How to Get Your Attendees to Use Appointment Booking Technology
As the saying goes,
“A tool is only as good as the person using it.”
One of the most popular event technology tools used to increase attendee networking is appointment booking. With this type of technology, attendees have the autonomy to go about networking through their own initiative instead of waiting for networking activities to take place at the event. They now have the ability to network with specific attendees at any time according to their own schedule.
However, even if you provide easy-to-use tools for appointment booking, attendees won’t take full advantage of the technology if they don’t know about it. Here are some practical ways to promote appointment booking to your attendees before and during your event:
Pre-event promotional tactics
- If you send out a Know-Before-You-Go email or marketing campaigns to promote registrations leading up to the start of your event, include a section about the appointment booking feature. Emphasize the benefits they will receive by using the tool for scheduling face-to-face meetings.
- If your event app is accessible on the web, include a link in your email so people can download the app and access the attendee list to start booking appointments.
- Promote the ability to schedule face-to-face meetings through your social channels and other mediums where you are advertising.
- Send push notifications through your event app so that attendees who have already downloaded your app can be reminded to book meetings.
On-site promotional tactics:
- Set up a centralized space like a Help Desk at registration to assist attendees with event app and appointment booking questions, and show them how to download and use the technology
- Make sure there is print and/or digital signage promoting the event app and appointment booking tools, and guiding attendees so they know where to go for help
- Promote the event app and appointment booking tool during the opening remarks or during the keynote sessions. Use this opportunity to:
- Remind attendees about the appointment booking feature.
- Highlight when and where they can book appointments during the event.
- Give a demonstration of how to use the technology.
- Remind attendees to check their event alerts and personalized schedules in the event app to see booked meetings and approve pending invites.
- If your venue has screens for digital signage, create advertisements to promote booking appointments at your event.
- Give attendees reminders by getting speakers to make quick remarks before or after each session.
- Set up a schedule of alerts and notifications promoting appointment bookings with messaging such as .
- When and where attendees can book appointments
- Why should attendees book appointments
- How to book appointments
In the past, achieving event success was focused on getting people to come to an event. Once attendees were at the event, it was out of the organizers’ hands. But this old way of thinking is now obsolete as the event industry continues to focus attention and efforts on attendee networking as a key driver in providing value to attendees. And the easiest way to enable networking is to provide easy-to-use tools like appointment booking. If attendees see the value in your event over your competitors, they’ll be more likely to not only attend but continue to attend for years to come.
For more ideas on how to increase attendee networking at your event, here are a few more resources:
Case Study: Real Property Management Wins the Game at Attendee Networking
The 2 Most Powerful Event App Features for Attendee Networking
Webinar On-Demand: Maximizing Attendee Networking Using Event Gamification