The importance of communication when retaining delegates
A client roadshow/conference/meeting is an exciting activity to manage, our effectiveness is monitored by the marketing collateral we create and distribute, and more importantly the final delegate attendance at these events.
To see the increasing acquisition day-by-day from marketing campaigns makes it all worthwhile, however, due to the availability and demand of today’s healthcare professionals (HCPs), the event attendance can cause concern for the client, us, and even the HCP. This is because HCPs are required to keep skills and knowledge up to date through CPD activities, these points they acquire are used to support their annual personal development review and support their career progression.
A revised process of retention is currently being used by Cogora: The Agency. The following are tried and tested methods we use which are successful in filling our roadshow/conference/meeting;
Emails
These are one of the best methods in keeping the HCP aware of the event. An email sent a few weeks after registering, to release additional information about the event keeps the HCPs engaged! These reminder emails allow a HCP to plan their time out of the office. Additional information required in these emails are maps, venues and directions to remove the HCP from having to do their own logistics.
Text Messaging
Many HCPs are on the move throughout the day, and many have a busy inbox. Therefore, text messaging may have a better response as the retention email may be missed.
Telemarketing Calls
Signing up months before an event can cause some HCPs to forget they have registered, or they may have committed to other work priorities. A short friendly call a few weeks before will allow us to confirm their attendance, and answer any other questions they may have.
We know that the 100% attendance rate is difficult to achieve in reality, and this is because of a variety of reasons; HCP’s may have other important work related meetings, they may be covering a colleague or may even have booked a holiday! However, using these methods above will allow us to be as successful as possible.
