How to maximize event registrations and sales

One of the most important aspects to event business is the ticket sales. After all – that’s what makes it a business. Planners try different tactics in order to get the right people to register and attend their events. Of course, this is no easy job, considering that the industry is so competitive. There are many reasons to attend an event: to have a good time, to learn and network, to spend time with peers.

Oveit can help organizers optimize their sales with some interesting features that are available as soon as the account is created.

Real Time sales reports

First thing is first. When it comes to ticket sales, the best tool you need to have is a real time sales report. This is a vital tool, because you need to know at any time how many tickets were purchased up to that point and by whom. Oveit offers its customers various reports that give information regarding the number of tickets sold in a day, as well as the sums that were generated by the sales, split by events or ticket types.

issued-tickets

With these reports, the event planner can see at a glance whether the promotional campaigns are working and what their direct impact is on actual sales. If you plan a concert and decide to have a Facebook ad campaign for one week, you can see how that campaign affected the sales. If you observe that sales did not record a boost or an increase in numbers, then it is obvious that you need a shift in your promotional campaign. On the other hand, if you observe that the graphs are going sky high, it’s time to put some more money in that specific type of media, as it is clear that it’s working. This is viable for all other forms of marketing campaigns dedicated to promote your event and increase the number of tickets that are being sold.

Relevant customer data

It would be nice to get to know your attendees, wouldn’t it? With Oveit you can find out anything you want from your customers.

The form setup. You can choose from text, dropdown lists, email, dates and file uploads

The form setup. You can choose from text, dropdown lists, email, dates and file uploads

By enabling Oveit’s forms function, you can request any sort of information that is relevant for you. You can find out the attendees’ names, e-mails, positions in their companies, or even ask for their CVs. Why is this relevant for sales? Sales, in today’s world, is data. The more you know about your potential market, the better.

check-in

The check-in section. Search for attendees, edit their details and see order details.

Of course, it is important to ask the right questions to attendees. A large list of questions can go unanswered and the purchase flow is interrupted.

We recommend that you ask the customer her e-mail and basic data (name, company, position in the company), as these are the essentials. If you do this right, you will build up large data base collected and organized by Oveit, searchable and editable, which will always be available to you. You can also connect other applications you might have (for example a CRM) to our API and streamline data management. You will be able to see the customers’ activity and even reward your loyal customers at future events (for example with discount vouchers for loyal customers).

Active Media Partners

All events have media partners. Bigger events attract important media partners, but don’t worry if you plan a smaller event. You will definitely find media channels that are interested in your event. All you need to do is define your target audience and see where they get their news from. Once you have signed the media partnerships, you can use Oveit for something awesome: actively involve the media partners into ticket sales.

Copy, paste, embed and sell anywhere.

Copy, paste, embed and sell anywhere.

How? By using the embed function that Oveit has for every event, customers can purchase tickets directly from your media partner websites. The embed code functions just like any you would expect from an embed code and is compatible with any kind of website or screen resolution.

Customize the embed widget and make it fit your brand identity.

Customize the embed widget and make it fit your brand identity.

Your media partner just copies and pastes that code in the advertorial dedicated to your event. There you have it. Partners become sales channels. With this feature you can now have a full sales force directly from newspapers, online magazines or even blogs. You have full control over the data, at any time, so you know exactly who was the most prolific partner/seller.

The perfect check-out

The customer experience starts when the payment ends. This is the beginning of your customer relationship. She having a nice experience at the concert is entirely your job as an organizer.

Oveit can only help you with access management and all the other tools required for ticket sales. But even more, Oveit can help you stay in touch with your attendee. By keeping her attention and interest alive, she can become your loyal customer and will definitely attend to your future events.

A start to this new relationship between the planner and the attendee is the Oveit Check-out settings section that will enable you to send personalized e-mails to your attendees. By doing so, the customer will enjoy the attention you are offering her and be more receptive to anything you are doing or saying.

Also, you can create a small ‘Thank you’ page on your website so the customer will be redirected to it after ticket purchase. If you follow the previous advice and sell tickets directly from the media partners, this URL link is mandatory, as the customer can be redirected on your official website where she might find out more details about the event and about upcoming events.

Tips for artists starting out: How to promote your music without a label company

So you have a band, lots of talent and good songs, but no money for promoting your work. Getting a signed contract with a label company will probably take care of promotion, but until then, let’s find out what can you do by yourself, using only Internet, friends and networking. 

Be active on (the right) Social Media

At first, all you need is an official Facebook page. Do not waste your time creating accounts on all social media platforms or creating your own website yet. Spreading your efforts too thin may hurt rather than help.

After all Facebook is big and growing bigger. There are over 1.6 billion Facebook users. Think you can find some fans there? We sure do. Keep your Facebook page updated with relevant content: photos of you rehearsing, new concerts, new songs, updates about you. Oh, and very important: double-check your spelling and grammar. You want to be a role model for your fans. Keep it classy.

Show your face to the world

Your image is very important. Maybe you have a friend that takes great photos. She can help you with a professional photo shooting. If not, it’s a good idea to raise some money and go to a professional for some cool shots of you.

But stay fresh. Post selfies, inspiring images and things happening in your day-to-day life, even if you post them from your smartphone. Record short videos and stream your shows live.

The Offspring in concert. Photo source. The Offspring got started in 1984 with guitarist/vocalist Bryan "Dexter" Holland  and bassist Greg Kriesel playing music together in a garage in California.

The Offspring in concert. Photo source.
The Offspring got started in 1984 with guitarist/vocalist Bryan “Dexter” Holland and bassist Greg Kriesel playing music together in a garage in California.

Stay in touch with an YouTube account

Create an official channel of your band on YouTube and upload quality content or stream live events. You can also post covers, but make sure they sound really good. You want to attract subscribers and fans. Another good idea is to make covers of popular songs – this way, people who search the original song will also find your version and maybe enjoy your personal style. In the description of the video, you can also post the dates of your band’s concerts, if you already have any, or your Facebook page.

Be present at events

Socialize. That’s how you meet the right people (and unfortunately some of the wrong ones but never mind that). Maybe no one knows you yet and you do not receive invitations to fancy events, where all the VIPs are. For start, it’s important to attend small events – company parties, birthday parties, small parties in the city. If you don’t know anyone there, even better. Make friends and spread the word about your music. Who knows when you’ll meet the manager of a label company?

Other musicians

Maybe you have some friends that also have a band. Why don’t you make a song together? You are definitely familiar with all those popular featurings that big artists make. Well, they have a pretty good reason for it: the number of fans listening is double! This way, the other band’s fans may become your new fans!

Music blogs

It’s hard to reach mainstream music press when you are at the beginning of your career, but why don’t you try reaching music blogs? The bloggers are almost always eager to listen to new music and, if they like it, they can promote it on their websites.

Live shows

All artists create for their fans. Now it’s time to meet them. You don’t have to be an already popular artist to sing in front of an audience. First step: make a list of pubs and bars in your city that host local bands, then call them and make an appointment for an audition. Do your best to impress them and negotiate a good deal. At first, you will sing for free, but don’t worry – this is your chance for people to get to know you and start enjoying your music. After this … sky is the limit. Start small and grow from there. Using Oveit’s event registration software, you can set up your concerts and receive payments for tickets instantly. Pretty cool, right?

As you can see, there a lot of ways to promote your music without a label company of even money. All you have to do is stay positive, be creative and work hard. And, nonetheless, keep on making great music, until you get where you want to be!