Top 10 Strategies To Get Cheecks In The Seats
Here are the top ten strategies to attract people to attend your seminar
Number one, charge your seminar at a moderate level according to the market to get the best of both worlds. It is essential that you test your market wisely; charge too high and you’d drive away people or charge too low and expect a huge chunk of less interested participants and those who most probably won’t buy your product simply because they can’t afford it. Also take note that the more specific your seminar, the higher you can charge.
Number two; rake in the VIPs to your seminar. These people boost your seminar’s profile two-fold. Invite these people to your seminar for free and watch them do their PR. By informing the public of the VIPs that are expected to attend prospects will have even more reason to attend your seminar.
Number three; offer bonuses to participants. Free goodie-bags are a common trend, so why not follow it but ensure you don’t spend too much on one bag. Reward those who register for your seminar early with for example coupons for all sorts of things and free reports.
Number four; offer one-on-one consultation, preferably before the seminar. Though it may sound tiring, prospects will have their questions answered, thus drastically increasing enrollment.
Number five; have a website. A website is a powerful communications tool which you can take advantage of. Having a website enables prospects to find all the info they need in only one location. Make your website interactive and user-friendly. Include free tips about your seminar as well.
Number six; reward volunteers. An unorthodox way of filling up those empty seats is by giving discounts to those who have volunteered in the setting-up of the seminar. Avoid doing this early on though, in case you turn out to have limited seats. Use this strategy as a last resort.
Number seven; take part in free information seminars. Information seminars are seminars where you promote your seminar for free via a presentation for about an hour. This is common among the higher-priced, lengthier, general interest seminars.
Number eight; make your seminar look like a hit. It’s all about advertising. For example, make a note on the ad saying that only the first x people who have registered will be allowed to attend the seminar.
Number nine; wake the public up. This is common where people regard seminars as a waste of time, and it’s your job to prove them wrong. Use aggressive advertising methods which may include questioning and captions on the ads.
Number ten; put early bird registrants on hot seats. Hot seats are an activity where a designated number of attendants are brought up to face the group and share their business problems. The speaker and occasionally the audience then suggest solutions for the problems. Ask participants who have registered early to fill the hot seats.
How To Promote A Event
Promoting your seminar is all about spreading the word. Unless you have the cash you can forget about hitting the local TV stations asking for a spot on their packed schedule to promote your seminar. A diverse range of promotion strategies and methods always makes good publicity.
You can promote your seminar individually or hire a PR (public relations) expert or company. These people do now how to create huge buzz, though they come with a relatively high price. If you decide to hire a PR person, work out a deal that best suits both parties. Pay them based on the success for their promotion, split the revenue from the registration fees, this way you pay your PR person according to their capability.
It is encouraged though that you do your own promotion. This way you can save hundreds of dollars on agents and keep the revenues all to yourself. The easiest way to promote your seminar is by telling your friends and family first. They can spread the word to their other relatives and friends and this creates a chain reaction which equals to buzz. Bring it to the next level by offering discounts or waivers to your friends or relatives.
Advertising your seminar in the newspaper can be costly but the rewards are, well, rewarding. If you have a limited budget a small space on the daily classifieds will do nicely. Use unique captions and pops to catch readers’ attention. Ensure you list all the full details of your seminar including contact numbers.
Pass out flyers in public areas such as train stations and supermarkets as well as nearby neighborhoods through their mailboxes. Design your flyer in a way that those who receive them are not tempted to throwing it straight into the dumpster. Use striking colors and graphics to captivate them.
The World Wide Web has opened a new dimension in advertising. Spreading the word has never been easier with online chat rooms and community columns. Post details of your seminar on forums for free and some websites which actually advertise such events. Create a blog for your seminar to boost its profile.
Joint venture email marketing is arguably the best way to promote seminars nowadays. Look for people who have email lists that you believe would be responsive to your seminar. Then ask the owner of the list to email them about your promotion or simply links to your website promoting your seminar. Do this by searching sites that have a lot of traffic and whose visitors share something in common with your seminar’s theme. Split the revenue from registration fees with them in return for their help to create buzz.
Always try asking for help when trying to promote your seminar. You have to accept that if you want to create a good amount of buzz you are bound to lose a few chunks from revenues. Having said that, it is normal in this business to lose in one area and win in another.
How To NEgotiate The Best Deal With A Hotel
When trying to negotiate the best deal with a hotel for a seminar, the most important element is the ‘man of the house’ or in this case the hotel manager. It is he/she that determines how often the floors should be swept and how his staff should be dressed up. He is the man, and if you’re good he can be your best friend in the negotiation process.
Talk to the manager directly if you really want to fork out the best deal there is. Ignore the marketing executives when negotiating, no mater how badly they insist on taking full control. Show them you mean business.
Try negotiating a deal with the hotel when business is typically slow. This is the time when hotel mangers start to get desperate, especially the inexperienced ones. Take full advantage of this by popping out of the blue with an offer on the table.
Before scheduling an appointment do proper research. Inquire for prices at other similar hotels as well as the target hotel for available packages. Check the hotel’s dealing history; it would be extremely useful if you talked to a company or person who has dealt with the hotel previously. The tips they provide are priceless, which includes key figures you should talk to as well as the do’s and don’ts when dealing with the ‘man’.
When negotiating always remember the small details. Look at the whole picture, from the conference rooms all the way to the catering services. Try to get bargains or discounts when you are negotiating a huge deal, for example, when negotiating for the executive conference room inform them that you will only accept their price statement if only they waive 30 per cent off the catering services.
It is also important to note that the more you pay, the better the deal. Hotel managers would be more accommodating if you held your seminar for a couple of days or more. When they smell business, they get desperate. Holding a seminar for more than one day invariably means that the hotel is bound to receive several more room reservations for the night. Take advantage by pushing them for more waivers, but also act as a customer that is bound to return for more business in the future.
Be sure to evaluate the facilities offered for the seminar. If you find unnecessary equipment like extra microphones or podiums, cancel them off the list. Also, if you find any facilities or equipment which do not live up to your expectations such as dirty toilets or computers which have limited capability demand for a waiver or a free upgrade.
It takes a lot of skills and guts to face the main in charge demanding for the ultimate deal. You’ve got to know the system well, how everything is done and the human characters in the game. Exploit each element in the system and expect a hefty revenue.
Finding The Right Hotel
By finding the right hotel to hold a seminar you are at least guaranteed that prospects will give proper consideration to attending your seminar. Finding the right hotel is simply about hitting the so-called ‘sweet-spot’, which in this case is the right mix and blend of the components according to the seminar’s theme.
It’s all about finding the right balance that best suits your seminar’s theme and thus most importantly, your audience. The basic component in finding the right hotel is accessibility to the hotel. Refrain from choosing hotels that are located far too deep in an area making it hard to find even on a map. You’d also want to avoid choosing hotels located nearby noisy and congested streets which would most definitely delay those attending your seminar.
Instead, choose hotels located nearby popular landmarks, are easily accessible through multiple routes, and are nearby your target audience. This ensures your attendees enjoy a convenient, fast, and smooth journey to the hotel. Remember also to choose a hotel that provides ample parking space for the public. A hotel which is accessible through public transport is also a big plus.
The current status of the hotel is another major factor to take into consideration. Avoid choosing hotels that are perceived as low-end by the public at all costs. For instance, avoid hotels which have low ratings on travel and leisure magazines or those which are relatively unknown or new. This will drive prospects away, nobody wants to waste time in crappy buildings.
You’ll need the big shots to up the ante of your seminar. Rope them in, dazzle them, and reap the rewards. Choose a high class or least a decent hotel. There is simply no-one else you want better to spread the word. Bait a CEO of a major transnational company, and you’ll get the whole package to attend your seminar, his/her employees as well as friends and family. It is the presence of these VIPs that doubles your seminar’s glamour and who knows you might just get some serious funding from them.
Facilities are what everyone talks about when choosing a location to host an event, including seminars. Spacious conference rooms are a must. High-line projectors and latest version computers with sophisticated graphic cards and speakers guarantee an awesome viewing experience. Ensure the toilets are clean, nobody likes conducting business uncomfortably.
How can we go on and on about finding the right hotel without discussing the price? Yes, now we talk money. You can never spend too much on seminars nowadays. As said before, its all about finding the right balance, spending freely on a hotel you randomly picked from the top hotels column rarely guarantees you a well-received seminar. You need to compromise smartly. Cut down on tea breaks or any other unnecessary activities to reduce rental rates. Search out for investors and sponsors to ease you financial burden.
Finding the right hotel is never easy, it requires careful planning. Have back-up plans for worst-case scenarios. When you hit the ‘sweet-spot’, enjoy!