If you’ve never planned an event before it’s easy to make mistakes, but there are a number of more experienced organisers who still get things wrong.

Whether that’s missing out on opportunities to grow their customer base or not providing the best guest experience, correcting these simple errors or oversights can make their events much more successful.

1. Forgetting to include CTAs in marketing materials

Getting a prospective event attendee to open a marketing email or visit your website is only the first step. It’s really important to guide your audience through the ticket-buying journey using effective calls-to-action (CTAs).

If you don’t create enough interest to get them to act they are likely to drop off. Maybe they think they’ll come back later but they probably won’t. There’s no time like the present and you want them to commit now, so be sure to include compelling CTAs every step of the way.

Savvy event organisers incentivise immediate sign-up by offering exclusive benefits e.g. “Buy your ticket now and get 10% off” or create a FOMO (that’s a fear of missing out) by letting them know exactly what they’ll be missing out on if they don’t attend.

Related: How to build ‘FOMO’ for your events

2. Don’t collect attendee data

When attendees register for your event you have a golden opportunity to collect useful information about them. From asking how they heard about your event, through to details about their lifestyle and personal interests, all this data can greatly assist your future marketing efforts. After all, the better you know your customer, the better you understand how to approach them.

It’s not difficult to collect this data; Eventbrite allows you to request any information you want by creating custom questions for attendees to answer when they register. Find out how here.

Related: How to grow your event email list in 5 easy steps

3. Don’t provide sufficient practical information

Sometimes organisers get so caught up in the exciting content of the event they forget to mention the very important practical stuff.

Don’t make it difficult for your attendee to find out where they can collect their ticket, how they will get to the venue, if they’ll be able to find somewhere to park, and what time things start and finish etc.

You should also make it easy for them to contact you with any further questions they may have.

4. Don’t think about disabled access

When you’re able-bodied it’s easy to forget about the needs of those less fortunate. There are thousands of disabled people who would love to be able to attend events – and they could, if only organisers made a few simple provisions.

Think about accessibility when choosing your venue, leave space for wheelchairs and scooters when setting up rooms, install some ramps and an induction loop facility for hearing aid users. All of these things can be done at little cost but make a big difference.

Related: 10 Ways to make your event more accessible

5. Over or under estimate numbers

It takes experience to know how many people are likely to attend your event, but you can mitigate any associated problems by choosing a flexible venue that can be scaled up or down.

It doesn’t look great when you get fewer attendees than expected and they’re milling about in a giant hall, like peas in a drum. Use a modular space and you can add walls to make things cosier.

On the other hand, you should know the maximum number your venue can accommodate and not exceed this in ticket sales. There really is no excuse for uncomfortable (or dangerous) crowding or long queues for facilities.

6. Choose the wrong layout

Many times I have attended events where the focus is on a keynote speaker stood on a stage at one end of the room, but the tables are arranged in banquet style.

A banquet style set up features round tables with chairs placed all the way round and means some attendees must sit with their backs to the stage. To see the speaker they must either uncomfortably crane their necks or turn their chairs around, which can feel like a rude thing to do.

Another room set-up ‘crime’ is failing to provide sufficient poseur tables for stand-up buffets. There’s nothing worse than trying to balance a plate of food and full glass, whilst carrying a bag and trying to eat!

Related: How to get your event room layout right

7. Not testing AV set-up

Again, this is something I have experienced first hand on many occasions. Of course, sometimes malfunctions are unavoidable but it often appears that basic checks haven’t been carried out.

Just because I’m sat at the back of the room, I still expect to be able to hear the speaker clearly and to be able to see the presentation. In a big space, it’s a good idea to place TV screens throughout – and don’t forget to check any presentations for tiny unreadable text!

8. Cut the wrong corners

Good event organisers budget hard, but there are certain places money shouldn’t be scrimped. Need to hire toilets? Ensure you have enough to meet demand! Laying out some food? Make sure there’s more than one or two canapés per head.

If your event experience comes across cheap, attendees won’t want to pay the ticket price next time.

Related: 5 Ways to cut the cost of your next event

9. Don’t exploit opportunities for publicity

Hosting an event is an excellent chance to attract publicity, but it’s surprising the amount of organisers who don’t undertake a few simple steps to alert the media.

Issue a press release for local and industry press, make speakers available for interview, invite journalists to come along for free or stage a photocall. Don’t forget to arrange for your own professional photographs to be taken as journos hate receiving poor quality or low-res images!

Related: 7 Ways to build more PR buzz for your event

10. Don’t curate content

Organisers can make their events work so much harder for them by harvesting content to use across their other marketing channels.

Film sessions, record interviews, take photographs, ask for delegate testimonials and capture social media chatter with a hashtag.

By failing to collect content from your event you are missing out on an easy way to populate your blog and social media channels and make additional revenue by charging people who didn’t attend for access to content.

Related: How to curate your event’s content like a pro

 Conclusion

Overall, event organisers do a great job, but a few tweaks can often make their events even better.

Making sure you don’t get these simple things wrong will make your events both more enjoyable and more profitable.