You’ve probably heard the saying, “Don’t judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” It’s a great way to help you stop to consider someone else’s point of view. But have you ever considered the phrase in connection with event planning?
As event managers, it’s sometimes easy to get caught up in all the planning and overseeing of an event and forget about the attendee’s perspective. However, it’s a crucial perspective to consider, and not doing so is one of the major potential pitfalls an event planner can experience.
Considering the attendees’ experience in every step of event planning is vital to creating a positive event experience. Guests don’t see all your behind-the-scenes work, but they do see the final results. If you haven’t considered their perspective when planning, you’ll present a lackluster event that fails to resonate with your audience.
Here are five ways to enhance the attendee experience before, during, and after your event.
#1: Craft an Effective Registration Process
Before your event, your guests’ first interaction with your brand will be during the registration process. You want their registration experience to be seamless, simple, and targeted.
First, you should target your marketing efforts toward your ideal audience. Don’t just promote your event to everyone in the area—that will get a lot of exposure, but it won’t be effective. Instead, study the interests and demographics of your ideal audience members and target your event marketing to them.
Then, focus on your registration form. Think of it from your audience’s perspective: is it quick to fill out? Is the landing page clean and attractive? Is the overall registration process easy?
If you need help crafting your registration form, check out our post on effective questions to include.
#2: Streamline the Check-In Process
Now, it’s time to consider your guests’ in-person experience at your event. They’ve already interacted with you during registration, but their experience at your check-in stations will be their first real impression of your brand. This first impression will affect how they view the rest of your event, so you must get things right.
Your guests don’t want to wait long in lines only to find that their names are spelled wrong on their pre-printed badges. The most simple yet efficient way to eliminate these issues is to streamline the check-in process with on-demand badge printing.
You can use event badge printing software that connects with your check-in kiosks. That way, guests can finish checking in and have their badge printed in seconds. This eliminates the need to wait in line while an employee searches through mounds of pre-printed badges for the right one. Your guests will be through check-in and inside your event in minutes, vastly improving their experience.
#3: Enable Real-Time Updates Accessed by QR Codes
While guests are at your event, they’ll want you to keep them informed at all times. You may need to adjust the schedule or menu at the last minute. If you neglect to make these updates accessible to your guests, they’ll feel annoyed and believe your brand is inconsiderate.
A simple way to ensure your guests have real-time update access is to build an inclusive landing page. Guests don’t want to download a separate app for an event, but offering them a QR code linking to your landing page is an excellent way to improve the attendee experience. To do this, you should find event management software with QR code features.
You can even consider printing a QR code on everyone’s badge so they have round-the-clock access to your landing page, whether in their hotel rooms or between event sessions.
#4: Track Attendance Closely
Nearly all event planners track their event’s overall attendance, but few see the necessity of monitoring each session’s attendance. And even fewer track the drop-off rate of each session.
It’s unfortunate that these event managers miss out on a powerful opportunity to enhance their attendees’ experience as well as their own. Tracking the movement of attendees through a tool like RFID badges for events not only improves event safety by helping you know who’s in the room at all times, but it also helps everyone at the event in several other ways.
When you have an accurate attendance count at every session, you can get a more precise estimate for seating and food and beverage orders. This ensures your guests won’t be forced to sit (or stand) in an overcrowded room or attend a session with too little food.
Tracking the drop-off rates of each session gives you additional insight into your guests’ preferences on session topics and speakers. Understanding their desires helps you craft future events that are more enjoyable for all attendees.
#5: Send Follow-Up Surveys
After your event is over, sending follow-up surveys to your attendees is essential. This may not seem to enhance the attendee experience, but the opposite is true. Not only do they help your guests feel heard, but you can use them as a tool for future events.
There’s no better way to understand the details of your attendees’ experiences than to ask them directly. When you send short but detailed follow-up surveys to your guests, asking them about their experience, you can use their responses to craft an even better event next time and improve the experience of all future attendees.
Remember Other Points of View
Considering your event from your guests’ point of view isn’t just an insightful practice—it’s a necessity for creating events that will resonate with them. By prioritizing their experience from registration to post-event surveys, you can elevate both their experience and your event’s success.
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Considering the attendees’ experience in event planning is crucial for a positive outcome. Guests may not see the behind-the-scenes work, but they notice the results. Failing to take their perspective into account can result in a dull event. Learn five ways to enhance the attendee experience in this infographic.
