At Overland Park Convention Center, we understand how much work goes into planning a conference. You spend dozens—if not hundreds—of hours making sure that every detail is exactly how you imagined it, finding the right venue, and reaching out to VIPs and speakers.
But when it comes to large-scale events, your biggest priority is convincing guests to show up in the first place. A conference is nothing without guests, and you don’t want all of that hard work to go to waste.
So, how do you ensure that your event is busy and bustling on the day of? If you’re planning your event, then you need to learn how to promote a conference. Conference marketing isn’t always easy, but it’s an excellent way to ensure that you reach as many people as possible.
Why Us?
We hope you’ll consider hosting your conference at OPCC. Over the years, we’ve seen conferences and events of all different shapes and sizes, and we’ve learned a thing or two about how to promote a conference.
Conference marketing can be a difficult and complex task, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed during the process. And if you’ve never marketed a conference before, then you may be unsure of where to begin. That’s why we’ve developed this handy guide for anyone looking for tips or ideas.
At OPCC, we want to be more than a venue—we want to be your event-planning resource. No matter what step of the planning process you need help with, we have the advice you need.
Start as Soon as Possible
When it comes to marketing a conference or any other large-scale event, you need to account for setbacks. Even the best plans will hit a roadblock or two. You can mitigate this problem by starting your marketing process well in advance.
A conference is not something that can be marketed effectively in a week, or even a month. Another benefit of starting the marketing process earlier is that it allows you to experiment with new ideas.
If you have an excellent idea for an ad or a social media campaign, you’ll need time to implement it for the best results. Take your time, and don’t rush.
Develop Your Core Identity
Planners often don’t consider an attendee’s perception of their conference. It can be difficult to place yourself in the mind of an attendee, but you need to consider how an outside party will view your event.
What do you want them to think about your conference? How do you want them to feel about it? Is this supposed to be a fun, relaxed event, or do you want things to feel more serious and professional? Neither is inherently good or bad, but they will inform how you should market your event.
The audience is the most important aspect as you learn how to promote a conference.
Conference Marketing Online
In the modern world, you can’t ignore the power of online marketing. If your business or conference doesn’t have a social media presence, that’s something that should be amended as soon as possible.
As surprising as it may be to the less technologically savvy, social media isn’t just for young people. In fact, a professional, high-quality social media page actually lends a sense of legitimacy to a brand.
And interacting with your followers is a great way to build brand loyalty and awareness. Don’t be afraid to look at the social media pages of other, similar brands. See what works, and see what doesn’t.
Take Out Ads
Some people are unsure about spending money on advertising. But in this day and age, advertising looks a little different. You don’t have to blow a huge portion of your advertising budget on a few cable ads or a billboard on the side of the highway.
You can promote your conference online. Social media has plenty of advertising opportunities, and this allows you to make your brand known to countless people all over the country.
Every single month, over 2 billion people use Instagram alone. Imagine the kind of attendance you could generate if you tapped into even a tiny fraction of those users.
Hear It From the Source
If this isn’t your first time hosting this conference, then it’s not a bad idea to highlight some positive reviews from a past event.
People don’t want to risk wasting their time and money. If you can reassure them that your conference has been a success in previous years, they will feel more comfortable buying a ticket to your event.
The Right Guests
Another reason someone might attend a conference—especially if it’s a conference they’ve never attended before—is because of an interesting speaker.
You may be marketing a new conference without the necessary connections to land a high-profile keynote speaker. That’s okay. You can still market a panel without name recognition.
Don’t just frame your panels as fun novelties. Market them as essential resources to get ahead in your industry. Panels and speakers can provide valuable information and insights to the people in your field. Make sure that any prospective attendees understand the value that your conference can provide.
Consistency Is Key
Consistency is a major part of knowing how to promote a conference. Conference marketing is all about getting as many people aware of your event as possible. So, simply scheduling a few posts in the weeks leading up to your conference isn’t a good idea.
You need to be sure that people are incredibly familiar with the basic details of the event. Where is it? How much does it cost? When do I need to buy tickets? What kind of panels and events can I attend? The answers to all of these questions should be frequently broadcast to your followers.
Anyone who sees your posts or ads is a potential attendee, and you should never forget that.
Add Some Incentives
It’s never a bad idea to incentivize your attendees in a more concrete way. Understanding how to utilize deals and promotions is incredibly important as you learn how to promote a conference.
Conference marketing can be as simple as offering your guests a physical reward for buying a ticket. For instance, you could set up a limited promotion, where the first 250 guests to buy a ticket receive a free t-shirt.
Or maybe you could add a bundle option—if three attendees buy a ticket at the same time, they’ll receive a fourth ticket for half off. All it takes is a small incentive to get your attendees to go the extra mile.
The Right Venue
Another step in marketing a successful conference is to find the right venue. People won’t want to attend a conference at a venue that isn’t up to the task. The Overland Park Convention Center is a fantastic event venue for conferences and events of all sizes.
We’ve been lauded by EXHIBITOR Magazine, which named us the Best Small Convention Center in North America. This industry-leading publication specifically praised us for our commitment to excellent service, consistent upgrades and expansions, convenient location, and accessibility and accommodations.
We want everyone to be able to enjoy their event at OPCC. If you choose us for your conference venue, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by all we have to offer.
Different Amenities
Another reason that you should consider Overland Park Convention Center for your next event is because we have the amenities you need to take your conference to the next level.
For instance, our food and beverage options are top-notch.
Not only do we offer a variety of cuisines and menu options, but our acclaimed chef has decades of experience. He’s even worked at the White House. We also have numerous event spaces, including:
No matter what kind of conference you’re looking to host at OPCC, we have the resources and event spaces you need to elevate your event.
Additional Marketing Resources
Are you still looking for more information about how to promote a conference? Conference marketing takes a lot of time and planning, but fortunately, if you need an event planning resource, you’re in the right place.
If you need help promoting your event, we can get the word out through multiple platforms, like our website and social, for no extra cost!
Our team at OPCC edits a custom blog with all of the information you could ever need to plan and market the perfect conference.
We keep this page updated each and every month, so you never run out of the industry-leading advice that we offer. OPCC is about more than just hosting conferences and events; we want to help you every step of the way.
Schedule Your Event With OPCC
We hope you’ll let us be a part of your conference. At OPCC, we will do everything we can to turn your dream event into a reality.
You can get a preliminary quote with the help of our online planning tool. This custom tool will ask you a few simple questions about your event, and then we’ll send you a personalized quote based on your answers. It’s non-committal and completely free, so try it today.
