What are the best practices for calendar events?

Anonymous Blackbaud User

Event Success Scenarios

If the event requires an organizing committee team set up a special category and group to help facilitate information in organizing the event.

Use Survey to get input on organizing the event's location, entertainment, food, etc.

Post pictures of last year¿s events on the site using Photo Album.

Post the details of this years event on a page using PageBuilder. Let potential attendees know that making their reservations or ticket purchases online saves on administrative costs.

Create the Event on the calendar with RSVPs and/or ticketing. Include a link to the page with more details about the event.

Consider the information you want to collect from people attending the event. Collect information on dietary restrictions or special access needs. Also, add a question asking for the names of the people attending. This is helpful to use as a will call list. Many times one person will get the tickets for a group that doesn't always arrive all together.

Send out invitations using Event Invitations. Let users know that the organization can spend more time on the mission when signing up for the event online because administrative costs are minimized. Include a message to help make the event successful by forwarding on to friends or colleagues who may be interested in attending. Include a message about any major sponsor, so email metrics can be used to pursue/justify future sponsorships.

Use the Event and Email reports to measure results. Understanding what drives success is important for future events.

Make sure direct mail response card includes a space for email address and information regarding online tickets/RSVPs.

Configure your administrative homepage to include Event Reports to make it easy to keep track of results.,

As the details of the event are determined add more details to the site with PageBuilder

Be sure to have a map to the location.

When an agenda or speakers are known, add them to the site

As the event approaches sell out, add this information to a page using page builder

If you're able to use the data from people RSVP'ing or buying tickets for the event, announce the results and their effect on the event.

Include information about sponsors on the page, with a clickable link so sponsors can see how many click-throughs they get from your site.

When the time to RSVP or buy tickets nears to a close send out an Email Marketing reminder. Encourage the people to forward to others who may want to buy tickets to the event.

A few days before the event send a reminder to everyone who bought an online ticket to remind them of the event and ask them to forward on the email to friends or colleagues who may be interested in attending.

After the event post pictures of the event using Photo Album. Use Email Marketing to notify attendees that pictures are now available on the web site. Thank them for attending.

Create a Survey to get feedback from those who attended. Using a scheduled Email Marketing message you can set up the survey and email ahead of time and have the email in attendees' inboxes the next morning.

When you start selling tickets for next years event, send a special invitation to those who attended this years event. Use your Photo Album of this year's event to promote next year's event.