Now What?

What if you had a meeting and no one came?  Ok, so it’s not that bad, but aren’t you worried that the decline in attendance this year may leave your members and customers questioning the value of attending in 2010?

“Do I really need to be away from the office? What did I really miss? Can’t I get most of what I need  from the website, publications, and webinars held each month?”

I hear from meetings and marketing folks that all bets are off this year,“with attendance declines from 5% to 50% what do we have to loose?” Two for one offers, discounts to trade show exhibitors, reduced room rates, and other “deal sweeteners” are common.  But, be careful in the “race to the bottom”.  Discounts are temporary and they erode your value proposition.  While price reductions work, there are other options.  Promoting your meeting by giving potential attendees a chance to sample the content through a Livecasting event can really make a difference —sending video testimonials in an e-mail from the attendees who are coming and providing a “self-scoring quiz” that makes it clear that only at your event can they learn and experience the latest insight and knowledge available in your industry.

What are you doing to drive attendance this year?