material is also excellent for company newsletters, social media posts and digital ads. It engages people who couldn’t make the event while sharing takeaways and the most exciting parts of the gathering. Anticipation will build for the next conference before anyone even announces it.
8. Post on Multiple Platforms
Pew Research recently found seven in 10 Americans are on social media. While the age demographics differ by each platform, that’s to each brand’s advantage. Party planners and companies can post their event content on multiple platforms to engage a wider audience. People who may not have attended could still see content from posts like:
- YouTube vlogs
- Quick TikTok interviews with event guests
- Takeaway essays on LinkedIn
- Instagram infographics
- Facebook polls
It’s an essential way to amplify engagement in a digital world. Utilize related hashtags to reach people who aren’t following you as well. If the posts align well with significant social media trends, both parties benefit from an increased follower count.
9. Mail Thank-You Notes
There’s something extra noteworthy about physical thank-you cards. People may assume they’ll get an email from an event planning company, but handwritten thank-you cards add a touching human element to the expected virtual interactions.
Consider writing small thank-you notes with business cards inside. Each attendee could receive it in the mail to continue their engagement. They may also appreciate a letter containing an exclusive discount code. It’s a thoughtful way to thank them for their time.
10. Encourage User-Generated Content
Followers aren’t just a pair of eyes on every announcement post. They are also opportunities for user-generated content. Post about the event during and afterward. Each caption is a chance to ask followers to chime in through the comments section.
Engaging with users is another way to keep people in touch with the brand or event planning company. Like the posts tagging the vent so they show up on your profile. You could also repost other users’ pictures on platforms that allow reposting. Interacting with people in this way fills your followers’ feeds. You’ll showcase activity from satisfied attendees so future events are even bigger.
Boost Post-Event Attendee Engagement
Post-event engagement strategies are easy to implement. Consider your goals, like increasing your follower count, advertising your success or exclusively interacting with attendees. Putting these ideas into action will generate greater success after any event.
The author Cora Gold is an event and wedding writer and editor of Revivalist magazine. Connect with Cora on LinkedIn and X.
About the Author / Ana Almeida
