How to Reduce Seminar No-Shows
Tired of Seminar Attendees Registering For Your Event … and Then Not Showing Up? Here’s Why They Skip Your Seminar … and 4 Ways to Get Them to Your Event
By Jenny Hamby, the Seminar Marketing Pro™
Certified Guerrilla Marketer and Direct-Response Copywriter
Are seminar no-shows a problem with your events?
If so, you’re not alone. Depending on the type of event you’re offering, you might find that your no-show rate is as high as 75 percent.
It’s demoralizing, expensive … and worse of all, means you aren’t getting in front of the people who need to hear what you’re here to share.
If you’re like most promoters, two questions race through your mind when you consider your seminar no-show rate:
- “What went wrong?”
- More importantly … “How do I get people to show up?”
To gain some perspective on the first question, put yourself in your prospect’s shoes.
You’ve been putting out fires all day at the office. At 5 minutes to 5 p.m., the boss drops off a report that’s due by tomorrow afternoon. Then your spouse calls to see if you’ll make a quick stop at the grocery store, which reminds you that your anniversary is the next day.
By this point, you’ve either forgotten the seminar altogether … or the idea of skipping in favor of vegging on the sofa all evening grows mighty appealing.
No-shows tend to be the biggest problem with free seminars and webinars, simply because registrants have little invested beyond the few minutes it took to sign up. Here are 4 ways to boost your attendance:
Tip #1: Send Multiple Reminders
Send a few email reminders in the days leading up to your seminar. Call registrants the day, or even a few hours, before your seminar. Also, test using a text reminder. All of these touches help to minimize the chances that your attendees will flat-out forget about your event.
Tip #2: Reinforce the Benefits of Attending
Tip #3: Bribe Seminar Registrants to Attend
Tip #4: Charge a Litte
If people know that they’ll lose money by not attending, they’ll be less likely to skip. Instead of offering a free workshop, consider charging $10 to hold a seat and refunding the fee at the door.
You’ll never completely eliminate the no-show problem – especially when promoting free or low-cost seminars. However, you can take steps to entice more registrants to follow through on their commitment to attend.
