Wednesday 3 November 2010

The ONE Big Secret

I've spoken about this before, and I'm not the only one because it's the biggest issue most people face when they stage an event.

Which is not the same as saying it's the first thing everyone thinks of, but it probably should be.

You see, when everything else is settled, including the choice of venue, the hot topic, the date, the technology and even your nerves, the final piece in the jigsaw is the big one...

WILL ANYONE TURN UP?

Well, not if you haven't sold any seats, they won't. So how do you sell them?

I posted here once about 14 ways to fill your event. Don't look now because I've deleted it (although it's in Niche Seminar Secrets). Of all the fourteen ways, one common factor marked out the best of them ... joint ventures.

Yep. The easiest way to fill an event is to get someone else to do it for you. Or several people.

Joint venture partners can be your guest speaker(s), especially the ones with pulling power. Or you can be joint hosts or promotors with a partner, especially those with big, responsive lists and the respect of their members.

Your speakers want to sell tickets and present to their own followers, fans and customers. They know they'll get a good reception and probably make more sales when they do. Because they have this following they can often sell more tickets than you can.

Equally, a joint promoter will want 'their' event to be a success, especially if it's making them money, too. We like to JV with our Chamber of Commerce for local events because they're even better known than we are, are repected by their members and will profit from the event.

What both groups have in common, then, are big lists and plenty of authority. You can spend a lot of money on marketing and advertising trying to get to where they are...

...but sharing the promoting burden and the proceeds with a partner is a much faster way to get there!

Roy

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