Boosting Attendance at Your Programs

Focus on the Basics

• Topic Selection
  Consider what topics have been offered in your chapter in the past and what topics your membership and area might be interested in. Keep topics fresh and up-to-date. If you use an old topic, consider a new twist on it.
• Speakers
  Make sure your speaker is dynamic, can hold your audience's attention, understands your audience, and knows the topic. Check with others. Also, be careful not to overuse a speaker or speakers.
• Timing
  Make sure you have selected a date and time for your program that is best for your membership and that doesn't conflict with other groups or programs.
• Location
  Locations that are hard to get to, have difficult parking, or are not centrally located may limit your attendance. Provide parking and direction tips on your notices.
• Notices
  Make sure your notices are attention getting, sell the benefits of your program, and make people want to attend. Try color and graphics or interesting formats and paper. Also, make sure you don't send them too early or too late for people to plan to attend. Programs must be sold just like any other product or service.
• Mailing Lists
  A good mailing list is very crucial to good attendance. Make sure your mailing list comprises your current membership, individuals who often attend, those you would like to attend or join, members of your target audience (i.e., young bankers or consumer lenders), and key people at each institution who can get your program announced or discussed (i.e., intranet/internet managers, personnel directors, training managers, senior lenders—include a note asking them to announce the meeting to your target audience).

Other Sales Tips

• Always have people sign in or register for events—add all new attendees to your mailing list.
• Hand-write short notes on notices to key people, asking them personally to attend and to invite others.
• Try different time slots or meeting formats if you aren't achieving your attendance goals.
• Try mailing, faxing, e-mail, newspaper announcements, flyers in employee lounges, etc.
• If an event isn't getting substantial registrations just prior to your deadline, call your board members and other key members in various institutions and see what can be done. You may generate additional attendance or correct problems (like mail that never got delivered).
• Remember that people have limited time—build fun and entertainment in periodically and make sure your topics and programs are worth their time and energy.
• If attendance isn't where you want it to be, be creative, never give up, and keep trying different approaches and different avenues (good food at lunch is always a great draw).