Despite the rapidly proliferating event software industry, attendee retention remains a pressing challenge that has not yet received due attention. As competition grows among tech giants each day, understanding the reasons behind and leveraging the right technology becomes crucial to drive event success. Here, we explore the reasons behind this unfavorable trend and examine how event tech solutions can help organizers overcome declining retention rates.
Understanding Event Technology
Event technology, commonly called event tech, is a comprehensive software system designed to streamline the planning, marketing, management, and execution of events without the need for multiple tools and resources. Whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid the events, they are built to facilitate them while holistically encompassing every event formality such as registration, website building, ticketing, attendee app, session management, analytics, etc.
The primary role of these software solutions is to simplify the logistical tasks and amplify the attendee experience without losing focus on other crucial aspects such as efficient communication, real-time data collection, and advanced analytics. With advanced features like AI-based networking, user-based personalization, automated campaigning, and post-event targeting, event tech becomes essential for organizers to ensure successful outcomes and enhanced attendee experience.
What Makes Attendee Retention Decline?
Unaddressed Expectations
One key reason is the lack of value that matches their expectations. Generally, these are reflected in two key factors which are also the motives for attendees to attend an event:
- how informational an event is
- the networking opportunities it offers
Meeting these two crucial expectations can help you overcome a great deal of worry usually related to falling retention rates.
Depersonalized Information
As Artificial Intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into almost all spheres of everyday life, receiving personalized services and content has become a thing taken for granted. Events should then be no exception, provided the right technology is adopted. This is where some of the latest event tech companies that harness advanced AI are miles ahead of the traditional players despite their very recent introduction into the market.
Disconnected Personalization
If not balanced, personalization without a sense of engagement and belongingness can convey a negative experience. The feeling of passivity that follows would irrevocably deteriorate your event’s overall experience leaving no reason for an attendee to think about coming back again. This is why activities that lead to community-building and meaningful connections are integral to an event’s success.
Delimiting Experience
Most often events have nothing to offer beyond the event day. Without adequate follow-ups, attendees are left feeling disconnected without any sense of continuation. Overcoming this feeling is crucial for an event’s further success. Having nothing to look forward to eventually diminishes the attendee’s anticipation regarding upcoming events, resulting in a decreased attendee churn rate.
How Is Event Tech the Solution?
Personalized Experience
A primary function of event technology is to personalize the event experience to the interests and preferences of the attendees. By combining advanced AI with various communication tools, they can deliver values that are unique to each attendee, whether it be informational, networking-related, or at the level of marketing. With the right event tech, event organizers can now channel and tune their event promotion, event experience, and post-event community collaborations to the preferences of their attendees based on demographics such as age, gender, industry, and so on.
Post-Event Engagements and Targeting
A key area that determines attendee retention rates is post-event engagement. While this is a limited possibility for traditional event management, it remains a crucial area for innovation to event software. Harnessing advanced technical tools, this area is now robust with features and activities such as:
- Discussions and forums that lapse into post-session scenarios
- Community building and networking through the attendee app
- Content re-delivery that allows attendees to re-experience the event
- Customizable CRM channels that allow event organizers to exclusively target previous attendees
Event platforms can now easily transform events into lasting experiences, maintaining a sense of continuation and eagerness which is crucial in fostering positive responses for further events.
Event Branding
With event technology, events are no longer an entry-exit phenomenon. Rather, every event is a promise of opportunities and memorable experiences that are unique to its name.
Whether it is branding, marketing, or services, the professional outlook event techs offer is intended to transform your event from one among the many into an established name that is unique for its content, industry, and marketing opportunities. Features such as website builder, email and WhatsApp campaigning, and custom advocacy posters serve to make your event not just an event, but an enterprise that stands for the unique values it holds.
Follow-Ups and Sales
The unique experiences aside, sales and services influence attendee retention and loyalty building to a large extent. With countless events vying for attention, an easy way to boost marketing conversion is to provide ticketing promo codes with special incentives for returning attendees.
In the service sector, event software has automated follow-up email systems that help you understand the overall attendee experience and note down the aspects that require improvement for the next event.
Take Your Events A Step Further Now!
Going forward, addressing the declining retention rate is crucial for the success of events. While the challenges are many, leveraging the right technology can help you overcome them without expending unnecessary resources. Partnering with an event tech company and embracing their technical strategies is an investment that will serve in your future events.
