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Tips for Increasing Attendance at Workshops |
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The
Professional Development Committee (PDC) recently held a workshop, titled
“Pitching Strategies for Today,” that drew more than 150 registrants.
Attendance at the July 13 morning event, the latest in a series of
well-attended monthly workshops held this year, was one of the best in recent
memory, according to many chapter leaders.
Below are a few of the reasons why.
- Content is king. It all starts
with content that will appeal to the most number of people. Fundamental
topics such as pitching always draw the most number of people because
pitching is at the core of what many PR pros to do. Varying topics that
appeal to practitioners at various career stages in order to appeal to
different members segments is always a good idea.
- Bring in the big guns. People
come to see big names. The PDC event featured reporters from The Washington Post, The Washington Times, ABC Radio,
and The Wall Street Journal.
Every media relations pro aspires to work with the big leaguers—or at
least know how they do their work. Getting speakers who are leaders in the
field—especially those that hold senior positions at well-known
organizations—attracts many followers.
- Get your timing down. For the PDC, breakfast
events tend to draw better than luncheons or evening events. Today’s busy
PR pros would rather go in early to attend an event and miss as little
time from work as possible. Also, don’t schedule events on Mondays and
Fridays when people might be extending their weekends. Time of year does
not matter much as long as you stay away from holiday periods. Summer can
be a surprisingly good time to hold an event because business can be slow
during that time.
- Promote early and often. Get the
word out about the event at least six weeks ahead of time. The PDC has
even come up with an annual calendar of events. Early notice about the
events leads them to be picked up by events calendar in various local PR
publications such as the DC Communicator. The PDC events are promoted via a
surface mail flyer, the chapter website, and e-mail. PDC members also
promote the events to their contacts, primarily via e-mail.
- Be geographically appealing.
Think about a location that is accessible to Metro, parking, and is close
to where people work. And if it’s a series of events, move them to
different parts of the area. The PDC events are held at various locations
in Maryland and Virginia to appeal to different
segments of the membership. (If you know of a good Maryland location, let the PDC know.)
Success
is due to a combination of these variables. But perhaps the most important
thing is to ask attendees for their feedback with written evaluations so you improve
your events and can give them what they want!
By Jeff Ghannam
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