Want to make your event the hottest ticket in town? It’s about more than simply having unmissable content – there are a number of psychological tactics that organisers use to create exclusivity around their events.
Follow the 9 steps below to make your event the one that people are clamouring to attend…
- Make your event invitation only
“If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in.” The guestlist or members-only approach is one that’s been employed by exclusive clubs for years.
By nature, we hate to be excluded so simply telling someone they can’t come in can make them more eager to do so. Meanwhile, those who are allowed feel privileged and special.
You can apply the same logic to your event by making your event invitation only and sending out personal invitations (make these a bit posh and handwrite them for extra kudos).
- Make it known that others are being excluded
This sounds harsh, but letting attendees know they are part of an elite group will make them more likely to attend – and pique the interest of others.
Make it clear that the event is invitation only on your marketing materials. For example, you might say:
“The World Cocktail Festival pre-tasting session is for a handpicked selection of social media influencers only. If you have not received an invitation but would like to be considered please contact us.”
- Invite influencers and namedrop
Getting a few of the right people to confirm their attendance at your event can be all that’s needed to attract a lot more – it’s like inviting the popular kids to your party.
Aim for ‘influencers’ in your niche with a wide social media reach. Many of those with the biggest online punch offer paid promotional services, so if you can’t convince them to come to your event based on its own merits, you could ‘sponsor’ them to attend.
The best influencers still exercise discretion in the paid promotions they accept in order to protect their reputations. Their opinions are highly valued by their followers so having an influencer’s endorsement can be a major boon for products and brands.
Don’t forget to spread word of any ‘VIP’ guest attendance to your own networks and also to strategically mention other attendees who might be of interest to specific invitees (such as their prospects or competitors).
- Limit places and create scarcity
Another way to create both exclusivity and urgency is to limit the number of places available for your event. You might say:
“This is a small and exclusive event for cocktail lovers and drinks industry social media influencers. There are a total of 30 places available and you have been chosen to attend. Please confirm your attendance promptly to secure your place.”
Even if your event is not invitation-only, you can still limit ticket numbers to drive demand and FOMO: “When they’re gone, they’re gone – don’t miss out!”
- Open a waiting list
You might choose to start promoting your event in advance of opening up ticket sales. By generating interest but preventing people from being able to get their hands on a ticket you can actually increase their appetite to attend – it’s the playing hard to get tactic!
You could say: “Tickets for this event won’t go on sale until 1 November and we are anticipating a high demand. You may register your interest to attend by joining our waiting list. You will be notified as soon as ticket sales are open and given the first opportunity to purchase.”
- Set a high ticket price
If you’re selling tickets to your event you might be tempted to keep prices low to get maximum interest, however you could actually gain more attention by charging a higher rate.
If something is cheap then psychologically we might assume it must be low quality and commonplace, but if something is expensive we instantly think it must be ‘better’ and it becomes more covetable.
The bottom line is, if you put a high value on what you’re offering than other people will do too.
- Book a prestigious venue
Another effective way to generate the right interest in your event is to offer attendees the opportunity to visit somewhere exclusive. By holding your event in a luxury hotel or an unusual or private venue you can benefit from the established name and reputation of the said location.
For example, places like Abbey Road Studios, London Zoo, the Natural History Museum and Heaver Castle are all available for private hire and offer event organisers real pulling power.
It’s especially effective if you are able to offer attendees an exclusive ‘glimpse behind the scenes’ or unique opportunity such as recording a song or feeding sea lions.
- Choose a ‘mystery location’
If you can’t afford The Ritz or Savoy but still want to generate excitement around your venue, try keeping its identity a secret. Drop little clues to keep them guessing and make them even more intrigued. You can tell guests:
“The event will be held at a secret location in North London, to be revealed the day before. We hope you have a head for heights!”
Secret Cinema deploys this tactic masterfully. They simply tell ticket buyers that the screening will be held within the ‘London TFL Travel Zones’ and that everything else will be revealed later. Sometimes they don’t even tell them what film they’re booking to see!
- Ask them to keep it a secret!
People are, for the most part, bad at keeping secrets. Whether they mean to or not, someone will always spill the beans. You can use that to your advantage; you want people talking about your event, so tell them not to!
For example, you could say: “We’re hosting an exclusive pre-tasting cocktail evening to discuss the latest and greatest trends being developed by mixologists, and you’re one of a few hand-picked influencers we’ve selected to be there. However we wish to keep the event private so kindly request you to not share details.”
Now your invitees feel part of a really exclusive club and will be bursting to boast to their friends!
Conclusion
Making your event exclusive can not only benefit you by making it more likely to sell-out and drive plenty of word-of-mouth marketing and FOMO, it can also lead to a higher grade (and higher paying) attendee and create stronger, more personal connections with your audience.
