Event Promotion and Marketing

Empty Seats Are Expensive

🔄 Remember the vendor management systems from the previous lesson? Your vendors are locked in, your budget is set, and your timeline is running. Now you need people to actually show up.

An event with empty seats is a failed event, regardless of how well everything else was planned. Promotion isn’t just about sending invitations. It’s about creating a multi-touchpoint campaign that builds awareness, generates excitement, and converts interest into confirmed attendance.

AI is exceptionally good at this because content creation across multiple channels is exactly what it was built for.

The Promotional Timeline

Promotion follows a rhythm that intensifies as the event approaches:

Building Your Promotional Strategy

Start with this comprehensive prompt:

“Create a multi-channel promotional plan for a [event type] on [date] with [number] target attendees. The audience is [describe audience]. Budget for promotion is [amount or ‘minimal’]. Include email sequences, social media content calendar, and other channels appropriate for this audience. Start from [weeks out] and build to the event date.”

Channel Strategy

Email Marketing

Email remains the highest-converting channel for events. But most event emails are forgettable.

Email sequence:

1. Save the Date (8-12 weeks out): Short, visual, one clear call-to-action
2. Full Invitation (6-8 weeks out): Details, value proposition, registration link
3. Content Reveal (4-6 weeks out): Speakers, agenda highlights, why attend
4. Early Bird Deadline (3-4 weeks out): Urgency, pricing incentive
5. Social Proof (2-3 weeks out): Testimonials, attendee count, excitement
6. Final Reminder (1 week out): Last chance, logistics preview
7. Pre-Event Logistics (2-3 days out): Parking, schedule, what to bring

✅ Quick Check: Can you recall the seven emails in the event email sequence? Try naming them in order.

AI prompt for email drafts:

“Write email #[number] in my event promotional sequence. Event: [details]. Audience: [description]. This email’s goal is [awareness/excitement/conversion]. Tone should be [professional/casual/enthusiastic]. Include a compelling subject line and clear call-to-action.”

Social Media

Social media builds community and creates FOMO (fear of missing out).

Content types that work for events:

• Behind-the-scenes planning updates
• Speaker/entertainer announcements
• Venue reveal photos or videos
• Countdown posts
• Attendee testimonials or quotes
• Interactive polls (what topic should we cover?)
• User-generated content from past events

AI content batch prompt:

“Create 12 social media posts for promoting my [event type] on [date]. Mix of formats: announcements, countdowns, behind-the-scenes, engagement questions, and testimonial-style posts. Platform: [Instagram/LinkedIn/Twitter]. Include suggested images or visuals for each post.”

RSVP and Registration

The registration process itself is a conversion tool. Friction kills attendance.

Registration best practices:

• One-click RSVP when possible
• Mobile-optimized registration form
• Minimal required fields (name, email, dietary needs)
• Immediate confirmation email
• Calendar invite auto-sent on registration
• Social sharing prompt after registration

Creating Compelling Event Descriptions

The event description is your sales pitch. Most are terrible: long, vague, and focused on the organizer instead of the attendee.

“Rewrite this event description to focus on attendee benefits. Current description: [paste current]. The target audience is [description]. Make it compelling, specific, and action-oriented. Include what attendees will gain, who’s speaking/performing, and a clear reason to register now.”

The formula:

1. Hook: A compelling question or statement
2. Promise: What attendees will get or experience
3. Proof: Who’s involved, past success, social proof
4. Urgency: Why register now (limited seats, early bird, etc.)
5. Action: Single clear CTA (Register Now)

Tracking Promotional Effectiveness

Don’t promote blindly. Track what works.

Key metrics:

• Email open rates (aim for 25%+ for event emails)
• Click-through rates to registration page
• Registration conversion rate
• Channel attribution (which channel drives most registrations)
• Cost per registration (if running paid promotion)

Use this prompt for analysis:

“Here are my promotional results so far: [paste metrics]. Event is [X weeks] away and I have [current registrations] of [target] registrations. Analyze what’s working, what isn’t, and recommend adjustments to hit my attendance target.”

Handling Low Registration

If registrations are lagging, don’t panic. Diagnose first.

Common causes and fixes:

Post-Event Communication

Promotion doesn’t end when the event does.

Post-event email sequence:

1. Thank you (within 24 hours): Gratitude, event photos link
2. Feedback request (2-3 days after): Short survey, specific questions
3. Content sharing (1 week after): Recordings, slides, resources
4. Save the date (2-4 weeks after): Next event announcement

Exercise

Build your promotional plan:

1. Use AI to generate a complete promotional timeline for your event
2. Draft the first three emails in your sequence
3. Create a week of social media content
4. Write a compelling event description using the formula

Key Takeaways

• Start promotion 8-12 weeks out and intensify toward the event date
• Use multiple channels: email is highest-converting, social media builds buzz
• Make registration frictionless with minimal steps and mobile optimization
• Track metrics to diagnose underperformance and adjust strategy
• Post-event communication builds retention for future events
• AI can generate entire promotional campaigns in minutes

Up next: In the next lesson, we’ll dive into Day-Of Logistics and Crisis Management to ensure flawless execution.