Seven Ways to Increase Event Attendance RIGHT NOW with a Fully-automated System:

1. Send email invitations in addition to snail mail.
Due to the costs and hassles of mail, increasing invitation frequency is not economical. With broadcast email you can schedule perfectly timed invitations to go out in sequence. Giving you more opportunity to attract registrants. An automated system automatically emails your registrants whenever you want it to.

2. Receive commitments quickly.
No licking envelopes or searching for stamps is required by your potential registrants when you include a direct link to your registration form from your email invitation.

3. Automatically notify people who abandon registration.
Ever wonder how many people start their registration but don't follow through? Well, with an automated system, you can not only be notified when this happens, but create an email that automatically gets sent to them when they abandon the process, recapturing 20-25% of these fence-sitters directly from the email.

4. Communicate with people who haven’t RSVP’d.
Some people need several prompts or reminders of an upcoming event before they finally register. Schedule subsequent invitations to go out automatically and on the days you select to those on your list that have not yet registered.

5. Automate confirmation emails to increase ‘word-of-mouth’ advertising.
Statistics show that you can increase your word-of-mouth registration by including a "Refer-a-Friend" link in your confirmation emails. You can even give them suggested verbiage to send on about your event right in the body of the email. Automated systems make it easy to get referrals, giving you additional registrants.

6. Decrease no-shows with reminder emails.
We have heard of event planners that see a 90% attendance rate after sending a reminder email when their previous no show rate was as high as 35%. An automatically generated reminder email is a great place to send final event details to your attendees.

7. Keep registrants informed with automatic wait list emails.
A wait list without coordination headaches is possible in a system with automated wait listing. When a spot opens up, an email is automatically sent to the next person on the waiting list. They can confirm and pay, or decline and the process will repeat – automatically – effortlessly keeping your event at capacity.

With a fully-integrated online registration system, you can get an easy to use broadcast email system that will increase your sign ups by 25% or more.

Incentive travel is an wonderful way for a company to not only show top-performing employees their appreciation, but to provide them with the motivation they need to continue to be at the top of their game. When organizations are considering planning incentive travel, there are numerous destinations from which to choose. Whether the destination is close to home or across the ocean, it is important that the travel incentive spark the interest of the organization's employees. If employees are not interested in the travel itinerary or destination, the motivational aspect of the trip will be moot and productivity may be stifled. Increasing productivity is an important factor.

While these land venues such as hotels and resorts can be quite interesting and are often located in desirable cities, employees may not find these types of meeting venues as attractive as other types of incentive travel. One type of incentive travel that is becoming popular is incentive cruises. An incentive cruise allows organizations to hold meetings at sea while treating their employees to tropical, exotic, and far away destinations. Incentive cruises provide employees with a serene setting to think outside the box which can lead to increased productivity. Increased productivity and paradise? It can happen with an incentive cruise.

Oftentimes, businesses overlook the small things when trying to determine what type of incentives will work best with their employees. For meetings that do not require travel to some exotic destination or if a budget simply will now allow travel at the present time, there are other ways to reward employees and express appreciation. One of the most overlooked ways in which to show employees how much their work is appreciated and to provide motivation for continued dedication is food. Businesses that select food as one of their incentives need to ensure they plan the incentive meals properly.

Providing food as an incentive or reward can keep a business' costs low if planned properly. While catering is ideal if a business' budget permits, the business can purchase and serve the food themselves. Businesses may want to plan to serve either breakfast or lunch to employees before or after a meeting. Breakfast foods such as juice, coffee, muffins, doughnuts, and bagels are staples. A business could have a lunch delivered, such as hot sandwiches or pizza, and give employees the opportunity to relax while having lunch. Incentives do not always have to be grand gestures or expensive trips. Sometimes the small things can say thanks in a significant way.

When companies choose a hotel or resort located in an urban area for their incentive travel, there are a variety of places for travel participants to dine, shop, and be entertained. However, the logistics of getting everyone to the locations they desire to be can be quite hectic and expensive. Travel participants may not take full advantage of the incentive travel simple because traveling between locations is simply too perplexing. When companies choose an incentive cruise for their employees, these problems can be avoided. Because shopping, dining, and entertainment is all located on the ship, many of the logistical nightmares associated with land venues can be circumvented.

On board a ship charter, there a number of dining, shopping, and entertainment options. From gourmet to buffet, participants can enjoy a variety of delicious cuisines. Cruise ships even offer pizza on a 24/7 basis. In addition to numerous types of palatable fare, a ship charter offers exceptional shopping adventures. Items found on most cruise ships include things such as clothing and apparel, jewelery and watches, perfumes, and even candy. If cruise event participants think that dining and shopping opportunities are infinite, they will be equally impressed with the number of entertainment options available on-board the ship charter.

When companies contact a meeting planner to assist them with incentive travel, there are several things that the meeting planner must know to ensure a successful trip. Many times, the company has not even considered some of the most basic elements that the meeting planner needs to plan incentive travel. In order to plan an incentive program that will right for the company, the company and the meeting planner need to know the ultimate goals of the incentive travel as well as the company budget. Companies usually have an idea of their budget, but concrete goals are sometimes lacking. Knowing these goals will be essential to incentive travel planning. Once these crucial details are determined, a meeting planner can begin designing and preparing an incentive travel itinerary.

After goals and budget have been established, a meeting planner will make a recommendation regarding the location of the event. Once the location has been approved and confirmed, a meeting planner will be responsible for negotiating a competitive travel package for the company. When a satisfactory package has been secured, a meeting planner will then begin planning events based on the company's incentive travel goals. A meeting planner will assist the company in facilitating all aspects of the trip.

Incentive travel can be quite successful for companies if it is used and planned responsibly. One of the greatest misconceptions about incentive travel is that it is used to reward “good” work. Fortunately, most competent and conscientious adults do not require incentives to simply do their job and do it well. Incentives, if used properly, can induce more than good work in employees. It can actually foster new behavior, which can help a company rise above and beyond their current levels of productivity. Of course, travel incentives must be something in which employees will be interested, and that is why companies should consider cruise events as travel incentives.

A ship charter can provide a completely different environment that may be conducive to creative thinking. Instead of mulling over old ideas and rehashing failed plans, an incentive cruise may be just what employees need to get a fresh perspective. A fresh perspective can lead to the new behavior that companies need and cherish. Meetings at sea could open a world of possibilities as employees explore exotic destinations and escape the daily grind. Seeing the world with new eyes on an incentive cruise, employees may gain a sense of understanding they did not have beforehand.

If a business or organization typically plans incentive meetings within the same city in which the business is located or only a few hours a way, employees will probably not be as motivated to earn a spot on these trips. Even meeting venues in cities that are on the opposite coast of the U.S. may not be the enticing motivator businesses hope they will be. While some employees will be intrigued by travel within the states, many ambitious, top-rated employees have their sights set beyond the U.S. The types of employees that will most likely be the top producers in a company typically have dreams of faraway destinations.

While traveling to distant lands can be expensive, there is a way that businesses can offer this travel without overburdening their budget. An incentive cruise is an excellent way to offer this international travel to deserving employees. While incentive cruising, businesses can hold productive and profitable meetings at sea while allowing employees the opportunity to travel the world. A ship charter is often less expensive than land venues, and an incentive cruise helps employees to network and build relationships. A ship charter to a distant land could be the thing a business needs to highly motivate capable, competent, and talented employees.

When companies desire to plan incentive travel for top-performing employees, they often choose meeting venues such as hotels and resorts. While there are many benefits that hotels and resorts can offer, these meeting venues often come with a hefty price tag. For budget conscious companies, this presents a real dilemma. They have to figure out how to reward employees without burdening their budget. Instead of choosing more traditional meeting venues, consider an incentive cruise. An incentive cruise can be more affordable than a hotel or resort because of their all-inclusive amenities. From accommodations to entertainment, everything is included in a ship charter

All-inclusive amenities offered with a cruise event include things such as ocean view suites with butler services and complimentary beverages. Incentive cruises also offer participants a wide variety of dining venues with gourmet cuisine, complimentary transportation, and in-suite dining is complimentary as well. Entertainment and recreational activities such as fitness classes are also complimentary. Compared to land venues, businesses can save as much as 40 percent with meetings at sea. An incentive cruise can be easy on a business' incentive travel budgeting program. When businesses desire to save money, choosing a cruise event with all-inclusive amenities may be the answer for which they have been searching.

If you have seen one hotel, you have practically seen them all. While hotels can be quite beautiful and offer fine dining experiences, there is nothing all that unique about staying in a hotel. For this reason, employees may not be genuinely motivated by incentive travel if the destination is a hotel in a large city. However, a floating hotel is a different thing altogether. Instead of choosing a land venue for a business meeting, consider holding the meeting on a cruise ship. The cruise ship or floating hotel is an excellent venue for meetings at sea and can offer choice business amenities and services.

A ship charter can offer companies and organizations significant savings and provide employees with a break from the everyday norm. Individuals can choose to stay in a hotel room any time they like; however, staying aboard a cruise ship is not an every occurrence. A group cruise planner can make an incentive cruise easy and affordable for a business. A cruise meeting on a floating hotel may be just the things employees need to experience a burst of creativity and innovation. Inspired by majestic, beautiful, natural surroundings, a cruise event on a floating hotel can be profitable for everyone involved.

Life is all about relationships, and business can be too. Meeting and/or event planners can use this piece of knowledge to their advantage once they have recognized and fully accepted it. Contacts are often the difference between a successful event or off-site meeting and something that turns out to be less than stellar. Here are some basic tips to consider:

Make friends everywhere you go, especially at venues, restaurants, and catering services. Even the lowliest dish washer or clerk might be remember you if you are friendly, and could let you know when an opportunity is ripe for the plucking. Perhaps the restaurant or hotel is not doing so well, and that information could be leveraged to save expenses at a particularly good venue.

Keep in touch with those people that you do meet, and remember to invite them to events whenever appropriate. Even a night out at the bar once a month or so is typically enough to keep contacts friendly and willing to let knowledge slip out that may prove useful in certain cases. Keep in touch in other ways too, such as phone calls and e-mails.

Find the best scheduling program you can and learn how to use it effectively for social networking. If calls to contacts and meetings are not on one’s schedule, then something is missing.