Sending reminders to increase attendance at your event

A reminder is an email sent only to invitees who have not yet responded to the invitation or who have registered but still need a final confirmation, with the aim of increasing attendance.

The invitation has been sent and the first registrations are coming in. Then things go quiet, while your venue is not yet full. This is where the reminder does its job. Not as a general mailing, but targeted at the people who have not yet responded. Activo has been managing this process for business events and conferences since 1997.

A reminder only works if it is selective

A reminder that also reaches registered participants does more harm than good. These people have already responded and may get the impression that no one is keeping track of who is doing what. When the registration process is linked, you send the reminder only to invitees who have not responded.

That distinction comes from the participant overview: registered, declined or no response yet. Because the invitation is linked to online registration, that status is always up to date and you do not have to compare lists manually.

The three moments that matter in practice

Most business events work well with three contact moments after the invitation. More is usually unnecessary and can often have the opposite effect.

• The reminder: sent to everyone who has not yet responded, approximately halfway through the registration period
• The final reminder: shortly before registration closes, again only to non-responders
• The final call: shortly before the event day, sent to all registered participants, with practical information and the e-ticket

This final mailing is not a reminder to register, but a practical reminder with the time, location and the e-ticket with QR code. This email in particular helps prevent no-shows from people who simply forgot about the event.

What a reminder should and should not do

Keep the tone calm. A reminder is a service, not a push. Briefly repeat what the event is about, mention the date and include one clear link to the event website. Anyone who does not want to register should be able to unsubscribe just as easily; that also provides you with valuable information.

Make sure cancellations are recorded just as carefully as registrations. Otherwise, you will continue contacting people who have already decided not to attend. This point also comes up regularly in the article about avoiding mistakes in event registration.

Measuring what the reminder delivers

After each mailing, you can see how many additional registrations have come in. This tells you which timing generates the best results at your next event and how your invitee database responds. For recurring events, you build a better picture with every edition.

This insight is also useful when reporting to your internal stakeholder. Instead of relying on a feeling about attendance, you can show which part of the database responded and when.

Frequently asked questions about event reminders