Rich Vallaster, Personify’s senior director of industry relations and community engagement, admits he will register for events he’s not sure he will attend. When the day comes, the drive into Washington, DC,. from his Frederick, Md., home may be too much or something timely at work could come up. In either event, he becomes one of the dreaded no-shows.
“I feel guilty,” Vallaster admits.
Not that it makes Vallaster feel better, but he knows he is hardly alone.
Asking potential event attendees to register is hard enough, but it can pale in comparison to ensuring registrants arrive on-site.
The results are much more than sheer nuisance. Event planners need accurate attendee estimates to book room nights, order food and beverage and set up meeting spaces to maximize productivity. When there is a failure to meet expectations, not only can it be a waste of energy but financial penalties (attrition, etc.) and food waste build up.
“The industry is built on these deadlines, yet attendees don’t care,” says Vallaster, who is chair of the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) Council and a member of the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) and American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
Vendelux talked to Vallaster about tips to accurately estimate an event’s head count, encourage registrations and help ensure that those who register actually attend. These are his tried-and-true four steps to help manage event attendance…
1. Make Incentives Worth It
The early bird discount is one of the oldest tricks in the event planner playbook. But it doesn’t work the way it used to. A Maritz study in 2023 found that 45% of attendees registered less than four weeks before the event; more than 25% waited until two weeks prior and another 9% registered on-site. Vallaster theorizes that the $100 or $200 discount offered to sign up early isn’t worth it to attendees who value their scheduling freedom. “It’s hard to adjust that behavior,” he laments. Some suggestions include offering VIP seating or access to an experience at the event—such as a celebrity meet-and-greet or private tour of an attraction—that can’t be replicated elsewhere.
2. Schedule Smartly
One issue event planners are often guilty of is selecting a month or time of an event simply because that’s when it was previously held, Vallaster says. The hesitancy to commit can be construed as a sign that change is needed. For instance, does a daytime meeting in a major city need to start promptly at 9 a.m.? Or would kicking off the agenda after rush hour encourage more locals to attend? Likewise, can a luncheon accomplish the same goals as a happy hour reception, where timing would start to creep into attendees’ personal times?
Also consider whether your attendees include a number of remote or hybrid employees. If so, those individuals likely prefer to maintain their work-from-home status on Mondays and Fridays, Vallaster notes. Instead, keep the agenda toward the middle of the week when they are accustomed to commuting.
3. Make Use of Your Suppliers
If your invitee list is running dry as the deadline approaches, use your suppliers as lead generators. They will almost surely have a list of buyers they are interested in meeting with on-site. Have them supply the event team with contact information—or better yet, ask the vendors to reach out directly to potential attendees, suggests Vallaster. That personal approach may be more effective than a standard email blast. Not only can you drive numbers up for the specific event, but also build the show’s reputation as a place to do business that will boost attendance in future years.
4. Don’t Just Collect Data. Use It.
Tangible results from prior events can serve as a guide for event planners if the information is used effectively. Seemingly small steps can make a big difference. Vallaster says it’s worth implementing artificial intelligence to break out specific data points like zip code to get a better sense of who is likely to attend your event.
Another idea: expand post-event outreach to survey attendees and no-shows to understand what led to their absence. There is one caveat, says Vallaster. “Don’t ask a question you don’t want to know the answer to,” he warns.
