Nearly every industry on Earth holds conferences.
Putting on a conference requires more than just stellar event-planning skills. Promotion--that is, marketing the conference to inspire people to attend--is a vital part of the event plan and the budget. Whether your conference is big or small, geared toward outdoor retailers or preschool teachers, shape your promotional efforts by zeroing in on the needs and wants of your target market.
Top 10 Reasons
Put out print advertisements (and online promotions too) headlined "Top 10 Reasons to Attend Conference Name 2011." Below the headline, list 10 solid reasons people should consider attending. Use humor if appropriate. If you get stuck thinking of 10 reasons to attend the conference, brainstorm a list of tangible and intangible benefits that attendees will receive, such as networking opportunities, continuing education credits and entertainment and insights from a top-rated speaker. Work with a professional copywriter to make sure that the ad copy is as tight and engaging as possible. Look at other conferences' promotional materials for inspiration.
Desk Calendar
A planner or wall calendar would work too.
Target people who are highly likely to attend the conference, such as those who have attended similar conferences, for this costly but innovative promotion. Produce custom desk calendars with all the features of regular calendars--listing holidays and full moons--as well as bonus features suitable for people in your industry. These bonus features can include the dates that new issues of a trade magazine are released, reminders about renewing membership in an industry association and, of course, prominent reminders to register for the conference.
Water Bottle
Avoid cheap plastic bottles, as they leave a poor impression.
For a useful, planet-friendly promotion, have stainless-steel water bottles made with a visually pleasing logo and the name and date of the conference stamped on them. People will carry and use them often, which will keep the conference in their minds and also serve as an advertisement for anyone who sees the bottle. This would make a thoughtful (and strategic) thank-you gift for people who attended the conference in past years.
