Paid events versus free events
I’ve seen some posts circling on LinkedIn talking about delegate turnout and retention on events that have paid tickets versus those that have free tickets. I started to write a comment on one of those posts only to realise that I was writing quite a long comment. So, why not turn it into a blog? Please note the views are my own, and I encourage conversation and discussion on the topic.
I’ve now worked at companies where the business model caters to free tickets, and for those that cater to paid tickets. I don’t particularly think that there’s one right or wrong way. There is definitely a trend that one can see: when someone has paid for a ticket, they will make more of an effort to be there or to pass the ticket on to a colleague/friend to attend. Whereas, when something is free, it is easier to cancel at the last minute and not turn up.
Any event expects a certain amount of drop off rate on event day. This is normal. There has been further talk on these LinkedIn posts about offering free tickets, but including a fee of a small amount so that there’s still an incentive for them to turn up. I’m a little divided on this. I feel like if you’re offering something for free to someone, there shouldn’t be a cost associated with it. I don’t see it as free anymore. However, as an event planner, I can see how if someone with a free ticket chooses not to attend, and it’s a sold-out event, that seat would have been more valuable to someone else. The organisation has to absorb the cost of any expenses associated with that person, for example, in the case of conference catering.
I don’t disagree that the small fee with the free ticket acts as a good incentive for the person to turn up. But here’s where I dig further into the topic. Where is the customer experience here? Each event will have different types of customers, all of whom have different needs. Sponsors are on-site for activation and to sell their products to the attendees. They are also paying big bucks for premium positioning. So, to keep them happy, you definitely need the numbers and the right people in the room. But if you’re offering a free ticket to an attendee with a no-show fee associated with it, because you want to meet the numbers or be able to show better statistics, what is the attendee’s experience with the event? How do you balance delivering on exceptional customer service and experience to the different customers?
I’m not sure if I’ll ever have a definite answer as to whether incorporating fees with no shows on a free ticket is the way to go, but I’m keen to hear your thoughts. Across all types of events that I’ve worked, I’ve seen no shows at all of them, these are specifically free tickets that I’m talking about. Are there other strategies you’ve used to aid with attendance and retention?
Until next time,
Mili
